French Film Festival Reveals Opening, Closing Night Titles

The Alliance Française French Film Festival Reveals Opening and Closing Night Titles and the 2018 Education Outreach Programme

National Press Release: Alliance Française French Film Festival 2018
Press release for 18 January 2018

Bringing the best of French cinema to New Zealand from 1 March to 18 April, the Alliance Française French Film Festival has revealed their 2018 Opening and Closing night films.

Launching in Auckland on 1 March, the 2018 Festival will open with the effervescent C’est la vie! (Le Sens de la fête) by Olivier Nakache and Éric Tolédano (The Intouchables). An entertaining look at a disastrous day in the life of a wedding planner, the lead role was written for and stars the legendary Jean-Pierre Bacri. A brilliant comedy of errors, C’est la vie! will provide a grand opening night experience for audiences across the country.

Celebrating rich French talent and a diverse programme, the Festival will close with Mrs. Hyde (Madame Hyde) by Serge Bozon, a fantastic and surreal reinterpretation of Robert L. Stevenson’s literary classic The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.

Starring the iconic Isabelle Huppert as an eccentric science teacher who is struck by lightning while in the lab, this deadpan comedy blends the inspirational teacher genre, 1980’s science fiction and contemporary social criticism. Huppert was awarded Best Actress at the 2017 Locarno Film Festival for her brilliant performance. Screening exclusively as the closing night film, Mrs. Hyde is undoubtably a must-see.

“We feel honoured once again to present you with a diverse selection of some of the best contemporary French and Francophone cinema. Our Opening and Closing night films perfectly sum up what the Festival has to offer: innovative, exciting, moving and surprising cinéma français. Come along and enjoy!” says Festival director Dorothée Basel.

The 2018 Alliance Française French Film Festival programme will showcase 37 French-language feature films, offering audiences a chance to immerse themselves in one language, and a world of emotions.

The full 2018 programme will be available online from Thursday 8 February and in print at screening venues from Friday 9 February.

Education Outreach


The Education Outreach programme is designed to engage, educate and inspire student audiences by exposing them to French language in context, and encouraging discussion in the classroom through comprehensive study guides.

The 2018 Education Outreach films are:
• The Big Bad Fox and Other Tales (Le Grand Méchant Renard et autres contes) by Benjamin Renner and Patrick Imbert, recommended for ages 4 - 8
• Belle & Sebastian: Friends for Life (Belle et Sébastien 3, le dernier chapitre) by Clovis Cornillac, recommended for ages 6 - 12
• Orchestra Class (La Mélodie) by Rachid Hami, recommended for ages 12 - 16

French-language study guides will be available to download free of charge from the Festival website following the full programme launch on Thursday 8 February. The study guides have been conceived by French teachers of the Alliance Française network in New Zealand, supported by ILEP. For more information on the Education Outreach programme, visit www.frenchfilmfestival.co.nz/education-outreach

The Alliance Française French Film Festival will run from 1 March - 18 April 2018 in 13 cities across New Zealand. For dates and venues information, visit www.frenchfilmfestival.co.nz

ENDS

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