French Film Festival

A Chance to Win

(97 mins)

Friday 10th of May - 7pm

In the picturesque South West of France, two villages have long been rivals. Particularly when it comes to rugby. Long-harboured resentments and pettiness find expression via scrums and tackles.

As their 100th match nears, the arrival of asylum seekers injects a new dynamic into village life. Where some villagers harbour suspicion, others see opportunity and the newcomers are enlisted to bolster chances of victory on the field. Could this unexpected alliance on the field pave the way for a triumphant reconciliation off the pitch?

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A Difficult Year

(108 mins)

Friday 10th of May - 9pm

Both in debt up to their necks, Albert and Bruno have turned to a community worker to try and help get a grip on their lives. However, at one of their group sessions, they stumble into an adjoining meeting room hosting a gathering of young social activists, led by a vivacious organiser.

Attracted more by the free beer and chips than the group's struggle against consumerism and protection of the environment (whilst acknowledging the hugs are quite nice), Albert and Bruno join the movement without any particular conviction, but soon sense an opportunity... if they don’t get arrested first.

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The Taste of Things

(145 mins)

Thursday 9th of May - 7pm

The year is 1885 and Academy Award winner Juliette Binoche (The English Patient) plays Eugénie, a renowned cook with no equal. Benoît Magimel (The Piano Teacher) is Dodin, a brilliant epicure whose ideas for recipes when combined with Eugénie’s talents, create culinary magic. The talented duo form a partnership that extends beyond the kitchen, establishing a friendship that occasionally evolves into something more. Can Dodin’s outstanding culinary instincts and desire for a deeper connection persuade Eugénie to marry him?

Winner Best Director Award - Cannes Film Festival 2023
Best Cinematography - Lumiere Awards
France’s entry for Best International Feature Film at the 2024 Academy Awards

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A Great Friend

(95 mins)

Saturday 11th of May - 7pm

A tantalising blend of culinary delights and human bonds in this unexpected bromance. Vincent a hyperactive and successful businessman, is the founder of the largest European dating site. Meanwhile, Pierre lives in seclusion like a true hermit in the mountains, accompanied by his dog and distanced from the modern world he has long renounced.

When these two polar-opposites unexpectedly cross paths, their encounter disrupts their lives and prompts questions about their radically different lifestyles. Are they genuinely content?

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The Nature of Love

(111 mins)

Saturday 11th of May - 9pm

Sophia, a 40-year-old philosophy professor, is in a long-term stable but somewhat socially-conforming relationship with Xavier, her intellectual equal but a man who is more her best friend than lover.

Sylvain is the working-class contractor hired to renovate their holiday home in the Canadian woods. Despite their vast differences, Sophia and Sylvain share an electrifying, creative, and uncontrollable sexual chemistry and an unpredictable affair begins.  Questioning the nature of monogamy and skewering the conventions of the traditional rom-com, the film radiates with wit and passion.

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Masquerade  

Thursday 4th May 2023 | 7PM (136 mins)

Adrien, an attractive dancer whose career was shattered by a motorbike accident, wastes his youth in the laziness of the French Riviera, where he is looked after by Martha, a former movie star. Adrien’s life is turned upside down when he meets Margot, a captivating beauty who lives for the thrill of scams and romantic entanglements. Together, they fantasise about a better life and set up a diabolical scheme, an emotional masquerade

November

Friday 5th May 2023 | 7PM (107 mins)

NOVEMBER powerfully explores the perspective of the lead investigators of the French anti-terrorism services, working against the clock in the aftermath of the 2015 attacks across Paris. The unit led by Héloise (Sandrine Kiberlain) and her closest associates, Fred (Jean Dujardin) and Inès (Anaïs Demoustier), having been caught off guard, assembles under immense pressure. With the Interior Ministry pushing for results, and almost overwhelmed with the weight of the responsibility, they’re faced with the near-impossible task of catching the culprits before they can strike again…

Les Femmes du Square

Friday 5th May 2023 | 9PM (105 mins)

Angèle, a thirty-something from Ivory Coast, always copes thanks to the gift of gab and audacity. To escape from a bunch of dangerous criminals, she becomes a nanny in uptown Paris, hired by Hélène, the single mom of eight year old Arthur. Discovering the work conditions of her colleagues, she decides to stand up for their rights.

La dégustation

Saturday 6th May 2023 | 7PM (92 mins)

Hortense has a big heart and no one to share it with except her cat, her embittered mom, and a group of homeless people for whom she prepares a gourmet dinner at the local church every week. While buying a nice bottle of wine, Hortense meets Jacques, a fifty-something, grumpy local cellarman. Eager to see him again, she attends a chaotic wine tasting in Jacques' shop - meeting his best friend who clumsily tries to seduce her, and his new apprentice who turns out to have a rare gift for tasting as well as an unfiltered honesty. As Hortense and Jacques grow closer and closer, their past begins to catch up to them.

Saint Omer

Friday 5th May 2023 | 9PM (123 mins)

Northeastern France, 2016. Rama (played with restrained intensity by remarkable discovery Kayije Kagame), a successful Parisian journalist and author, has travelled to the coastal town of Saint-Omer to document the trial of Laurence Coly (Guslagie Malanda), a well-educated young Senegalese Frenchwoman who is accused of abandoning her 15-month-old daughter on a beach at high tide. At work on a modern-day adaptation of Medea, Rama plans to incorporate Laurence’s story into her new novel, but the case affects her in unexpected ways and she soon begins to unravel over complex childhood memories and increasing uncertainty over her own impending motherhood…