‘Le Prenom’ opens 2013 French Film Festival on June 6

The 2013 French Film Festival formally opens on June 6, Thursday with the invitational screening of Matthieu Delaporte’s  “Le Prenom” (What’s in a Name) following formal ceremonies marked by pomp and pageantry akin to the just concluded 66th Festival de Cannes, French Ambassador to the Philippines Gilles Garachon said. 

          

Starring Patrick Bruel, Valerie Benguigui, Judith el Zein, and Francoise Fabian, the film “Le Prenom,” is the story of the 40-something Vincent who is an expectant father. While visiting his sister Elizabeth, Vincent was asked about the name he intends to christen his firstborn. His unexpected reply throws his family into chaos. 

 

“Le Prenom” was released in France on April 25, 2012.

          

Now on its 18th year, the annual French Film Festival is being held for the first time at the Ayala Cinema Greenbelt 3, moving from its original home in EDSA Shangri-La Plaza in Mandaluyong City.

          

Martin Macalintal, French Embassy’s audiovisual attaché, said in an interview that the transfer of venue is to nurture a “new audience” within the Makati area and environs. He hopes that the 15,000-strong audience which followed the French Film Festival for the last 17 years will still patronize the event in its new home.

 

Aspects of French society and culture

 

In a separate interview, Ambassador Garachon said the five works in this year’s film festival were chosen to show the Philippine audience “the different aspects of French society and culture, notably approaches to story-telling.” 

 

Noting the absence of commercial films in the 2013 selection, Garachon said the five films are “movies not easily found in cinema halls easily.”

 

“We have chosen these movies precisely because they are not easy ones. What we want to show you are more original movies. We do not want to show in this festival commercial movies,” he said.

 

“The very humble message of this year’s French Film festival is that we should treasure our own cinema tradition. And the motif for this year’s festivities is Cannes Film Festival. Cinema is about magic, pomp, and pageantry. We play a game, not a very serious game, only a game, the game of cinema," Garachon said during the interview in Makati.

 

“The basic message is cinema is diversity. Every culture has its own cinema. That is exactly what we have to celebrate. We shall also celebrate Philippine cinema and the Filipino exceptions. We should show our openness to your culture as you show your openness to ours,” Garachon said.

 

Macalintal said this year’s festival will not feature any Philippine movie or documentary as negotiations for the local and international releases of the works of Filipino directors in the just concluded Cannes Film Festival are underway.

 

The 66th Festival de Cannes held May 15-26, 2013 showcased four Filipino films, namely Lav Diaz’s “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan” and Adolfo Alix, Jr.’s “Death March” in the “Un Certain Regard” category and Erik Matti’s “On The Job” in the “Director’s Fortnight,” and the digitally-restored classic of the late National Artist for Film Lino Brocka, “Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag.”

          

Films to be screened

 

Aside from “Le Prenom,” the four other films in the 2013 French Film Festival open to the public from June 7 to 9 at the Greenbelt 3 Cinemas are:

 

 

On top of the five French films, Garachon said there will be a retrospective of French actress Isabelle Huppert's films on June 19 and 26 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

 

Garachon said the following films will be shown: “Save Qui Peut la Vie” (Every Man for Himself), “Loulou”, “Une Affaire de Femmes” (Story of Women), “La Ceremonie” (The Ceremony), and “White Material.” —KG, GMA News

 

For screening schedules, visit Spot.ph or http://www.ambafrance-ph.org/18th-French-Film-Festival. For inquiries, call 0915-805-3860 or send an e-mail to frenchfilmfest@gmail.com.

 Photos courtesy of the Embassy of France in the Philippines