A walk in France
Flesh-eating zombies, romance, adventure and comedy abound in this year’s French Film Festival.
LE French Festival returns this year in full force, across four cities in Malaysia – Kuala Lumpur, Penang, Johor Baru and Kota Kinabalu. This 18th edition is its biggest yet, and an impressive list of music, dance and theatre performances, art exhibitions, workshops and a flood of gastronomy events await you.
“The festival strives to involve and immerse Malaysians in the French experience by working and supporting the local arts to create content that resonates with both Malaysians and the French. The Malaysian audience never fails to support us year after year, and we hope to build an indomitable bridge of cultural exchange between France and Malaysia through this annual festival,” says Jacques Bounin, director of Alliance Francaise de Kuala Lumpur.
As with earlier iterations, the French Film Festival remains a cornerstone of Le French Festival.
This year, it delivers quite the punch with recent releases that celebrate great dreams and adventures, connections forged, and all the little things that matter in life. And when we say recent, we really do mean recent; Edmond was released earlier this year, and Funan early this month.
Together, the 15 movies make up a diverse selection that is ripe for the picking, ranging from quirky comedies to love stories, family dramas to thrillers.
There is even a zombie movie, done a la French. Oui, indeed.
Bounin notes: “France produces 300 movies each year, covering all the different genres. We want to showcase this diversity to offer everyone a different experience as they familiarise themselves with French films.
“Almost half our movies are co-produced with other countries from all over the world, so they also tell the stories of other continents.”
Le French Festival is organised by Alliance Francaise and the Embassy of France in Malaysia, in collaboration with Golden Screen Cinemas (GSC). It is presented by G.H. Mumm Champagne.
“It aims to make FrenchMalaysian encounters that will move you, surprise you and make you want to share dreams,” says Frederic Laplanche, ambassador of France to Malaysia.
How absolutely refreshing.