Now in its 21^st year, the French Film Festival starts this week in Sydney (2^nd March) and Melbourne (4^th March) with Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide and Canberra following in mid-March. With a program ranging from romances to thrillers, comedies to social commentary, it is time to embrace the best of French cinema.

In Sydney, screenings will be held at Palace Academy, Verona and Norton St. Tickets can be purchased online and through the cinemas’ box offices.

With 43 films to choose from, it is going to be hard to decide what to see first. Here are my picks for some of the highlights of the festival.

Micmacs/ Micmacs À Tire-Larigot

This latest comedy from director Jean-Pierre Jeunet (of Amélie and Delicatessen fame) again looks at a group of misfits. The story follows the unlucky Bazil (Dany Boon), who is left with a bullet lodged in his brain after an accident. He teams up with an eclectic mix of scavengers to seek revenge on the weapon manufacturers who have caused him such pain. With the director’s usual sense of quirky humour, the film creates a charmingly detailed world in which the action unfolds.

I’m Glad my Mother is Alive/ Je suis Heureux que ma Mère soit Vivante

Co-directed by father and son, Claude and Nathan Miller, this film was originally in the hands of Jacques Audiard (A Prophet), who stayed on as a producer. Based on an article by Emmanuel Carrère, taken from a real-life incident involving an adopted boy finding his birth mother and the unexpected results, the film was heavily praised at the recent Venice Film Festival. Be prepared for a thought-provoking film, without easy answers.

White Material

Starring the always amazing Isabelle Huppert (The Piano Player, 8 Women, Time of the Wolf), White Material is director Claire Denis’ (Chocolat) long-awaited return to Africa. Denis’ inspiration for the film has come from newspaper stories about white farmers in Zimbabwe and Kenya and civil wars in Sierra Leone and Liberia. Taking place during the chaos of a civil and racial conflict, the film is set around a coffee plantation in an unnamed country. Denis’ central characters must make survival choices as the social structures around them collapse.

White Material is not screening in Sydney.

Gainsbourg: Je T’aime…Moi non Plus/ Gainsbourg (Vie héroïque)

Screening as the Festival’s closing night Gala, this Gainsbourg biopic is the directorial debut of graphic novelist Joann Sfar. Starring Eric Elmosnino as the iconic singer, Serge Gainsbourg, the film traces his life- from growing up in Nazi-occupied Paris to the height of his success as a singer/songwriter. Included in the film is Gainsbourg’s notorious womanising, highlighted by his relationships with Brigette Bardot and Jane Birkin, among others.

Welcome

The less you know about Philippe Lioret’s critically acclaimed film before watching it, the better (you may not want to view the trailer). With strong political and social commentary, Welcome explores France’s treatment of refugees using a story of friendship between two men who both feel the pain of lost love and dislocation. Starring Vincent Lindon as Simon and new-comer Firat Ayverdi as Bilal, the film captures the devastating reality of France’s hard-line policies. With some screenings including a Q&A with the director, this is a fantastic opportunity to learn more about the film whose success in France put increased public pressure on Nicolas Sarkozy.

For more information on the festival and a full program for all cities click here

Image 1, 2