Arthouse and Experimental: 50 candles for the AFCAE

19/10/2005

1024 cinemas, 1991 screens and 52,3 million admissions in 2004: Arthouse and Experimental now represents an imposing 48% of cinemas establishments, more than a third of screens and a quarter of the tickets sold in France. Established everywhere in the country, the theatres meet under the umbrella French Association of Arthouse and Experimental Cinemas (AFCAE) which this year celebrates 50 years, allowing diversity in the 7th art to express itself, making, without doubt, France the number one for film-lovers. Discovering new talents, following authors’ careers, aiding more fragile work: Arthouse and Experimental Cinemas contribute greatly to the diffusion of European cinema (almost 50% of spectators against 34% in other French cinemas). And in 2003 the German feature Good Bye Lenin [+see also:
trailer
interview: Wolfgang Becker
film profile] realised 63 % of its admissions in the Arthouse and Experimental cinemas, Dogville [+see also:
trailer
film profile] from Danish Lars von Trier more than 50% and Nos meilleures années [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Italien Marco Tullio Giordana more than 90%. An identical phenomenon was seen in the releases of Spanish films Les lundis au soleil (almost 72%) and Ma vie sans moi [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (60%), by Noi Albinoi de l’Islandais Dagur Kari (65%), by Kitchen stories from Norwegian Bent Hamer (84%) and also Hic (de crimes en crimes) from Hugarian György Pálfi (71%).

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Driven by the distribution of independent films and the circulation of works of art, the AFCAE helps notably thirty films within Actions Promotions, its 2005 list includes Le Cauchemar de Darwin by Austrian Hubert Sauper (release 2 March), L’enfant [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Luc & Jean-Pierre Dardenne
film profile] from the brothers Dardenne (19 octobre) and also J’ai vu tuer Ben Barka by Frenchman Serge Le Péron (2 November). Also they aid films aimed at a young public and the broadcast of cinema heritage. Work deserving of a party for its 50th anniversary from October 2005 to March 2006 (see programme site), launched yesterday by the Minister for Culture Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres with the help of filmmakers such as Pedro Almodovar, Costa Gavras, Tonie Marshall and Bertrand Tavernier.