Sunday, April 17, 2016

15 Must-See French Films at COLCOA 2016

By Jose Alberto Hermosillo,

Under the slogan: “Two Countries, One Passion” COLCOA, the French Film Festival of Los Angeles celebrates its 20th Anniversary from April 18th to the 26th by promoting French films and culture in Hollywood.

COLCOA (City of Lights, City of Angels) this year has a magnificent lineup of 70 films, including North America, International, and World Premieres of French Films presented in different sections:  

Contemporary Works Made in France, World Cinema produced by France, Movies After 10:00 P.M., French NeWave 2.0, Animation, Documentaries, Shorts, and the Classics.


The Classics include: More (1969), Marius (1939), Delusions of Grandeur (La Folie des grandeurs), They Were Five (La Belle équipe) (1936), On Guard (Le Bossu) (1936).

Photo: Jose Alberto Hermosillo Copyright© FestivalinLA

Every year COLCOA has a French guest director, Focus on a filmmaker. This year Jean-Paul Rappaneau presents two of his films, including the World Premiere of the restored version “A Matter of Resistance (La Vie de chateau)” (1966) and his latest work “Families.” 
Director Jean-Paul Rappeneau, Photo: Jose Alberto Hermosillo Copy Rights
COLCOA will host a free panel/discussion with Mr. Rappaneau, who directed in the past: “The Married Couple of the Year Two,” “Call Me Savage,” “All Fired Up,” “The Horseman on the Roof,” “Bon Voyage.”

And the 15 Must-See Films at COLCOA 2016 Are:

ONE MAN AND HIS COW 

La Vache

Copyright© Pathe Distribution


The funniest comedy of the year!!! A Franco-Algerian farmer, magnificently played by Fatsah Bouyahmed, will try to fulfill his dream, to go to the prestigious Salon de l’Agriculture in Paris with his dear cow Jacqueline. As a farmer, Fatsah faces some economic and emotional restrictions; he has to leave his wife, daughters, and his village in Algeria.  

Disembarking in Marceilles, he has to walk his way to Paris, with Jacqueline, his cow. During his journey, he will meet some interesting and fun people, some will help and others will hinder his goal. Social media will play an important role making him a hero as if it was a soccer match. 

This film is amazingly funny!!!

Cast: Fatsah Bouyahmed (Fatah), Lambert Wilson (Philippe), Jamel Debbouze (Hassan). 
Directed by: Mohamed Hamidi.

MADE IN FRANCE

Copyright© WTFilms

A thriller about a group of extremists dedicated to bring jihad to the streets of Paris. An Algerian descent French journalist hopes to expose the threat of terrorism at home. 

This film was extremely important and controversial after the terrorist attacks in Paris last November, it puts the spectator in the hot seat of this intense experience. 

Cast: Malik Zidi (Sam), Dimitri Storoge (Hassan), François Civil (Christophe), Nassim Si Ahmed (Driss)
Directed by: Nicolas Boukhrief.

Un Plus Une

Copyright© David Films

Best actor Oscar winner Jean Dujardin and Elsa Zylberstein play opposites in this wonderful romance set in Mumbai, India.

Dujardin is a film composer named Antoine working on the music score for the Bollywood version of Romeo and Juliet. 

Elsa Zylberstein plays Anna, the young wife of the French Ambassador who falls for Antoine. They will live a very unique affair in India.

Cast: Academy Award® Winner Jean Dujardin (Antoine Abelard), Elsa Zylberstein (Anna Hamon). 
Directed by: Claude Lelouch.

FAMILIES

Belles Familles

Copyright© TF1 International

From Shanghai to Paris, Mathieu Amalric plays the businessman Jérôme, who is on a mission to introduce to his mother, his new fiancé, but he soon learns that his family’s elegant manor is on the verge of being lost. 

When he decides to fix the situation, he sends his girlfriend to London while he straightens things out. His opponent is an old rival from school and his contentious girlfriend who dislikes him a lot, but also attracts him, sexually. Everything is chaos when all the characters meet in a concert of this small town and confront themselves with the truth.

