By José Alberto Hermosillo
The American
French Film Festival, formerly known as COLCOA (City of Lights - City of
Angels), is presented through the Franco-American Cultural Fund, and it will
be offering 80 films, series, and panels with distinguished guests. The Gallic yearly event will occur at the DGA (Directors Guild of America) Theater Complex from
October 10th to 16th, 2022.
The 26th edition of the festival brings the best of French cinema to Los
Angeles, a unique opportunity to meet the talent, directors, and stars
behind the selected features, documentaries, classics, short films, and series.
The opening night film is “Notre-Dame is Burning,” by the legendary Oscar-winning director Jean-Jacques Annaud (“Black and White in Color,” “The Name of the Rose,” “The Lover,” “Seven Years in Tibet”). The cutting-edge drama involves one of the most significant and recent disasters in France’s history, the devasting fire of the “Cathedral of Our Lady of Paris.”
Another worthy productions to watch are the Austrian-French co-production “Corsage,” a film selected as the Austrian entry for Best International Feature Film at the 95th Academy Awards. The period piece presents the story of Empress Elizabeth of Austria, a woman known for an immense hunger for knowledge and love for life.
“The Night of the 12th” is a police crime investigation mystery drama where Captain Johan Vibes is haunted by an unsolved crime. The murder of Clara Royer in the French Alps is a case that hurts him more than the other cops, and he takes it personally. The film questions genre issues in a “man’s world.” This crime committed by men is also investigated by men and presents more questions than answers.
“Coupez” or “Final Cut” is the wacky gore-fest film that opens this year’s Cannes Film Festival and is now closing the French American Film Festival in Los Angeles. The remake of the Japanese zombie hit “One Cut of the Dead” is directed by an Oscar-winning director Michel Hazanavicius (“The Artist,” “The Search,’ “Godard Mon Amour”), and performed by his lifetime companion Berenice Bejo and Roman Duris, in a story about a filmmaker who wants to make a zombie movie with no-budget.
“Rumba Therapy,” in French, “Rumba La Vie” is a light-hearted comedy about ballroom dancing, directed and starring Franck Dubosc (“Rolling to You”). Franck plays a lonesome middle-aged school bus driver who abandoned his daughter when she was a baby twenty years ago. After his heart attack, the doctor recommends he reconnect with others. So, he goes to Paris to meet that daughter who is now teaching dancing and enrolls in her class incognito. In this therapy, he will learn more about life than a few dancing steps.
One of the most awaited films this year, “En Corps,” or “Rise” in English, is directed by Cedric Klapish (“The Spanish Apartment”/“Russian Dolls”/ Chinese Puzzle trilogy, and currently working on his fourth installment named “Greek Salad”). In the world of dance, the film follows the life of Elisa, a ballerina of the Opera de Paris, who suffers an injury and struggles, and waits to see if she can ever go back ta dance again.
“Two of a Kind,” or “Jumeaux Mais Pas Trop,” tells the story of a working-class handyman and an Oxford-educated rich man who is now running for office in their hometown. The two opposite males have identical DNA even though one is black and the other white, and that test certifies them as twins. Once they know about the existence of each other, they have to learn to deal with such a dramatic situation.
To buy tickets, click here.
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| Lodj Ly, director of Les Misérables at COLCOA. Photo Jose Alberto Hermosillo, Festival in LA ©2019 |
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| COLCOA's Reception. Photo: José Alberto Hermosillo, Festival in LA ©2019 |
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| COLCOA's Reception. Photo: José Alberto Hermosillo, Festival in LA ©2021 |
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| Film critic: José Alberto Hermosillo, Festival in LA ©2022 |
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