From September 21st to October 25th, the 27th edition of the French film tour will reach more than 70 cities in our country with a selection of seven films that move between the genres of drama, comedy, suspense and biopic.
Created by private initiative, the French Embassy and the Association of French Alliances, the exhibition aims to promote contemporary French cinema and attract new cinema audiences interested in its language and culture. With the help of renowned actors, screenwriters and directors, participants can therefore get to know different aspects of current French society.
The national coordinator of the French Alliances Network in Mexico, Clémence Mayoral, emphasized that in its 27-year history the tour has established itself as an event of great cultural value and is therefore one of the most anticipated exhibitions by film fans.
“Our goal is to reach the entire Mexican territory: from north to south. We are very committed and the strength of our network of French alliances lies precisely in the visibility and reach that we have. “For this reason, we trust in the potential of each film and will continue to spread the values that have sustained us for more than 140 years: cultural diversity and the debate about ideas,” he added.
In addition, the Adviser for Cooperation and Cultural Action of the French Embassy in Mexico, Jean-François Guéganno, emphasized that the tour will also give other audiences access to French culture and history and will present it in cinemas across the country. “We are happy to celebrate French cinema and love being part of this cultural growth. “This is a selection of films that show all our cinematic diversity,” he added.
Selection
Directed by Sébastien Tulard, Sugar and Stars (“À la belle étoile”, in French) is a film about the life of pastry chef Yazid Ichemrahen, who, despite growing up in foster homes and an adoptive family, managed to use his ingenuity to reach people World baking elite. The script is an adaptation of Ichemrahen’s autobiographical book Un rêve d’enfant étoilé (“A Dream of a Child with a Star”) and stars Riadh Belaïche, Loubna Abidar and Christine Citti.
For his part, Michel Gondry, the renowned director of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind”, comes to this exhibition with his comedy “The Book of Solutions” (“Le Livre des Solutions”), which tells the story of Marc, a cinema director who flees to a small town with his production team to finish editing his film in his aunt Denise’s house. There he plunges into a chaos of creativity and tries to combat his personal demons. In order to find a solution to his problems, Marc begins to write a guide with practical advice, which he more precisely calls the “Book of Solutions”. Pierre Niney, Blanche Gardin and François Lebrun play the main roles in the film.
In 1930s Paris, Madeleine, a young actress who lives frugally and doesn’t have much talent, is accused of murdering a famous producer. With the help of her friend Pauline, an unemployed lawyer, she will try to emerge from the indictment in the best possible condition. With this premise, François Ozon brings to life his comedy Mon Crime, in French, which stars actresses Nadia Tereszkiewics, Rebecca Marder and Isabelle Huppert.
Ozon is considered one of the most important French directors today and his filmography is characterized by satirical humor, his untaboo vision of sexuality and his care for his aesthetics.
Featuring performances by Guillaume De Tonquédec, Victor Belmondo and Guilaine Londez, “Lie with me” (“Arrête avec tes mensonges”) tells the story of Stéphane Belcourt, a novelist who agrees to be an ambassador for the bicentenary of a famous cognac brand and which follows When she returns to her hometown after 35 years, she meets Lucas, the son of her first love. The journey also becomes a journey through memory and an evocation of desire and youth, because it was at this stage that Stéphane fell in love with Thomas, a 17-year-old young man. With this film, director and screenwriter Olivier Peyon adapts the novel of the same name by the writer Philippe Besson.
The only female director included in the exhibition is Alice Winocour, who presents her film Revoir Paris with Virginie Efira, Benoît Magimel and Grégoire Colin. In it, Mia, the protagonist, is trapped in a Parisian restaurant during a terrorist attack. Although she makes it out alive, the memory of the event haunts her and prevents her from resuming her life. To regain her peace of mind, Mia decides to contact other survivors and delve into their memories.
Directed by Philippe Lefebvre, “A New Beginning” (“Nouveau Départ”) depicts the relationship of Alain and Diane, who have lived together for more than 30 years and whose priorities lie in very different places. For Diane, for example, routine, empty nest syndrome and her job cause unusual distress; but Alain still seems to believe he is 30 years old. The main roles are played by Franck Dubosc and Karin Viard.
The final film in the exhibition is A Serious Work (“Un Métier Sérieux”), a dramatic comedy directed by Thomas Lilti and starring Vincent Lacoste, François Cluzet and the famous Adèle Exarchopoulos. In this film, Benjamin takes a job as a math teacher after failing his medical degree. Without teacher training, you will discover the difficulties and advantages of being a high school teacher.
The seven films in the exhibition are shown with subtitles and in their original language. All information about the cinemas, dates and billboards can be found on the page https://www.tourdecinefrances.com/#.
