It’s back to school for French-speaking cinema. The 15th edition of the Angoulême film festival (Charente) starts on Tuesday August 23. It’s the feature film A great race by Christian Caron, with Line Renaud and Dany Boon, who is responsible for marking the start of this emblematic summer film event open to the general public.
“After heavy heat holidays, people want to get their minds back on their minds. That the cinema is present in this period is very important”, was enthusiastic on August 17 on France inter the producer Dominique Besnehard, co-general delegate of the festival. An event that is intended “trend prescriber”, according to the ex-artistic agent, and harbinger of a lasting recovery for the sector, still orphaned by spectators who have never returned to theaters since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic. “We are going to reverse the trend, wants to believe Dominique Besnehard, in Angoulême, there are 30% more reservations than last year, this means that we are talking about cinema again”.
Ten feature films are in the running to try to win one of the prestigious Valois awarded at the end of the festival, Sunday August 28. In the past, these prizes have rewarded films that have subsequently been able to meet their audience in dark rooms, such as my zucchini life by Claude Barras, or Much Loved by Nabil Ayouch.
This year, the competition includes several first or second films, with The blank pageby Murielle Magellan, or Houriaby Mounia Meddour, already director of the award-winning papicha. Confirmed directors, such as Maryam Touzani or Blandine Lenoir, are also on hand to present their new films The blue of the caftan and Annie Anger.
Another notable fact in this enticing program: a great female presence. “Many of the selected films are directed by women, and talk about women, it was a choice”, indicated Dominique Besnehard. Minister of Culture, militant worker for abortion, lawyer, housekeeper, dancer… The selection offers beautiful female roles in perspective.
Actor André Dussollier succeeds Nicole Garcia as president of the jury, made up of film professionals (actresses Joséphine Jappy and Isabelle Kabano, director Sébastien Pilote, etc.) and journalist Patrick Cohen. Nice symbol, the director Leïla Bouzid, winner of the Valois de Diamant last year for A story of love and desireis also in the game.
Like every year, a French-speaking country is honored. After Algeria last year, it is Rwanda’s turn to have its tribute at the festival. Ten films, including the film adaptation of the novel Little country by Gaël Faye, will be to see or see again during the week. A tribute to the distributor Pathé is also planned, with the rebroadcast of several emblematic feature films distributed by the French subsidiary, chosen from a historical range ranging from Children of Paradise (1945) to Song of the Wolf (2020).
In parallel with the competition, around thirty feature films can be previewed. Among them, The Tiger and the President, by Jean-Marc Peyrefitte, with André Dussollier in the title role of Georges Clémenceau. The new films of Valéria Bruni Tedeschi (A castle in Italy, Summer visitors…), Olivier Dahan (The kid), and Marc Fitoussi (Copacabana, The Ritournelle…) will also be on view. Finally, the innocentthe latest film by Louis Garrel (The Faithful Man, The crusade…), must close the festival.
Other unreleased films will also be screened in the “First dates” category, welcoming first films, or in “New looks”, which devotes “new ways of making films and watching them”, according to producer Marie-France Brière, co-delegate of the festival with Dominique Besnehard.