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FRENCH CINEMA NOW RETURNS FOR ITS SIXTH YEAR SHOWCASING THE BEST FRENCH LANGUAGE FILMS FROM AROUND THE WORLD.
What: French Cinema Now
Where: SIFF Cinema Uptown
When: Sep 28 - Oct 5
SIFF and TV5MONDE present French Cinema Now, a celebration spotlighting the state of contemporary Francophone cinema. The week-long event runs September 28 through October 5 at SIFF Cinema Uptown, and features 19 extraordinary French language features and documentaries from 12 different countries around
the world.
The festival kicks off with a musical tribute to Django Reinhardt by Northwest jazz favorite Pearl Django Trio in honor of our Opening Night film, Django, about the legendary jazz guitarist. The film begins during the German occupation of Paris in 1943, when Django was already packing houses with his inventive "hot" jazz virtuosity. After being asked to alter his gypsy-influenced music in favor of Nazi approved music, he had to make a dangerous decision - to take his family and flee France. Join us after the film at Bastille Café + Bar in Ballard for delicious wine and hors d'ouevres.
Other French Cinema Now films were created by seasoned directors like Cédric Klapisch, Agnès Varda, and Arnaud des Pallières, playing alongside relative newcomers like Anne Émond, Alain Gomis, and Karim Drifi. Highlights include the winner of the Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival, Senegalese drama Félicité, about an independent nightclub singer's odyssey through the streets of Kinshasa as she seeks a way to save her hospitalized son; Orphan, an ambitious and uncompromising portrait of a woman, played by four different actresses including Gemma Arterton (Gemma Bovery) and Adèle Exarchopoulos (Blue is the Warmest Color); as well as two films starring the incredible Isabelle Huppert, Souvenir, a bittersweet romance about a factory worker with a secret past, and Luc Bondy's final film, False Confessions, a 21st century take on Marivaux’s comedy of errors, co-starring Louis Garrel.
On Monday, October 2, director Raja Amari, will attend the screening of her film Foreign Body, about an illegal refugee who finds a safe haven at her old friend's apartment in Lyon. The situation gets further compromised when she finds work with a wealthy woman and the trio become ensnared in a complicated love triangle. Director Amari will stay for a post-film Q&A.
Lastly, French Cinema Now would not be complete without a wine tasting event. On Sunday, October 1, Chateau St. Michelle will be offering samples of their wine at a pre-reception for the film Back to Burgundy, a story about sibling camaraderie and familial strife at a Burgundy winery from writer-director Cédric Klapisch (L’Auberge espagnole).
SIFF Festival Programming Manager, Stan Shields, is particularly enthusiastic about this year's program, "2017's French Cinema Now lineup is one of the most thrilling in years - with four US premieres and a North American premiere - featuring award-winning films from master filmmakers to first time directors. The world of Francophone Cinema is better than ever!"
Beth Barrett, SIFF Artistic Director, says "We're very excited about this year's lineup, being able to bring such a diverse group of films to the Francophile Seattle audience. Our continued partnership with TV5 Monde has allowed French Cinema Now to reach not only the Seattle viewers, but nationally through the TV5 Monde channel."
See the Full Lineup Here.
For screeners, interview requests, and press passes please contact Leah Anderson.
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