In celebration of the 30th anniversary of French Film Festival UK (FFF UK), that will have screenings in over 35 cinemas across the UK from 2nd November to 15th December, programme highlights including 28 UK premières have been announced.
Beginning in 1992 in Glasgow and Edinburgh, and the only francophone film festival in the UK, FFF UK has grown in scope showcasing films in cinemas and online via Curzon’s streaming platform, Curzon at Home.
Festival co-founder and director Richard Mowe said “… Post-Brexit the event’s sense of purpose in bringing together our French-speaking neighbours from Europe and beyond has become even more acute and essential. The organisers pay tribute to our audiences, sponsors and funders as well as passionate and committed individuals, who every year ensure the festival comes to vibrant life, not only in November and December but also influencing film events throughout the year. Vive le cinéma!”
This year’s Opening Gala at London’s Ciné Lumière is a new drama, Full Time (À Plein Temps) fromdirector Eric Gravel, who will introduce the film ahead of its wider release early 2023, and starring Laure Calamy of Call My Agent fame.
Also attending this part of the Festival is Charlotte Gainsbourg, who will introduce and take part in a Q&A at the screening of Mikhaël Hers’s drama The Passengers of the Night (Les Passagers de la nuit).Charlotte’s documentary Jane by Charlotte, an intimate portrait of her mother Jane Birkin, will also be shown.
In honour of Jean Louis Trintignant, who passed away in June, there will be a Tribute screening atCiné Lumière on 13th Novemberof Claude Lelouche’s The Best Years of a Life (Les Plus Belles Années d’une Vie). The opening film for this year’s Cannes Film
FestivalFinal Cut (Coupez)will also feature as a special screening.
Edinburgh’s Filmhouse premières Patrice Leconte’sMaigret starringGérard Depardieuas the iconic detective on 11th November and London’s Ciné Lumière on 12th November, while Aberdeen’s Belmont Filmhouse presents Wilfried Méance’s Two of a Kind (Jumeaux mais pas trop) as a Gala event on the 16thNovember.
The programme contains several strands including Femmes First that spotlights a century of French and francophone women filmmakers, and films focused around contemporary women’s issues. There is also Panorama that features new and recent works by acclaimed filmmakers; Classics that speaks for itself; Extras showcases recent films audiences may have missed; Discovery celebrates first and second-time directors and a Shorts programme completes the list.
The Festival’s Schools and Learning programmes which attracted a total of 75 schools and reached over 5000 students in 2021, involving screenings in cinemas and free shows in the classroom, is set to break records this year. Supported by the Franco-Scottish Society, it allows pupils to win prizes in a critics’ competition,
As well as this packed programme, new and recent titles will also be available to stream via Curzon at Home:
Paris 13th District (Dir. Jacques Audiard)
Casablanca Beats (Dir. Nabil Ayouch)
Between Two Worlds (Dir. Emmanuel Carrère)
Everything Went Fine (Dir. François Ozon)
Both Sides of the Blade (Dir. Éric Gautier)
Irene Brown
Radio Summerhall Arts 