The best of European cinema to dazzle in the Les Arcs Film Festival showcase

by Fabien Lemercier

05/11/2024 - The Alpine festival has unveiled the jam-packed programme of its 16th edition, which will unspool 14 – 21 December

The best of European cinema to dazzle in the Les Arcs Film Festival showcase

Toxic by Saulé Bliuvaité

Always incredibly popular for its high levels of artistry and professionalism in the extraordinary and convivial context of the Alps, the Les Arcs Film Festival has revealed the eye-catching line-up of its 16th edition which will unfold in the Savoyard resort between 14 and 21 December.

The 8 feature films battling it out for the 2024 Crystal Arrow will be assessed by a jury led by Thierry de Peretti who’ll be joined by actors Pio Marmaï and Sofiane Zermani, actress and director Céline Sallette, Icelandic composer Herdís Stefánsdóttir, Slovakian director and producer Peter Kerekes and novelist Delphine de Vigan.

The competition put together by artistic director Frédéric Boyer includes two feature films which distinguished themselves in Locarno (Golden-Leopard-winner Toxic [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Directors Talks @ European …
interview: Saulė Bliuvaitė
film profile] by Lithuania’s Saulé Bliuvaité and Moon [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kurdwin Ayub
film profile] by the Kurdish director based in Vienna Kurdwin Ayub, which scooped the Special Jury Prize as well as the Europa Cinemas Label), three titles which were well-received in Venice (Orizzonti competition-winner The New Year That Never Came [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bogdan Mureşanu
film profile] by Romania’s Bogdan Mureșanu, Peacock [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Bernhard Wenger
film profile] by Austria’s Bernhard Wenger, which was unveiled in International Critics’ Week, and Vittoria [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alessandro Cassigoli and Ca…
film profile] by the Italian-American duo Alessandro Cassigoli and Casey Kauffman, which premiered in the Orizzonti Extra line-up), Kneecap [+see also:
film review
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interview: Red Carpet @ European Film …
film profile] by Brit Rich Peppiat (awarded the NEXT Audience Prize in the Sundance Festival and screened in Tribeca too) and When the Light Breaks [+see also:
film review
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interview: Elín Hall
interview: Rúnar Rúnarsson
film profile] by Iceland’s Rúnar Rúnarsson (which opened Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section).

Stealing focus in the Playtime section are Maldoror [+see also:
film review
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interview: Fabrice Du Welz
film profile] by Belgium’s Fabrice du Welz, Heads or Fails [+see also:
film review
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interview: Lenny and Harpo Guit
film profile] by fellow Frenchmen Harpo and Lenny Guit, The Swedish Torpedo [+see also:
film review
interview: Frida Kempff
film profile] by Sweden’s Frida Kempf, Bird [+see also:
film review
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film profile] by Brit Andrea Arnold, Samia [+see also:
film review
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interview: Yasemin Şamdereli, Deka Moh…
film profile] by German-Turkish director Yasemin Samdereli, To A Land Unknown [+see also:
film review
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interview: Mahdi Fleifel
film profile] by Danish-Palestinian filmmaker Mahdi Fleifel, Silver Star [+see also:
film review
film profile] by French duo Ruben Amar and Lola Bessis, U Are The Universe [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pavlo Ostrikov
film profile] by Ukraine’s Pavlo Ostrikov, and British production Sister Midnight [+see also:
film review
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interview: Karan Kandhari
film profile] by India’s Karan Kandhari.

The Hauteurs section will see audiences enjoying April [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dea Kulumbegashvili
film profile] by Georgia’s Dea Kulumbegashvili, September Says [+see also:
film review
interview: Ariane Labed
film profile] by French-Greek director Ariane Labed, The Exiles [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Spain’s Belén Funes, Windless [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pavel G Vesnakov
film profile] by Bulgaria’s Pavel G. Vesnakov, and Wishing on a Star [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Peter Kerekes
film profile] by Czech filmmaker Péter Kerekes.

The festival will also play host to French premieres (notably of The Ties that Bind Us [+see also:
film review
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interview: Carine Tardieu
film profile] by Carine Tardieu which will open the festival, and Oxana [+see also:
film review
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film profile] by Charlène Favier), a Youth line-up (mainly featuring Ollie [+see also:
film review
interview: Antoine Besse
film profile] by Antoine Besse, and Jean-François Laguionie’s animated movie A Boat in the Garden [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]), an Icelandic Focus consisting of nine feature films and nine shorts, the awarding of the 11th Les Arcs Sisley Femme de Cinéma Prize to Italian director Paola Cortellesi (There Is Still Tomorrow [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Paola Cortellesi
film profile]), a Mountain seance for the documentary A Flower of Mine [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by fellow Italian Paolo Cognetti, the Moving Mountains Prize for Swiss filmmaker Claude Barras (for his animated movie Savages [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Red Carpet @ European Film …
film profile]) and a special encounter with Hassan Guerrar by way of Little Algérie [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile].

Last but not least, it’s also worth noting that tributes are on the agenda for French actress Karin Viard and Italian director Matteo Garrone, while the short films competition jury will be presided over by Camille Chamoux, and the Industry Village will welcome industry professionals between 14 and 17 December (by way of the Co-Production Village, the Work in Progress initiative and the Talent Village – read our article) before making room for the Distributors/Cinema Operators Summit (with 11 films on the agenda for professional eyes only) between 17 and 21 December. That’s without forgetting the Music Village, the Femmes de Cinéma Lab, a variety of conferences and workshops, and the awareness-raising Moving Mountains line-up, which will focus on "Our Futures: Young People and the Challenges of the World".

(Translated from French)