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FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL The celebration of Gallic cinema continues with work by Daniel Auteuil, Bruno Dumont and Costa Gavras
‘A fter the previous box office highs of The Artist and The Intouchables,’ says French Film Festival director Richard Mowe, ‘le cinéma français shows no signs of resting on its laurels, and as usual we have been spoilt for choice.’
The lineup for the 21st edition of the FFF bears out Mowe’s grand claim. A quarter of the way through the month-long event, there are still plenty of delights to come. France’s hardest-working actor, Daniel Auteuil, turns director with the first two of three adaptations of Marcel Pagnol’s Marseille-set trilogy Marius-Fanny- César; Bruno Dumont casts Juliette Binoche as the ageing sculptress in his biopic Camille Claudel 1915 (pictured); Cédric Klapisch reunites gorgeous Pot Luck stars Romain Duris and Audrey Tautou in Chinese Puzzle; Costa Gavras directs Gabriel Byrne in boardroom thriller Le Capital; and Jean- Pierre Améris (Romantics Anonymous) calls the shots on Gérard Depardieu in the Victor
56 THE LIST 14 Nov–12 Dec 2013
Hugo adaptation The Man Who Laughs.
‘Gallic fare has a better showing on these shores than most foreign-language cinema,’ Mowe says. ‘But the festival still has a significant role to play in offering a snapshot of French cinema that is not always apparent from the titles that come out on general release.’ FFF21 also premieres features and shorts from debuting filmmakers, and the festival looks backwards with a tribute to maverick filmmaker Maurice Pialat with Loulou, a restored version of Jacques Demy’s Lola and a celebration of the elastic-faced comic superstar Louis de Funès.
‘We hope,’ concludes Mowe, ‘that our contemporary choices are informed by an appreciation of French cinema history.’ (Miles Fielder)
GFT, Glasgow, Filmhouse, Edinburgh, and Dominion Cinema, Edinburgh, until Sun 1 Dec.
HITLIST THE BEST FILM RELEASES & EVENTS
✽ French Film Festival There’s still time to see some Gallic gems – both old and
new – at this year’s festival. See our picks, left. Various venues, until Sun 1 Dec.
✽ Blue is the Warmest Colour The much-praised French drama that won
the Palme d’Or in Cannes this year has been generating debate for its explicit sex scenes. See our five-star review, page 59, and opinion piece, page 12. Limited release from Fri 22 Nov.
✽ Jack Nicholson: Presented by Drambuie A season of films dedicated to
the charismatic star, with Drambuie providing some tasty cocktails alongside. Included in the programme is Kubrick classic The Shining and Antonioni’s melancholic delight The Passenger. Filmhouse, Edinburgh, Mon 25 Nov– Fri 31 Jan.
✽ Leviathan Sublime documentary-making
from Lucien Castaing- Taylor and Véréna Paravel shot on a fishing trawler off the New England coast. A cinematic feast best seen on the big screen. See review, page 59 and profile, page 61. GFT, Glasgow, Fri 29 Nov–Thu 5 Dec.
✽ The Stuart Hall Project A portrait of
the influential black cultural theorist from experimental filmmaker John Akomfrah, of 80s film group Black Audio Film Collective. GFT, Glasgow, Sun 1 Dec.
✽ Nebraska The sixth film from Alexander Payne (Sideways, About Schmidt) is a
touching black-and-white drama about a father and son, with a stand-out, Cannes-winning performance from Bruce Dern. See review, page 60. General release from Fri 6 Dec.