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Francophonie Film Festival
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March 27 - April 02
35 mm 
French is the language of romance, and diplomacy, spoken by Napoleon, des Cartes, and Sartre and when we hear it, we almost exclusively think of France but the language of love reaches far beyond the borders of just one country, and draws in many nations to its linguistic embrace. From Canada to Congo, French is the official language of 29 countries, and is spoken in many more, making it the world's second largest language bloc after English. The Embassies of France, Switzerland, Belgium, Romania, and Canada in Russia, CoolConnections and 35 mm cinema present "Francophonie Film Festival" to take place in Moscow on March 27 - April 2 at 35 mm cinema. The Francophonie Film Festival, which is program promises to be particularly rich, is "a rendezvous that the public looks forward to, and one which has sold out the last three years," as audiovisual attaché at the French Embassy Christine Laumond said. This year the Francophonie Film Festival will be hosting 14 French-language films (dramas, comedies, and a documentary) from France, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, Austria, and Morocco. The opening film of the festival is a comedy "Et si on vivait tous ensemble?" by director Stéphane Robelin with such world-known actors as Geraldine Chaplin, Jane Fonda, Pierre Richard.
Programme:
Et Si on Vivait Tous Ensemble? Comedy. France, Germany 2011, 96 min. Directed by Stéphane Robelin. Starring: Guy Bedos, Daniel Brühl, Geraldine Chaplin, Jane Fonda, Pierre Richard. In French, German with Russian subtitles. Annie, Jean, Claude, Albert and Jeanne have been friends for over forty years. But they are growing old and old age tends to be synonymous with reduced autonomy, loss of memory, illness, retirement home and, worst of all, separation. One day, one of the five friends suggests to say no to isolation and loneliness: what if they lived together?
Avanti. Drama. Switzerland, Belgium 2012, 85 min. Directed by Emmanuelle Antille. Starring: Hanna Schygulla, Nina Meurisse, Jean-Pierre Gos, Miou-Miou, Raphael Bonacchi. In French with Russian subtitles. A road-trip love story between a mother and a daughter who are learning to accept each other. Acclaimed veteran actress Hanna Schygulla stars as the mentally ill and misunderstood mother, alongside newcomer Nina Meurisse, Miou Miou and Jean-Pierre Gos.
Mais im Bundeshuus: Le Génie Helvétique. Documentary. Switzerland 2003, 90 min. Directed by Jean-Stéphane Bron. Starring: Jacques Neirynck, Josef Kunz, Liliane Chappuis, Maya Graf, Johannes R. Randegger. In French, German with Russian subtitles. In the fall of 2002, filmmaker Jean-Stephane Bron started attending the negotiations and debates held at Switzerland's Bundeshuus (parliament) and spent the next year tracking five legislators as they fought over the details of one such bill. The result of Bron's labors is Mais im Bundeshuus (Corn in Parliament), which is as much a study of the Swiss political system as it is an analysis of the many differences of opinion in the genetic engineering industry. Tracking representatives from the Green, UDC, Radical, Socialist, and PDC parties, Bron watches the intense jockeying that occurs from the time the policy is being drafted to its final thrilling vote in the full parliament, with most of the intense debate stemming from Green Party representative Maya Graff and her Radical party adversary, Johannes Randegger. Mais im Bundeshuus was selected for inclusion in the 2003 Locarno International Film Festival. Awards and festivals: Swiss Film Award - Best Documentary.
Le Nom des Gens. Comedy. France 2010, 100 min. Directed by Michel Leclerc. Starring: Sara Forestier, Jacques Gamblin, Zinedine Soualem, Carole Franck, Jacques Boudet. In French, English, Greek, Arabic with Russian subtitles. Bahia Benmahmoud, a free-spirited young woman, has a particular way of seeing political engagement, as she doesn't hesitate to sleep with those who don't agree with her to convert them to her cause - which is a lot of people, as all right-leaning people are concerned. Generally, it works pretty well. Until the day she meets Arthur Martin, a discreet forty-something who doesn't like taking risks. She imagines that with a name like that, he's got to be slightly fascist. But names are deceitful and appearances deceiving. Awards and festivals: Cesar Award - Best Actress, Best Original Screenplay, Étoiles d'O Award - Best Actress.
 Le Chat du Rabbin. Animation. France, Austria 2011, 100 min. Directed by Antoine Delesvaux, Joann Sfar. Starring: Mathieu Amalric, François Damiens, Hafsia Herzi, Karina Testa, Mohamed Fellag. In French with Russian subtitles. Algiers, 1920s. Rabbi Sfar has more than one problem. His beautiful daughter Zlabya is becoming a teenager and above all, his parrot-killing cat has just started talking. The delivery of a box from Russia further complicates things when a painter is discovered inside, more dead than alive. He is on a quest for a hidden tribe and its mythical city in Africa. Convinced that the city exists, he sets off on an incredible adventure, taking with him the Rabbi, his cat, a wise old Arab Sheikh and an eccentric Russian millionaire. Awards and festivals: Cesar Award - Best Animated Film, European Academy Award Nomination - Best Animated film, Annie Award Nomination - Best Animated Film, Taormin International Film Festival - Special Jury Prize, Annecy International Film Festival - participation.