Cast: Mathieu Amalric (Varenne), Marine Vacth (Louise), Gilles Lellouche (Grégoire Piaggi), Nicole Garcia (Suzanne Varenne), Karin Viard (Forence), Guillaume de Tonquedec (Jean-Michel Varenne). 
Directed by: Jean-Paul Rappeneau.

MY KING

  Mon Roi

Copyright© Film Movement
An odd couple will cope with their differences and the way to escape from each other. All starts with an incident in a ski resort and the recovery of the manic depressive wife in a therapy center. 

The story jumps back to the day where she meets the womanizer husband of hers, who only wanted the son he couldn’t have with his previous super-model girlfriend. 

The title is from the symbolic moment of birth, a  resemblance of Disney’s “The Lion King” naming the baby Simbad. 

They cannot break apart, but they hurt each other when they are together. This film has terrific performances. 

Cast: Vincent Cassel (Georgio Milevski), Emmanuelle Bercot (Marie-Antoinette Jézéquel, dite Tony). 
Directed by: Maïwenn.

MONSIEUR CHOCOLAT

Chocolat

Copyright© Gaumont

French star Omar Sy (“Untouchables,” “Samba,” “Burn”) plays the Cuban circus performer Raphael Padilla, from the rag-tag circus in Europe to the French stage. His circus character is named Kalanka, a tooth-baring cannibal. 

Padilla is the first black clown in France -- soon he meets a British clown and they integrate the successful duo “Footit and Chocolat.” 

They will have their ups and downs for two decades until Padilla’s decline. Charm and redemption, classy. A great production that will entertain the most demanding audiences around.  
Cast: Omar Sy (Chocolat), James Thiérrée (Footit), Clotilde Hesme (Marie), Olivier Gourmet (Oller), Frédéric Pierrot (Delvaux), Noémie Lvovsky (Mme Delvaux).
Directed by: Roschdy Zem.  
Original Score: Gabriel Yared.

LONG WAY NORTH

Tout en haut du monde

Copyright© Shout! Factory

A gorgeous animated feature that narrates the adventure of a Russian aristocratic 15 year old girl named Sasha. She gives up a glamorous life to travel to the unknown on a quest to find the truth about what happened to her grandfather, Oloukine, a renowned explorer who couldn’t come back from his last expedition to the North Pole in the 19th Century. 

This film empowers little women as much as other animated adventures such as: “Brave” or “Anastasia.”

English Cast: Chloé Dunn, Vivienne Vermes, Peter Hudson, Antony Hickling, Tom Perkins, Geoffrey Greenhill, Claire Harrison-Bullett, Bibi Jacob. 
Directed by: Rémi Chayé.

THE INNOCENTS

 Les Innocentes

Copyright© Music Box Films

“Agnus Dei” was the original title of this feminine perspective of WWII, set in 1945 in an already destroyed Poland. The convent sisters will try to keep the grip with their faith facing the atrocities of the war. 

Upon the arrival of a French Red Cross Doctor, while she was doing some house calls, in a convent, she finds out that several nuns are pregnant. 

The emotional distress and a moral questions will keep the audience wondering what has taken place and mostly about who The Innocents are in this story.  

Cast: Lou de Laâge (Mathilde Beaulieu), Agata Buzek (Maria), Agata Kulesza (Mère Abesse), Vincent Macaigne (Samuel).
Directed by: Anne Fontaine

COME WHAT MAY
En mai, fais ce qu’il te plait

Copyright©Cohen Media Group
A beautiful historic time period drama set in the hard times of the WWII during the German invasion of France in 1940.  The film shows how farmers and villagers fled in one of the most tumultuous exodus in human history - eight million people left their homes and hit the roads. 

The lives of a young Flemish boy and his father separated by war, desperate to find each other will cross with the lives of the Mayor and a young teacher, as they struggle to figure out where to go.  

Cast: August Diehl (Hans), Olivier Gourmet (Paul), Mathilde Seigner (Mado), Alice Isaaz (Suzanne)
Directed by: Christian Carion.
Original Score: Ennio Morricone.

