© March 2007 - 10th annual Cinefranco Film Festival Review
By Bryen Dunn, Toronto, Info@bryendunn.com
The 10th annual Cinefranco Film Festival takes place in Toronto from March 23 to April 1 at the newly renovated Royal Cinema on College Street. The Festival is a celebration of French language cinema, and features 45 films from twelve different countries around the world.
French Canada contributes with the Opening Night film by Quebecois director Louis Bélanger’s newest Le Génie du crime, based on the play by George F Walker, followed by his earlier Post Mortem, a delicately sculpted love story with chilling plot twists. Roméo et Juliette from Quebecois director Yves Desgagnés is a contemporary twist on the romantic classic, and Patrick Hébert, a talented emerging Quebecois filmmaker debuts at Cinéfranco with Cercles vicieux.
Films from Lebanon (Dunia and Quand Maryam s’est devoilée) were selected for their strong female perspectives. From Morocco comes a film about hope and harmony, La Symphonie marocaine, and also Marock offers a surprising view of 90’s Casablanca youth.
France remains at the heart of Cinéfranco with its exciting line-up of rising talented filmmakers like Emmanuel Mouret (Changement d’adresse), grand auteurs Luc Besson (Angel-A) and Claude Chabrol (L’Ivresse du pouvoir), and celebrated filmmakers like Anne Fontaine (Nouvelle Chance) and Tony Gatlif (Transylvania). Paris is the star of many of Cinéfranco’s films including Luc Besson’s stunningly beautiful Closing Night film Angel – A and Fauteuils d’orchestre, which captures the atmosphere of an artists quarter in Paris while J’invente rien takes place in Menilmontant in the XXth arrondissement, the birthplace of Edith Piaf and a neighborhood with its own very specific Parisien accent and characteristics.
Cinéfranco pays special tribute to the “Great Lord of French cinema” Jean-Philippe Noiret, who passed away in 2006. Zazie dans le métro, the classic by François Truffaut was Noiret’s second film and Edy, a new classic by Stephen Guérin-Tillé co-starring François Berléand was one of Noiret’s last films.
To celebrate its 10th Anniversary, Cinéfranco is presenting a special program for youth, with five films specifically aimed at middle school and high school students that will screen each weekday at noon. “In 10 years Cinéfranco’s audience has increased more than ten fold”, said Executive Director Marcelle Lean. “From a modest beginning, Toronto audiences have embraced Cinéfranco, which has become a highly anticipated yearly event on Toronto’s vibrant cultural calendar.”
March 23 - April 1, Royal Cinema, 608 College Street, Tickets $3.00 to $10.00
Box Office – Manulife Centre, 55 Bloor St W, 416-967-1528 www.cinefranco.ca
Published on juicystuff.ca
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