Enter for a chance to win one of 5 double passes to the French Film Festival
Bonjour cinéphiles!
The 27th annual Alliance Française French Film Festival is coming to Melbourne in March, running from the 2nd to the 24th. It’s an exciting catalogue of love triangles, classic French farce and harrowing historical dramas.
Check out The Plus Ones’ top five picks:
Marion Cotillard voices April in this fantastical adventure. Paris, 1941: technological progress has not advanced beyond coal and steam. April and her talking cat Darwin are holed up in the head of a Statue of Liberty-esque monument, while a policeman investigates countless missing scientists.
Fun for kids and adults alike.
François Favrat directs this tense, psychological thriller. Melanie Laurent (Beginners, Inglorious Basterds) stars as a daughter determined to uncover the unexplained death of her parents. Filmed along the Atlantic beaches of Noirmoutier, Favrat’s thriller is sure to be a breathtaking mystery and a must-see for thriller fans.
Based on the 2008 Mumbai terrorist attacks on luxury hotels, 18-year-old Louise (Nymphomaniac) is alone in her hotel room while her parents have dinner across town. Her boredom turns to terror as shuddering sounds erupt below, and terrorists infiltrate the building.
Nicolas Saada’s claustrophobic nail-biter is sure to keep viewers on the edge of their seats.
No one does a satire quite like the French. Just listen to the setup for this Jaco Van Dormael-directed farce:
God is a cynical curmudgeon glued to his computer screen, intent on making people miserable. Daughter Ea sends a text message to everyone in the world, letting each individual know how much time they have left before they die. After this she sets out to create another New Testament with her six disciples (including a talking gorilla) to restore peace to the world.
Required viewing for fans of the comically absurd.
Clocking in at just 60 minutes, this documentary chronicles the life and work of Gaston Georges Méliès, pioneer of cinema from 1912 – 13. Méliès’ films were among the first to feature indigenous actors, and in many ways he defined cinema at its early stages.
Directed by Raphael Millet, this documentary ought to draw fans of historical cinema, which includes footage thought to be lost from a legendary filmmaker.
With these exciting picks and many others, plus opening and closing night parties and four Q&A’s, this year’s AFF is sure to be a highlight of 2016.
– Tom
Tom Bensley is a freelance writer in Melbourne who reviews anything he attends, watches or reads. It’s a compulsion, really. Follow him @TomAliceBensley.
The Alliance Française French Film Festival runs from March 2 to 24 at the Astor Theatre, Palace Cinemas and Kino Cinemas. All of these venues are wheelchair accessible.
Non-English language films include English subtitles.
Now we know you’ll want to enter for one of our coveted double passes to this fantastic festival.