DON’T TELL ME THE BOY WAS MAD 

Une histoire de fou

Copyright© MK2
Three generations have passed to narrate the story of the Armenian genocide by the Turkish. A member of this family is involved with the Armenian Liberation Army in Beirut. 

The film’s posture is neutral, showing the struggle of the Armenian people and how the group becomes dangerous. 

“… The Boy was Mad” has a lavish production value with a beautiful ambiance, music, and remarkable performances as we learn the history of Armenia.  

Cast: Simon Abkarian (Hovannès Alexandrian), Ariane Ascaride (Anouch Alexandrian), Grégoire Leprince-Ringuet (Gilles Teissier). 
Directed by: Robert Guédiguian.

TOMORROW

Demain

Copyright© Elle Driver

A profound and personal study of climate change and what Scientists and ordinary humans are doing in education, agriculture, renewable energy, economy and democracy to prevail over today’s and tomorrow’s hard times. “Tomorrow” won the César Award 2016 for Best Documentary.

Directed by: Cyril Dion, Mélanie Laurent.

BANG GANG 

(A MODERN LOVE STORY)

Une histoire d’amour moderne

Copyright© Films Distribution

A coming of age drama based on real life events of a group of teenagers discovering the potential of their sexuality and how far they can take it when they participate in wild parties exposing themselves to orgies filming their excesses onto social media. 

Bang Gang is steamy hot and highly erotic. The realistic way that it was shot made it part of the French Newave 2.0 Series.

Cast: Finnegan Oldfield (Alex), Marilyn Lima (George), Lorenzo Lefèbvre (Gabriel), Daisy Broom (Laetitia), Fred Hotier (Nikita), Manuel Husson (Le père de Gabriel)
Directed by: Eva Husson.

SAINT AMOUR

Copyright© Le Pacte
A dazzling road trip movie through the wine regions of France. A mature father and son are embarking on this witty humorous quest for love, sex, and recognition. The son Bruno, (Benoît Poelvoorde), has problems with alcohol due to the lack of self-steam. The father’s (Gerard Depardieu) idea is to get closer to his son as they are still grieving the absence of the wife. 

They want to make it big at the agricultural fair, but the quest for love makes them struggle to reach their goal. 

Cast:  Benoît Poelvoorde (Bruno), Gérard Depardieu (Jean), Vincent Lacoste (Mike), Céline Sallette (Venus), Gustave Kervern (L’oncle). 
Directed by: Benoît Delépine, Gustave Kervern.

FATIMA

Copyright© Pyramide Films
Winner of the 2016 César Awards for Best Film, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Most Promising Actress for bright newcomer Zita Hanrot. This film depicts the story of a North African immigrant in Lyon from the point of view of two generations of women. 

Cast: Soria Zeroual (Fatima), Zita Hanrot (Nesrine). 
Directed by: Philippe Faucon. 
Based on the books by: Fatima Elayoubi.

EVA DOESN’T SLEEP 

Eva ne dort pas

Copyright© Pyramide International
“Eva Doesn’t Sleep” chronicles the 25 year journey of Eva Peron’s corpse and the men who were obsessed with her. A haunting and strange drama featuring a brief participation of the Mexican star Gael García Bernal and also Denis Lavant. 

Eva Perón died at the age of 33. The grief of the Argentinean people was so great they wanted to be with her for a long time and because of the political turmoil her body had to be hidden in other places, even outside Argentina. A bizarre story, where the characters have some kind of fetish for Eva, their spiritual leader. 

Cast: Gael Garcia Bernal (Massera), Denis Lavant (Koenig), Sabrina Machi (Eva).
Directed by: Pablo Agüero.



COLCOA FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL - A WEEK OF FRENCH FILM PREMIERES IN HOLLYWOOD. APRIL 18-26, 2016

TICKETS AND INFORMATION VISIT: http://www.colcoa.org/
The Directors Guild Theater Complex
7920 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90046
#JosesReviews

Copyright © 2016 Festival in LA

1 comment:

  1. Como siempre tus artículos llenos de información que nos dejan con ganas de correr a ver todas las películas, gracias, FELICIDADES!

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