Film
Independent Cinema for Everyone
Francophiles rejoice – the French Film Festival is back! We’re delighted to welcome the French Film Festival UK again this year for a selection of some of the finest new French cinema, with 3 exclusive films not yet on general release. We are screening Tori and Lokita, Full Time, and Rodeo.
This is a change to the previously advertised programme. The recently announced closure of Scotland Filmhouse cinemas and the Edinburgh International Film Festival has impacted on the French Film Festival UK plans, forcing them to cut back the number of films available.
Tori and LokitaThu 3 – Tue 8 November
Dir. Jean-Pierre Dardenne, Luc Dardenne, France, 2022, 98 mins. Cast. Marc Zinga, Claire Bodson. Age rating tbc, guidance 15.
The fraternal directing duo continues their tradition of exploring issues impacting contemporary society through its youth with this tale of a young boy and a teenage girl whose invincible friendship helps them face the trial of living in exile. The Dardenne brothers were last in Cannes with Young Ahmed in 2019, for which they won best director, having previously clinched the Palme d’Or for Rosetta and The Child in 1999 and 2005 respectively.
“Masterfully crafted and unspeakably heartbreaking.” The Hollywood Reporter
Full TimeFri 11 – Wed 16 Novemberr
Dir. Éric Gravel, 2021, France, 88 mins. Cast. Laure Calamy, Anne Suarez, Genèvieve Mnich, Nolan Arizmendi, Sasha Lemaitre Cremaschi, Cyril Gueï, Lucie Gallo, Agathe Dronne. Age rating tbc, guidance 15.
The César Award-winning star of Call My Agent! and My Donkey, My Lover & I, Laure Calamy demonstrates the phenomenal range of her talents in this unique thriller about a single mother who lands an interview for a job that might offer a better life for herself and her two children. Julie must employ her considerable resourcefulness to get across town during a transport strike, risking her current job as a hotel cleaner for the promise of something better. The film won Best Actress and Best Director awards at last year’s Venice Film Festival.
“Calamy delivers a sympathetic, nerve-flaying, terrific performance.” Screen International
French Film Festival: RodeoFri 2 – Sat 3 December
Dir. Lola Quivoron, 2022, France, 110 mins. Cast. Julie Ledru, Yannis Lafkih, Louis Sotton. Age rating tbc, guidance 15.
Hot-tempered and fiercely independent, Julia finds escape in a passion for motorcycles and the high-octane world of urban ‘Rodeos’ – illicit gatherings where riders show off their bikes and their latest daring stunts. After a chance meeting at a Rodeo, Julia finds herself drawn into a clandestine and volatile clique. Striving to prove herself to the ultra-masculine group, she is faced with a series of escalating demands that will make or break her place in the community.