A showcase of France at the French Film Festival
THE ANNUAL French Film Festival celebrates its 16th year in Malaysia, with 17 specially-selected films of various genres.
The films will be screened from in the Klang Valley at GSC 1 Utama, GSC Mid Valley and GSC Pavilion KL from May 4 to May 18; in Penang at GSC Gurney Plaza from May 25 to June 7; and, for the first time, in Kota Kinabalu at GSC Suria Sabah from June 8 to June 11.
Organised by Alliance Francaise and the Embassy of France in Malaysia, and supported by the Institut Francais, the film festival is part of the annual Le French Festival 2017, that serves to promote French culture, food, language, and arts to Malaysians.
Alliance Francaise de Kuala Lumpur director Jean-Pierre Dumont said that the only common theme that binds the festival together is to showcase France.
“We try to bring the diversity of French culture in different fields,” he added. “If we work around a theme, that means making selections will be difficult.
“Even when we choose the films for the festival, we have to choose those that appeal to the public.”
Among the films to look out for at this year’s French Film Festival 2017 include:
The Odyssey, starring Lambert Wilson, that is based on the life of legendary explorer and conservationist Jacques-Yves Cousteau;
Monsieur Chocolat, starring Omar Sys as the first popular black entertainer in France;
21 Nights With Patty, starring Isabelle Carre, about a woman who organises her mother’s funeral, but ends up trying to find her mother’s missing body;
One Man and His Cow, starring Fatsah Bouyahmed, about a man who gets to take his cow to the Paris International fair;
animated film Phantom Boy, about a boy with super powers who helps a wheelchair-bound policeman; and
The Fabulous Patars, starring actor-director Gustave Kervern as a widower who has an unconventional way of bringing up his daughters.
Kervern will be on hand to present his film, The Fabulous Patars, as well as meet with fans at GSC Pavilion KL on May 5 at 9pm.
For more on Le French Festival and the French Film Festival, visit the Le French Festival website and GSC website. – S. Indra Sathiabalan