Beginning on Feb. 1, the Rendez-vous French Film Festival will screen over 50 films. The festival, dedicated to bringing the best of Quebec and Francophone culture to B.C., is now in its 25th year.
This year’s line-up includes the movie selected as the Canadian entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards, the winner of this year’s Best Canadian Film Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, and the winner of the Best Canadian Film Award at the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma.
The first batch of films screens at Jules-Verne Auditorium (5445 Baillie St,) from Feb.1-3; the second screens at SFU Woodward’s (149 W. Hastings St.) Feb.5-10. The festival also features visiting directors, actors, producers and academics. See below for some highlights.
Chien de garde—Sophie Dupuis’ film garnered rave reviews and was selected as the Canadian entry for Best Foreign Language Film at this year’s Academy Awards.
La disparition des lucioles—Sébastien Pilote’s flick about a teenager waiting to finish high school and escape her industrial town won best Canadian film at TIFF.
Les faux tatouages—Pascal Plante’s feature was the winner for Best Canadian film at the Festival du Nouveau Cinéma.
Les Salopes ou le sucre de la peau—A scandal threatens to shed light on the affairs of an adventurous (but married) dermatologist. According to tiff.com, “Renée Beaulieu’s second feature is an astonishing tour de force and incisive character study that delves into the nature and politics of female sexuality. Brigitte Poupart’s commanding and unwavering performance as Marie-Claire brilliantly renders the interior space of a woman who lives on her own terms as she explores the multi-faceted manifestations of her desire.” Director Beaulieu is one of the festival guests.
Lida Moser Photographer: Odyssey in Black and White—Moser was a young New York photographer for Vogue who, in 1950, traveled across Quebec, taking over a thousand photos of a society in transition. Joyce Borenstein’s film interlaces Moser’s photos with animation and time-lapse photography, and Moser’s voice is combined with archival voices from 1950s Quebec. Borenstein is one of the festival guests.
Le grand bain— One of the most popular films in France last year, Gilles Lellouche’s comedy is about eight men who form a synchronized swim team.
The complete line-up can be found at rendez-vousvancouver.com.
