The beauty and the quality of French cinema
View(s):“Bonjour Cinéma”- 2017 the Francophone Film Festival one of the much awaited events in country’s cultural calendar will be held from March 15 to 19 in Colombo and on March 18 and 19 in Kandy.
Organised by the Embassy of France, the Embassy of Switzerland, the Embassy of Vietnam, Wallonie-Bruxelles International, represented by the Consulate of Belgium, the Canadian High Commission, the Consulate of Tunisia, and the Alliance Française de Kotte in association with the Bandaranaike Centre for International Studies (BCIS) and Agenda 14 the films will be screened at the BMICH cinema Hall in Colombo and at Queens Hotel in Kandy.
Reflecting the diversity of the francophone world, this year’s festival celebrates diversity and cultural dialogue and presents a collection of high-quality and award winning movies produced in member countries of the International Organisation of “La Francophonie” (OIF). All the films will be presented with English subtitles and entrance to the festival will be free of charge.
Aiming at bringing free cultural activities that entertain, educate and improve cross-cultural understanding, to both Sri Lanka and the international community, young Sri Lankan cinema will also be present through a series of four short films which will be shown before the official selection. Started in 2005, Bonjour Cinema 2017 comes as the 12th edition.
The collection of the films that are to be screened as follows.
The opening Film of Bonjour Cinéma in Colombo ‘La French’- ‘The Connection’ is a 2014 French action crime thriller film directed by Cédric Jimenez and produced by Alain Goldman. The film was inspired by the events of the French Connection in the 1970s, starring Jean Dujardin as police magistrate Pierre Michel and Gilles Lellouche as Gaëtan “Tany” Zampa, a drug gang ringleader. The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival on 10 September 2014. It will be screened at 3 pm on March 19.‘9 moisferme’ – ‘9 Month Stretch’(3 pm March 18) is a 2013 French comedy film written, directed by and starring Albert Dupontel. It was nominated for six categories at the 39th César Awards including Best Film and Best Director and Best Actor for Dupontel, winning Best Actress for its co-star Sandrine Kiberlain and Best Original Screenplay.
‘Les chansons d’amour’- ‘Love Songs’ (At 4 pm on March 17 in Colombo and at 4 pm on March 18 in Kandy) is the opening film of Bonjour Cinema in Kandy. A 2007 French musical film directed by Christophe Honoré, starring Louis Garrel, LudivineSagnier, ClotildeHesme and Chiara Mastroianni, it was one of the 20 films selected for the main competition at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival.
Other films include Belgium film ‘Tous les chats sont gris’ at 3 pm on March 16, Swiss films ‘Sweet Girls’ at 6 pm on March 16 and 10.30 am March 19 in Kandy) and ‘Pause’ at 6 pm on March 19, Tunisian film ‘A Peine j’ouvre les yeux’ at 6 pm on March 18 and Vietnamese film ‘Yellow flowers on the green grass’
Four short films selected by Agenda 14 included ‘Wiggle Room’ directed by Krishan Kodithuwakku at 6 pm on March 16, 17/03 at 6PM – ‘The Johnny Mine’ directed by Asanka Ilamperuma at 6 pm on March 17, ‘The Possession’ directed by Shanka Galagoda at 6 pm on March 18 and ‘Once Upon a Time with Cowboys’ directed by Eranda Mahagamage at 6 pm on March 19.