First features starring at La Ciotat
The 24th Ciotat Festival for First Films in the French Language opened last night with a screening, out of competition, of My Summer of Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jean-Paul Rougier
interview: Pawel Pawlikowski
interview: Tanya Seghatchian
film profile] (best British film at the Baftas 2005) by Polish-born Pawel Pawlikowski. Organized by the association Le Berceau du cinéma, in memory of one of the first films by the Lumiere brothers (Le train en gare de la Ciotat), the festival rolls First Features from its projectors until the 5th of June, and in previous events has honoured Régis Wargnier, Gérard Corbiau, Philippe Harel and Philippe Lioret.
This year the festival is showing 10 films that highlight the vitality and quality of young French and Belgian filmmaking. On the menu are Quand la mer monte from the duo Yolande Moreau - Gilles Porte (Cesar 2005 for best first film and a Cesar for best actress), Le rôle de sa vie by François Favrat with Agnès Jaoui and Karin Viard (650 000 tickets in France), Brodeuses by Eléonore Faucher (Grand Prix 2004 International Critics Week), Tout pour plaire [+see also:
trailer
interview: Cécile Telerman
film profile] by Cecile Telerman (more than 1,4 million tickets in France), plus Les mauvais joueurs [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Frédéric Balekdjian (selected for the Panorama at the last Berlin festival). Also on show are Le cou de la girafe by Safy Nebbou with Sandrine Bonnaire, Croisière by Natacha Cagnard, Avant qu’il ne soit trop tard by Laurent Dussaux, Le démon de midi by Marie-Pascale Osterrieth and Narco from Gilles Lellouche and Tristan Aurouet.
Among the other events scheduled at Ciotat, it’s worth mentioning a focus on music in film with Vladimir Cosma as guest and the closing film Capitaines des ténèbres by Serge Moati, starring Manuel Blanc, Richard Bohringer et François Berléand, dealing with a dark, tragic episode in French colonial history, which will be shown on Arte and France 2.
In 2004, first features represented 32% of films coming out of France, 54 films out of the 167 approved by the National Film Centre (CNC). The average budget for first films rose last year to 3,27 million euros and 24 of them benefited from an Advance on Receipts from the CNC, a selective aid that is contributing to the renewal of the 7th Art in France.
(Translated from French)
Did you enjoy reading this article? Please subscribe to our newsletter to receive more stories like this directly in your inbox.
