Say bonjour to your favourite French escape
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Imagine this: this time next week, you’ll be in France enjoying canapes and champagne.
Yes—really. And the best part is, you won’t even need your passport. Kicking off on Wednesday 2 March, the Alliance Francaise French Film Festival is back to bring Canberra French escapism in the form of fantastique films.
With a variety of 42 carefully selected films showing at the Palace Electric, until Wednesday 6 April film fans can treat themselves to award-winning cinema that thrills, chills, and inspires.
On Thursday 10 March, the Australian premiere of Lost Illusions will open this year’s festival, transporting audiences to an extravagant foray into the gilded yet treacherous lives of France’s 19th-century aristocracy.
Full of scandal, love, and revenge, it’s the perfect film to escape Canberra…and with the addition of French canapés and wine before the film you’ll soon be saying ‘je veux plus!’
So what else can you expect from your favourite foreign film festival?
Here are seven can’t-be-missed films from this year’s line-up, from heartfelt comedies and passionate romances to family fun. There’s something for everyone.
If you want…a story of young love
A Tale Of Love and Desire
Hailed as one of the major discoveries of the 2021 Cannes Film Festival, this seductive romance from writer/director Leyla Bouzid depicts a university student torn between his desire for a classmate and his deeply-held ideals of cultural and social propriety.
Starring Sami Outalbali from Sex Education as Ahmed, it follows the story of a talented 18-year-old Algerian from the outer Parisian suburbs, who has received a grant to study literature at the prestigious Sorbonne.
But when he meets the beautiful Farah, a vibrant Tunisian student who exudes curiosity, Ahmed is both overwhelmed with desire and afraid to surrender to his impulses…
Showtimes here
If you want…A murder mystery
Murder Party
Who doesn’t love Cluedo?
Bringing a family favorite board game to life, Murder Party follows Jeanne, a brilliant architect who is renovating a beautiful mansion owned by an eccentric family who heads a board game empire. But (of course) when the landlord and patriarch is found dead, she turns into an investigator as everyone becomes a suspect in this edge-of-your-seat comedy thriller.
Showtimes here
If you want….a unique portrayal of twentysomething women
The Braves
If you’ve been looking for the perfect film focused on young female friendship (excluding the Sisterhood Of The Travelling Pants), The Brave is a frenetic combination of untouchable female exuberance and unstoppable friendship.
Using a hand-held camera to fill the characters’ platonic friendship with urban romance, director Anaïs Volpé explores the power of friendship and youth and the unexpected challenges life can present in her debut feature.
Showtimes here.
If you want a gripping spy thriller….
Kompromat
Forget James Bond, Jérôme Salle’s gripping new spy thriller tells the remarkable story of a French public servant who unwittingly found himself in conflict with a powerful and dangerous force: Russia’s FSB.
With pulse-pounding moments, see it before the inevitable and likely inferior Hollywood remake!
Showtimes here.
If you want to go back in time…
Purple Noon
If you love a story filled with lust and murder (who doesn’t?) this remastered classic 1960’s film ticks all the boxes.
Loosley based on the 1955 novel The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith, Purple Noon is a wonderfully twisted affair, filled with unpredictable and ingenious turns. It also propelled Alain Delon to instant stardom in his first major role, becoming one of France’s greatest sex symbols….Need we say more?
Showtimes here.
If you want a psychological thriller…
Madeline Collins
Hitchcockian in nature with a touch of suspense, Madeline Collins is perfect for when you’re craving a thriller.
Following a woman living a double life, whose identity cracks under the weight of her own lies, this film will have you holding your breath.
Showtimes here.
If you want some family fun…
Pil
A princess dress, a cat/chicken hybrid and three weasels…what else does a film need?
Following the story of a little orphan girl, living on the streets of the medieval city, Pil is full of twists and turns that are sure to teach our little ones that nobility can be found in all of us.
Showtimes here.
THE ESSENTIALS
What: The 2022 Alliance Francaise French Film Festival
When: 4 March – 6 April 2022
Where: Palace Electric
Website: affrenchfilmfestival.org
HerCanberra are proud media partners of the 2022 Alliance Française French Film Festival
Feature Image: A Tale Of Love and Desire
