The 10th Annual Tribeca Film Festival, the renowned international film festival co-founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal & Craig Hatkoff, has announced their full feature film program, which includes 10 films with French roots.
The Tribeca Film Festival - which will run from April 20- May 1, 2011 - has screened more than 1,100 films from more than 80 countries since the first Festival in 2002. This year's 88 official film selections represent contemporary international filmmaking at its finest. A Quiet Life, Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye, Blackthorn, Flowers of Evil, L'amour fou, My Piece of the Pie, Point Blank, Romantics Anonymous, The Assault and The Hideaways from France will be included in this year's Tribeca Film Festival. I have included additional information on each film below:
- A Quiet Life (Una Vita Tranquilla), directed by Claudio Cupellini, written by Filippo Gravino, Guido Iuculano, Claudio Cupellini. (Italy, Germany, France) - New York Premiere, Narrative. Two decades after he disappeared from Naples, ex-gangster Rosario has earned all the rewards of a simple life in rural Germany-a lovely young wife, a new son, and a gratifying restaurant/hotel business. But when a pair of mysterious young men take a room at his hotel, Rosario's violent past catches up with him. The great Toni Servillo (Il Divo, Gomorrah) stars in this slow-burn dramatic thriller, a brilliant addition to the new school of sophisticated, subtly suspenseful Italian crime films. In Italian, German with English subtitles.
- The Ballad of Genesis and Lady Jaye, directed by Marie Losier. (USA, France) - New York Premiere, Documentary. Filmmaker and TFF alum Marie Losier, who has created engaging short films on avant-garde artists like George Kuchar and Guy Maddin, makes her feature documentary debut with a mesmerizing and deeply romantic love story between pioneering musician and performance artist Genesis P-Orridge and soul mate Lady Jaye. Breaking new ground in its depiction of gender identity, Ballad chronicles the physical and spiritual merging of two beings into one.
- Blackthorn, directed by Mateo Gil, written by Miguel Barros. (Spain, France, Bolivia, USA) - World Premiere. Legend has it notorious American outlaw Butch Cassidy was killed in Bolivia in 1908. Mateo Gil's classic Western, however, finds Cassidy (Sam Shepard) 20 years later living on in hiding under the identity of James Blackthorn-and yearning for one last sight of home. Joining forces with a Spanish mine robber named Eduardo, Blackthorn sets out on one final adventure across the sublime landscape of the Bolivian frontier. In English, Spanish with English subtitles.
- Flowers of Evil (Fleurs du Mal), directed by David Dusa, written by David Dusa, Raphaëlle Maes, and Louise Molière. (France) - North American Premiere, Narrative. Paris-Tehran. A rootless story of young love between Gecko, an Algerian-French hotel bellman and parkourer, and Anahita, an Iranian student forced to leave her country for her own safety after the controversial elections in 2009. Obsessed with tracking the political movement, Anahita's friends broadcast through YouTube and coordinate via Twitter. Romance and the Internet become the ground to explore histories lost and identity yet to be found. In French, Farsi with English subtitles.
- L'amour fou, directed by Pierre Thoretton. (France) - US Premiere, Documentary. It was called the "auction of the century." Following the death of his partner in business and life, fashion luminary Yves Saint Laurent, Pierre Bergé made the difficult decision to sell off their immense collection of precious art. This luxuriant documentary uses their beautiful possessions as the puzzle pieces to form an equally beautiful portrait of the private world of an icon and the man who loved him. In French with English subtitles. A Sundance Selects release.
- My Piece of the Pie (Ma part du gâteau), directed and written by Cédric Klapisch. (France) - New York Premiere, Narrative.
- From Cédric Klapisch, director of 2002 hit L'Auberge Espagnole, comes a financial-era drama with a biting comic edge. When single mom France loses her factory job, she is forced to take a gig as a housekeeper and nanny for Steve, a hotshot Parisian stockbroker. As France and Steve grow closer, it seems both of their minds may be opening to each other's worldviews-until France makes an unsettling discovery about Steve and events snowball toward a shocking dramatic finale.
- Point Blank (A Bout Portant), directed by Fred Cavayé, written by Fred Cavayé and Guillaume Lemans. (France) - International Premiere, Narrative. Samuel (Gilles Lellouche) is studying to be a nurse and his very pregnant wife, Nadia (Elena Anaya), is relegated to bed rest. But when Nadia is kidnapped right in front of him, to get her back he'll have to free a man under police surveillance from the hospital in three hours. Point Blank is a taut suspense thriller that gets the adrenaline-inducing action going right from the start and never eases up. In French with English subtitles. A Magnolia Pictures release.
- Romantics Anonymous (Les émotifs anonymes), directed by Jean-Pierre Améris, written by Jean-Pierre Améris and Philippe Blasband. (France, Belgium) - International Premiere. Two pathologically shy neurotics connect through a love of chocolate in this delectably witty romantic comedy. For Angelique and Jean-René, the social world is one big emotional minefield best avoided. She's a reclusive candymaker looking for a job, and he runs a chocolate factory in dire need of her savant-like skill. Fate may bring them together, but they'll need to overcome their common fears to find fairy-tale love. In French with English subtitles.
- The Assault (L'assaut), directed by Julien Leclerq, written by Simon Moutairou and Julien Leclerq. (France) - International Premiere, Narrative. Christmas Eve, 1994. In war-torn Algiers, four men uniformed as border guards hijack Air France Flight 8969, foreboding doom for all 220 passengers. But on their arrival in Marseilles, the elite French SWAT force waits to avert tragedy.... Based on the harrowing true story of one of the most successful anti-terrorist operations in history, and incorporating actual news footage, this action-packed thriller from Julien Leclercq (Chrysalis) is packed with heart-pounding intensity. In French with English subtitles.
- The Hideaways, directed by Agnès Merlet. (France, Ireland) - World Premiere, Narrative. The Furlong men have unusual powers. Grandpa goes blind when he thinks of sex, Dad fries electronics when he's afraid... but young James has a far more fearsome power. After losing everyone he loves, he flees to the woods to live alone. But when he's discovered by a beautiful teenage cancer patient, their romance leads James on a journey back to civilization. Agnès Merlet (Artemisia) directs this whimsical fable about learning to live with the curses-and blessings-we inherit.
I hope you will consider writing a story on the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival, as well as the 10 titles from France. Should you be interested, we can arrange for you to speak with the Festival programmers, who can discuss the importance of French cinema at Tribeca and why these films were chosen to be part of this year's Festival film program. We can also try to connect you with filmmakers or talent from these films as well.
Additional information on the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival's feature film program is attached for your review.