À pas de Loup. Drama / Family. Belgium, France 2011, 77 min. Directed by Olivier Ringer. Starring: Wynona Ringer. In French with Russian subtitles. In a world and in a time not so faraway lived a little girl who had the feeling to be invisible in her parents eyes. To be sure, she decided to disappear. Awards and festivals: Montreal International Children Film Festival - Special Jury Prize, Special Kids Jury Prize; Oulu International Children's Film Festival - C.I.F.E.J. Award; Zlín International Film Festival for Children and Youth - Best Feature Film for Children.
Un Homme qui Crie. Drama. France, Belgium, Chad 2010, 92 min. Directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun. Starring: Youssouf Djaoro, Dioucounda Koma, Emile Abossolo M'bo, Hadje Fatime N'Goua, Marius Yelolo. In French, Arabic with Russian subtitles. Present-day Chad. Adam, fifty-five, a former swimming champion, is pool attendant at a smart N'Djamena hotel. When the hotel gets taken over by new Chinese owners, he is forced to give up his job to his son Abdel. Terribly resentful, he feels socially humiliated. The country is in the throes of a civil war. Rebel forces are attacking the government. The authorities demand that the population contribute to the "war effort", giving money or volunteers old enough to fight off the assailants. The District Chief constantly harasses Adam for his contribution. But Adam is penniless; he only has his son. Awards and festivals: Cannes Film Festival - Jury Prize; Chicago International Film Festival - Best Actor, Best Screenplay; Dubai International Film Festival - Best Film, Best Actor, Best Editing; Hong Kong International Film Festival - SIGNIS Award; Philadelphia International Film Festival - Best Actor; RiverRun International Film Festival - Best Actress.
Congorama. Comedy / Drama. Canada, Belgium, France 2006, 105 min. Directed by Philippe Falardeau. Starring: Olivier Gourmet, Paul Ahmarani, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Claudia Tagbo, Gabriel Arcand. In French with Russian subtitles. Michel, the Belgian son of a paralyzed writer, husband of a Congolese refugee, and father of a future tennis champion, is an erratic inventor misunderstood by his employer. At age 41, he learns that he was born secretly in a barn in Québec, in the town of Sainte-Cécile, and given up for adoption shortly afterward. In the summer of 2000, Michel goes there and finds a sleepy village that soon makes him want to run back home. There, he meets a man who drives a car with a technologically advanced hybrid engine. On their way back to Montréal, an accident changes their lives forever, and what is uncovered will challenge the very future of the automotive industry. Awards and festivals: Genie Award - Best Original Screenplay, Jutra Award - Best Film, Best Director, Best Actor, London, Canada Film Festival - Special Jury Prize.
La Moitié Gauche du Frigo. Comedy. Canada 2000, 90 min. Directed by Philippe Falardeau. Starring: Paul Ahmarani, Stéphane Demers, Geneviève Néron, Jules Philip, Alexandrine Agostini. In French with Russian subtitles. Christophe agrees to be filmed by his roommate Stéphane, while he is searching for a meaningful engineering job. Since he voluntarily resigned his job when he was to be moved to quality control, he does not get unemployment benefits, and goes to classes on how to contest the decision. Christophe sells his car, while Stéphane receives more funding for the film, and can hire a sound man. However, the crew following Christophe with a camera is a hinderance in his job-hunting. After spending the night with Christophe, his girlfriend Odile, an artist working as a supermarket cashier, takes over the camera and films the roommates as they get up. Finally Christophe finds a few days work dismantling machines for a company that is moving to Mexico, but his cameraman causes problems after interviewing the president of the company in the washroom. Awards and festivals: Genie Award - Claude Jutra Prize, Jutra Award - Best Actor, Toronto International Film Festival - Best Canadian Debut.
 L'homme qui Voulait Vivre sa Vie. Drama. France 2010, 114 min. Directed by Eric Lartigau. Starring: Romain Duris, Marina Foïs, Niels Arestrup, Branka Katic, Catherine Deneuve. In French, Serbian, English with Russian subtitles. Paul Exben is a success story - partner in one of Paris's most exclusive law firms, big salary, big house, glamorous wife and two sons straight out of a Gap catalog. But when he finds out that Sarah, his wife, is cheating on him with Greg Kremer, a local photographer, a rush of blood provokes Paul into a fatal error. Standing over the corpse of his wife's lover, Paul knows that his perfect life has gone for good. But by assuming the dead man's identity and fleeing for an isolated part of former Yugoslavia on the beautiful Adriatic coast, Paul gets another shot at being himself and, at last, seeing the big picture. Awards and festivals: Cesar Award Nomination - Best Supporting Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay.
