23rd French Film Festival

The Embassy of France to the Philippines, Institut Français, UniFrance, the Alliance française de Manille, and the Film Development Council of the Philippines, in cooperation with the Ayala Malls Cinemas, SSI Group, Inc., and Central Square, present the 23rd edition of the French Film Festival in the Philippines.

Continuing its tradition of offering the best of French contemporary and classic cinema to Filipino movie-goers, this year’s edition proposes a selection of films for the following dates and venues in Metro Manila:

• June 6 to 12, 2018 – Greenbelt 3 cinemas, Makati City
• June 8 to 12, 2018 – Bonifacio High Street cinemas, Central Square, Taguig
• June 10 and 11, 2018 – UP Town Center cinemas, Quezon City

The festival will also make its way for the first time ever to the Abreeza Mall, Davao City on June 21 and 22, 2018, and also back to its loyal audience at the Ayala Center Cebu from June 25 to 27, 2018.

Tickets for each screening are priced at PHP 150 to cover the operational costs of the cinema and may be purchased at the box office or through www.sureseats.com.

A tribute to French and Philippine cinema

“Among the aims of French cultural diplomacy is to promote cultural diversity through cinema. In the Philippines, the French Film Festival has been giving the Filipino public a glimpse of French culture and society for 23 years. It provides an alternative to the commercial programming of movie theatres, thereby promoting this diversity to the local audience,” explained French Ambassador Nicolas Galey.

For its 23^rd edition, the French Film Festival screens 21 French films that embody the richness and depth of French society through the creativity of French filmmakers. The line-up includes critically-acclaimed films such as Personal Shopper (Official Competition, Cannes Film Festival 2016), La Prière (The Prayer) (Silver Bear for Best Actor, Berlin Film Festival 2018), and the jazz biopic Django (Opening Film, Berlin Film Festival 2017).

Art serves as the backdrop in telling stories about passion and relationships – between artist Paul Cézanne and writer Emile Zola in Cézanne et moi (Cézanne and I), between a Russian ballerina and a French dancer in Polina, and between the fashion icon and his business partner and lover, Pierre Bergé, in Yves Saint Laurent.

This year’s line-up presents films for a variety of audiences: dramas Orpheline (Orphans) and Une Vie (A Woman’s Life), comedies Epouse-moi mon pote (Marry Me, Dude) and Rock ‘n Roll for the light-hearted, the dystopian science fiction film Seuls (Alone) and animated film Louise en hiver (Louise by the Shore) for the younger audiences, and the documentary Voyage à travers le cinéma français (A Journey Through French Cinema) for film aficionados.

Highlighted this year is the recently released fifth installment of the action-packed blockbuster, TAXI, which screens for the first time in Manila during the festival’s red carpet premiere night on June 8, 2018.

The 23^rd French Film Festival also features a retrospective of films by acclaimed director Jean-Pierre Melville, who pioneered French film noir between the 1940s to the 1960s.

Finally, the festival continues its tradition of paying tribute to Philippine cinema. On June 12, Philippine Independence Day, the French Film Festival is honored to feature two films by Raymond Red, a pioneer of Philippine independent cinema and the first Filipino to be awarded the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his short film, Anino, which will be screened at the festival together with Himpapawid. Joining the Philippine line-up is Bagahe, the latest film by up-and-coming director Zig Dulay, which won the grand prize (Cyclo d’or) of the Vesoul Asian Film Festival this year.

The 23^rd French Film Festival in the Philippines is presented by the Embassy of France to the Philippines, Institut Français, UniFrance, the Alliance française de Manille, and the Film Development Council of the Philippines, in cooperation with the Ayala Malls Cinemas, the SSI Group, Inc., Central Square, and with the support of Lacoste, L’Occitane, Diptyque, Peugeot Philippines, Marithé François Girbaud, Pioneer Films, CMB, Paris Délice, Don Papa, Le Cellier, Taters, Chimara, and media partners Expat Newspaper and Spot.ph.

For the film line-up and screening schedule, visit www.ph.ambafrance.org or www.facebook.com/FrenchEmbassyManila. Share your French Film Festival story on social media using the hashtag #FrenchFilmFest23.

For inquiries, contact the Embassy of France to the Philippines at frenchfilmfest@gmail.com or +63966-389-9119.