French Cinema Now

“French films play to packed houses at the San Francisco International
Film Festival, demonstrating both the wide range of quality work that
deserves to be seen by local audiences and the size of the Francophile
population in the Bay Area,” said Rachel Rosen, Film Society director of
programming. “It’s a wonder that a French film festival wasn’t launched
here years ago. This year’s FCN selection showcases the broad-ranging
thematic concerns and cinematic styles of directors working today from
acknowledged master Bertrand Tavernier to first-time helmer Katell
Quillévéré, who debuted at this year’s Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes.”



The
visceral and cerebral extremes of Gallic cinema in French Cinema Now
provide a snapshot of this moment in French filmmaking, culture and
society, from Alain Cavalier’s intimate, small-scale memoir Irène
to Tavernier’s sweeping historical drama The Princess of
Montpensier. New and established talents share the acting
spotlight from newcomer Clara Augarde, playing a confused teenager in Love
Like Poison, to Guillaume Depardieu, in one of his final
performances in Sarah Leonor’s A Real Life, to
Juliette Binoche, who won the Best Actress prize at Cannes for her
wonderful portrayal of an antique shop owner in Abbas Kiarostami’s Certified
Copy.