Festival to bring new French cinema to seven Chinese cities

Cinephiles in seven Chinese cities including Beijing, Guangdong, Chengdu and Wuhan, are in for a treat in the form of eight new French feature films brought by the 19th French Film Panorama in the upcoming two months.

The event, co-organized by Unifrance and the French embassy in China as part of the Croisments Festival, kicked off on Thursday at the Broadway Cinematheque MOMA in Beijing.

“The purpose of French Film Panorama in China is to show the Chinese audience French films on the big screen,” said Isabelle Glachant, Unifrance’s Greater China representative at the opening ceremony, noting the event had been scheduled for 2022 but was postponed due to COVID-19.

“Starting from May 5, Chinese audiences can buy a movie ticket and, with it, you can fly to France – France both in the past and at present – through the eight films,” she said.

Covering genres like comedy, tragedy and animation, the eight films, chosen by the Chinese distributors, tell the confusion of growth, the struggle of survival, unspeakable love and other topics. They illustrate a diversity of talent in French cinema, highlighting established directors, emerging filmmakers and renowned actors, according to the organizers.

Fabien Gorgeart's The Family, a tear-jerking drama which won him the Best Director Award at the 2022 Beijing International Film Festival, opened the festival.

The film, inspired by the director’s childhood experience, tells the story of a seismic change in a foster family when Simon, a 6-year-old boy placed there by social services since he was 18 months old, is about to meet his biological father who wants custody back.

“Before becoming a filmmaker, I was an avid film enthusiast and I loved Chinese kung fu films starring Bruce Lee and Jackie Chan and those directed by Hark Tsui and John Woo,” said Gorgeart, who also attended the opening of this year’s Beijing International Film Festival.

Also citing the influence of the mis-en-scene art of auteur directors Hou Hsiao-Hsien and Jia Zhangke, the French director said he is excited to visit China, a country which holds special meaning to his growth as a filmmaker.

Aside from The Family, the festival features a number of other award-winning productions.

For example, Close, a coming-of-age drama film directed by Lukas Dhont, premiered at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival to critical acclaim and won the Grand Prix. The Innocent, a drama film by Louis Garrel, garnered two Cesar Awards, including Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actress in 2023.

Chinese filmmaker Ning Hao acts as the ambassador of this year’s event. He mentioned in his video speech how the works by French New Wave masters such as Jean-Luc Godard and Francois Truffaut have influenced generations of filmmakers around the world, including himself. The director also said he hopes to collaborate with French actors such as Sophie Marceau, Jean Reno and Dany Boon.

Chinese director Lou Ye, who acted as the event’s ambassador last year, was made a Chevalier des Arts et Lettres (Knight of Arts and Culture) by French ambassador to China Bertrand Lortholary at the opening.

In Beijing, the festival will be held in two Broadway theaters (MOMA and APM), from May 5 to 14.