French Film Festival announces special guest

Alliance Française French Film Festival 2015
PRESS RELEASE FOR THURSDAY 5 FEBRUARY
For immediate release

Alliance Française French Film Festival 2015 announces special guest!

Organizers of the Alliance Française French Film Festival 2015 are delighted to announce that renowned Canadian producer, Josette D. Normandeau, will travel to New Zealand to present her new internationally-acclaimed series, Apocalypse WWI by Isabelle Clarke and Daniel Costelle.

Apocalypse WWI will screen as part of the festival’s category of films called La Grande Guerre, which will commemorate the centenary of World War One. Produced using more than 500 hours of remarkable and fully colourised archive footage, much of it previously unseen, Apocalypse WWI takes us into the heart of battle. From the trenches in the north of France to the lesser-known fronts of Russia, Serbia, Turkey, and Palestine, the film also reveals the everyday lives of civilians behind the lines. The narration brings to life the memories and the experiences of the men and women torn apart by World War One, by shedding light on the unseen histories of those affected by war.

“I’m delighted to be able to bring Apocalypse WWI to screens around New Zealand,” says Normandeau, “It’s a powerful production, and one I think New Zealanders will be touched by.”

Normandeau began her career as a journalist and radio host, before moving into the emerging multimedia world, and set up the New England Audio Multimedia Division in Boston. In the early 1990s, she headed up the European Union Chambers of Commerce in Canada and Inforum WTC Montreal.

She joined Idéacom in 1994, and through her initiatives, the company became a pioneer in TV/Web convergence. President of Ideacom since 2000, she directs the development and international positioning of the company’s productions. In 2010, Normandeau founded Zenith ABC, the software and digital-production sister company of Ideacom.

She was recently awarded a Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres de la France, and Apocalypse WWI has recently been nominated for five Canadian Screen Awards.

Apocalypse WWI will screen in two parts during the Alliance Française French Film Festival 2015. Part One will consist of the first two episodes (Fury and Fear), and Part Two will showcase the final three (Hell, Rage and Deliverance.) Normandeau will presentApocalypse WWI: Part One in Auckland, Christchurch, Nelson and Wellington. More details about special screenings and events will be published on the festival website during the month of February.

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Normandeau’s trip to New Zealand has been made possible by the High Commission of Canada, Institut Français, and the Embassy of France in New Zealand.

For more information about the film selection and session times please visit the official festival website www.frenchfilmfestival.co.nz

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