Très Bien! The French Film Festival returns

Samantha Foster
Spectrum Editor

The 21st annual French Film Festival will return this Thursday to indulge American francophiles across Richmond with French films and culture.

Running from March 21 to 24 at the historic Byrd Theatre, the festival will screen 17 films total, each of which is a recent feature film in France.

Following each film is a question and answer session with the director, screenwriter or the actors of each film. Audience members are encouraged to ask questions, and an interpreter is present to facilitate the conversation for those whose high school French class has failed them miserably.

True to the name of the festival, each film is in French but subtitled in English.

The French Film Festival was started in 1993 by two professors of French literature from University of Richmond and VCU with the intention of promoting French cinema and culture in Richmond and at the universities.

Tickets for each film cost $15 for those without a VIP pass. Because seeing every film without a VIP pass would cost more than $250, we have chosen the most interesting films based on the descriptions and some light Googling.

Main dans la Main
“Main dans la Main,” or “Hand in Hand,” is about two very different people who literally can not be apart from each other. Helene works for a prestigious ballet school and Joachim works as a mirror maker, which wins the award for oddest job titles in a romantic comedy.

After their first kiss, the pair finds that they constantly and uncontrollably mimic each other’s movements, leading to Joachim dancing wildly through the streets and Helene doing whatever it is that a mirror maker does.

This film is the token romantic comedy, “see it with your significant other,” but it still seems like it will leave the audience questioning what in the world they just saw.

This strange movie can be seen at 5 p.m. on Friday.

Renoir
Set in 1915, “Renoir” follows the life of the Impressionist painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir. His wife has recently died and his hands have crippling arthritis, leaving him unable to paint like he used to.

Renoir’s son Jean returns home, wounded in battle, with a young woman, Andrée. Andrée becomes Renoir’s muse and inspires him to paint again. She also becomes the inspiration for Jean to take up filmmaking, a talent he will later become famous for.

Although the film is set during the early 1900s, this film should not be considered just another boring history movie. It’s a classic tale of forbidden love and following dreams, even when your dream is to paint when you can’t hold a paintbrush.

“Renoir” will be shown at 10 p.m. on Thursday.

Le Jour des Corneilles
“Le Jour des Corneilles” is the only full-length animated movie being shown at this year’s festival.

Based off a novel, this story is of a young boy named Courge who has grown up isolated in the woods for his entire life.  His father is an ogre who has taken over the forest and has made sure that Courge will never see civilization. Courge’s only company is the many ghosts that haunt the forest where he lives, until he leaves the forest for a nearby village. There he meets a young girl and learns about village life.

Although this film is a bit childlike, the end result is beautiful colors and animations that will surely entertain the viewer. If it doesn’t, the forest animals all wearing human clothes should at least make everyone giggle.

“Le Jour des Corneilles” will be played at 10 a.m. on Saturday, following the first set of film shorts open to those with a VIP pass.

Cigarettes et bas Nylon
“Cigarettes et bas Nylon” will be shown at 9 p.m. on Friday and is an excellent cross over from France to the United States.

During WWII, American soldiers fell in love with and married French women. Before bringing the French women home to meet the parents and start a new life, the women were sent to what the U.S. Army called “cigarette camps,” to “Americanize” them. The camps were named after popular cigarette brands of the time, including Chesterfield and Lucky Strike.

This film follows the lives of three women as they get married and are sent to these camps to learn a new way of life, abandoning their French ways to please their in-laws in America.

Because this film has a clear American element, it would probably be the best choice for those dreading the potential headache of listening to a foreign language for two hours.

Sport de filles
Equestrians rejoice! “Sport de filles” is playing at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday to an audience of people who know the difference between a horse halter and a bridle.

The story follows Gracieuse as she takes a job as a stable hand after a horse that she was promised is sold. While there, she fights against other women for the attention of a world famous horseback riding trainer. She works to achieve her goal of having a horse of her own and to become a great rider.

Even though the film is set around stables and horses, the story line should hold the attention of most of the audience. The rest of the audience will be excited by the prospect of seeing a pony.