À L'origine. Drama. France 2009, 130 min. Directed by Xavier Giannoli. Starring: François Cluzet, Emmanuelle Devos, Gérard Depardieu, Vincent Rottiers, Brice Fournier. In French with Russian subtitles. A professional conman passes himself off as the boss of a construction site building a highway extension. He cons the whole region, hires dozens of workers and cynically enjoys the profits of his scam until he meets the lady mayor of a small village that the road will go through. She intrigues and unsettles him, before revealing to him a world he never knew: feelings. How far will he go now to save his victims and save himself from his own lies? Awards and festivals: Cannes Film Festival - participation, Cesar Award - Best Supporting Actress, Lumiere Award - CST Prize, Étoiles d'Or Award - Best Actor.
C'est pas Moi, Je le Jure. Comedy / Drama / Family. Canada 2008, 105 min. Directed by Philippe Falardeau. Starring: Antoine L'Écuyer, Suzanne Clément, Daniel Brière, Catherine Faucher, Gabriel Maillé. In French with Russian subtitles. Léon is ten years old, has lots of problems and an overly fertile imagination. Of course, there is mom and dad who are always fighting, and those annoying neighbors who get to spend the summer at the beach. And then, there's Léa, the exasperating girl who's always right about everything. In the summer of '68, when mom decides to leave everything behind to start a new life in Greece, Léon is prepared to do anything to kill the pain. Destroy the neighbors' house, become a professional liar and even, why not, fall in love with Léa. Together, they will overcome the pain of growing up when you feel abandoned. Awards and festivals: Berlin Film Festival - Silver Bear, Deutsches Kinderhilfswerk Grand Prix, Atlantic Film Festival - Best Actor, Best Canadian Feature, CPH:PIX Film Festival - Audience Award, Jutra Award - Best Cinematography, Vancouver Film Critics Circle - VFCC Award, Zlín International Film Festival for Children and Youth - Milos Macourek Award, Genie Award Nomination - Best Editing.
Orient Express. Drama / Romance. Romania 2004, 115 min. Directed by Sergiu Nicolaescu. Starring: Sergiu Nicolaescu, Gheorghe Dinica, Dan Bittman, Maia Morgenstern, Daniela Nane. At an old age, prince Andrei Morudzi retreats to his castle in Romania, during the two world wars, after having lead an eventful youth. There he is seen upon as a rare bird by the local folk, due to his strange attitude towards life and his exquisit manners, which don't fit in the way of life of the villagers. But, in the end, despite trying to distance himself from the local people, he can't but influence their humble existences. In Romanian with Russian subtitles.
 Omar M'a Tuér. Drama / Crime. France, Morocco 2011, 85 min. Directed by Roschdy Zem. Starring: Sami Bouajila, Denis Podalydès, Maurice Bénichou, Salomé Stévenin, Nozha Khouadra. In French, Arabic with Russian subtitles. An unjustly convicted man fights for justice in this drama based on a true story. Omar Raddad had worked for years as a gardener for Ghislaine Marchal, an elderly woman living in the South of France. In the summer of 1991, Marchal was founded murdered in the basement of her home, with the message "Omar M'a Tuer" - literally "Omar Has Kill Me" - written in her own blood on the wall. Raddad quickly became the prime suspect, even though he had a viable alibi, and he was convicted and sent to prison. However, a journalist covering the case, Pierre-Emmanuel Vaugrenard, had a hard time believing Marchal would scrawl a message about her killer with her last ounce of strength, particularly one that was grammatically incorrect, and he began investigating the case, firm in his belief that Raddad was a victim of racism while the real killer had escaped justice. Awards and festivals: Cesar Award Nomination - Best Actor, Best Adapted Screenplay.
Schedule:
March 27, Wednesday
19:30 - Et si on vivait tous ensemble?
March 28, Thursday
19:30 - Avanti
21:15 - Mais im Bundeshuus: le génie helvétique
March 29, Friday
19:30 - Le nom des gens
March 30, Saturday
15:00 - Le chat du Rabbin
17:00 - À pas de loup
18:45 - Un homme qui crie
March 31, Sunday
15:00 - Congorama
17:00 - La moitié gauche du frigo
19:00 - L'homme qui voulait vivre sa vie
April 01, Monday
19:30 - À l'origine
22:00 - C'est pas moi, je le jure
April 02, Tuesday
19:30 - Orient Express
21:45 - Omar m'a tuér
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