Rendez-Vous with French Cinema 2017

Django

Opening Night · North American Premiere · Étienne Comar, Reda Kateb, and Cécile de France in person

Standby tickets to the 6pm screening will be available at the box office prior to showtime.
The world and music of legendary jazz guitarist Django Reinhardt (Reda Kateb) are brought vividly to life in this riveting saga of survival, resistance, and artistic courage set against the tumultuous backdrop of World War II-era Paris.

The Odyssey

Closing Night · U.S. Premiere · Q&A with Jérôme Salle on March 11

Lambert Wilson is magnetic in this grandly lyrical dramatization of legendary explorer-turned-filmmaker Jacques Cousteau. Set against the backdrop of cross-generational family drama, The Odyssey is an epic ode to exploration and documentary filmmaking, and a celebration of the human drive to seek out new realms of discovery.

150 Milligrams

U.S. Premiere · Q&A with Emmanuelle Bercot on March 4th

A fearless everywoman stands up to a powerful pharmaceutical company in this gripping David vs. Goliath story, based on a real-life medical scandal that rocked France.

The Dancer

Q&A with Stéphanie Di Giusto and choreographer Jody Sperling on March 6th

This visually sumptuous drama set amidst the opulence of La Belle Époque Paris charts the true-life saga of American-born modern dance icon Loïe Fuller and boasts a fiercely committed lead performance by Soko.

Daydreams

U.S. Premiere

Set over the course of one tumultuous year at an artists’ residency in Rome, the feature debut from Caroline Deruas is a beguiling tale of creative struggle, romantic rivalry, and ghosts.

Faultless

Q&A with Sébastien Marnier and Marina Foïs on March 5th

Marina Foïs delivers a chilling performance as a sociopath who will stop at nothing to get the job she wants in this riveting, wild-ride thriller.

Frantz

Q&A with François Ozon on March 2nd

Based on Ernst Lubitsch’s 1932 antiwar drama 'Broken Lullaby', the new film from acclaimed director François Ozon is a sublime, heartrending saga of guilt, forgiveness, and forbidden love in post–World War I Europe. A Music Box Films release.

From the Land of the Moon

Q&A with Nicole Garcia on March 3rd

Marion Cotillard delivers a performance of searing emotional intensity as a troubled woman in love with a terminally ill lieutenant (Louis Garrel) in this psychologically charged, 1950s-set saga of 'amour fou'. A Sundance Selects release.

Heal the Living

Q&A with Katell Quillévéré on March 2nd

A fatal car accident sets into motion a chain of events that touches the lives of seemingly disparate people in this enormously affecting medical drama of unusual depth and sensitivity. A Cohen Media Group release.

In Bed With Victoria

Q&A with Justine Triet on March 4th

A hotshot lawyer with a disastrous love life gets a shot at real romance—if only she could recognize it. This refreshingly offbeat farce is raw, real, and complicated in ways that transcend the rom-com formula.

In the Forest of Siberia

This gripping true-life tale of survival—about a young Frenchman’s attempts to survive in the icy wilderness of Siberia—captures both the desolate beauty and harsh struggle of existence at the edge of the world.

Journey to Greenland

Two thirty-something Parisians embark on an extended sojourn in a remote, snowbound stretch of Greenland in this perceptive, warm-spirited study of cross-cultural misunderstanding and connection. A Netflix release.

Mum’s Wrong

Q&A with Marc Fitoussi on March 5th

An idealistic teenage girl gets a crash course in the less-than-rosy reality of the corporate world when she interns at her mother’s office in this emotionally complex look at parents, children, and the moral compromises we make.

Planetarium

Q&A with Rebecca Zlotowski on March 3rd

Natalie Portman lends her star power to this dreamy, visually ravishing tale of magic, movies, and spiritualism set in a glamorous, Art Deco vision of 1930s Paris. A Swen Group release.

Raw

Film Comment Presents · Q&A with Julia Ducournau and actress Garance Marillier on March 7th

A young vegetarian’s taste for flesh is awakened in this emotionally resonant, blood-spattered coming-of-age nightmare. A Focus Features release.

Right Here Right Now

An ambitious young woman climbs the corporate ladder while navigating a minefield of complicated personal relationships in this knotty tale of corporate backbiting and buried secrets costarring Isabelle Huppert.

Sophie’s Misfortunes

Q&A with Christophe Honoré on March 4th · Introduction by Christophe Honoré on March 8th

An enchanting fable for adults and kids alike, the latest from director Christophe Honoré captures the imaginative freedom of childhood as seen through the eyes of a mischievous young girl growing up in 19th-century chateau.

The Stopover

Two Afghanistan war veterans struggle to readjust to “normal” life in this riveting, all-too-rare exploration of the experiences of female soldiers. A First Run Features release.

Struggle for Life

Q&A with Antonin Peretjatko on March 6th · Introduction by Antonin Peretjatko on March 7th

This wild slapstick satire plays something like a Jerry Lewis gag-fest meets 'Survivor' as a middle-aged intern overseeing the creation of a South American ski resort embarks on a surreal journey through the Amazon jungle.

The Together Project

Q&A with composer Martin Wheeler on March 3rd

The final film from the late French-Icelandic director Sólveig Anspach is an irresistibly offbeat aquatic comedy about love, amnesia, and swimming.

Live Talk with Agnès Varda

Moderated by critic Melissa Anderson

French New Wave pioneer Agnès Varda has been a major voice in world cinema for more than sixty years. Join Varda in this special live event as she reflects on her voluminous body of work, influences, and approach to filmmaking.

Photo Exhibit: Fellini, 8 ½ in Color

On view in the Frieda and Roy Furman Gallery.

8 ½ was Federico Fellini’s last black-and-white film after more than a decade of directing. Although the film’s images were never intended to be seen in color, Piero Servo—a frequent camera operator for Fellini—recently found the late photographer Paul Ronald’s long-forgotten box of color negatives. These rediscoveries are the focus of this year’s Rendez-Vous with French Cinema exhibition, curated by Sam Stourdzé, the director of the esteemed Les Rencontres d’Arles, and accompanied by recollections from one of the film’s stars, Anouk Aimée.

Call My Agent!

Free Screening

At a top-tier talent firm in Paris, a group of agents juggle their personal and hyper-competitive work lives after experiencing an unexpected crisis. Watch the first episode of the first season of the hit French miniseries at this special free screening.

Panel: International Co-Productions

Producers from the U.S. and France will sit down to discuss the strategies and challenges of French and American co-productions, from the creative to the technical, and everything in between. Presented in partnership with IFP and French in Motion.

Cinema as a Political Tool or Weapon

In response to the disillusionment and frustration currently felt worldwide, a selection of directors, including Emmanuelle Bercot (150 Milligrams, a Rendez-Vous with French Cinema 2017 selection), Bertrand Bonello (Nocturama, a Rendez-Vous with French Cinema 2017 selection), Mira Nair (Queen of Katwe), and Ira Sachs (Little Men, Love Is Strange) will discuss how films can address political turmoil or social unrest and operate as whistle-blowers.

Julian Starke’s French Waves with French Touch DJs Pedro Winter and Jacques

French touch (aka French house) musicians Pedro Winter and Jacques will discuss their perspectives on and experiences with French electronic music following a free screening of Julian Starke’s French Waves, an immersive documentary that pinpoints key moments of French Touch since the 1990s.