The French Film Festival organized on the occasion of French Spring Festival 2023 will be held from the 6th of July to the 9th of July 2023 at the National Film Corporation (Tharangani Theatre, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7).
SYNOPSIS
6th July – 6pm
En Corps / Rise, by Cedric Klapish
(2022, 1h58)
One of the flagship movies is the talented director Cédric Klapish’s new movie, released in March 2022, a heart-warming and inspiring story that tells us about resilience and healing.
Elise, 26, is a great ballet dancer. She is injured during a performance and learns that she will no longer be able to dance. From then on, her life is turned upside down, and Elise has to learn how to repair herself… Between Paris and Brittany, through encounters and experiences, disappointments and hopes, Elise gets closer to a contemporary dance company. This new way of dancing will give her a new lease of life.
7th July – 6pm
Rock’n Roll by Guillaume Canet
(2017, 2h03)
A hilarious, parodic comedy with Marion Cotillard and Guillaume Canet about the daily lives of two French cinema stars.
Guillaume Canet, 43, has everything he needs to be happy and fulfilled in his life. On a film set, a pretty 20-year-old actress stops him in his tracks, telling him that he’s not very “Rock”, that he’s never really been, and to finish him off, that he’s fallen down the “list” of actors we’d like to fuck… His family life with Marion, his son, his country house, his horses, all give him a cheesy and no longer really sexy image… Guillaume understands that it’s urgent to change everything. And he’s going to go far, very far, under the stunned and powerless gaze of those around him.
8th July – 3pm
Kirikou et la sorcière / Kirikou and the Sorceress by Michel Ocelot (1998, 1h10)
One of the most famous French animated movie, about the tale of tiny Kirikou born in an African village in which Karaba the Sorceress has placed a terrible curse. A screening dedicated to young audience and families.
Tiny Kirikou is born in an African village where the witch Karaba, surrounded by her fearsome fetishes, has cast a terrible spell: the spring is dried up, villagers are held to ransom, men are kidnapped and mysteriously disappear. Kirikou, as soon as he leaves his mother’s womb, sets out to free the village from Karaba’s evil grip and discover the secret of her wickedness.
8th July – 6pm
Rouge / Red soil by Farid Bentoumi (2020, 1h26)
An ecological thriller based on real events, where we discover the story of the red mud scandal at the Gardanne chemical plant.
Nour has just been hired as a nurse at the chemical plant where her father, a union delegate and long-time linchpin of the company, works. While the plant is undergoing a health inspection, a journalist is investigating waste management. The two young women gradually discover that the plant, a pillar of the local economy, hides many secrets. Between lies about pollutant discharges, doctored medical records and hidden accidents, Nour will have to choose between keeping quiet and betraying her father to bring the truth to light.
9th July – 3pm
16 levers de soleil / 16 sunrises
(2018, 1h58)
A documentary about the 6 months spent by the worldwide known French Astronaut Thomas Pesquet aboard the International Space Station.
Flying into space. This is the dream that Thomas Pesquet realized when he took off from the Baikonur base. 450 kilometers from Earth, during these six months when the world seems to be tipping into the unknown, a dialogue is woven between the astronaut and Saint Exupéry’s visionary work that he took with him to the space station.
9th July – 6pm
Délicieux / Delicious, by Eric Besnard
(2021, 1h53)
Discover the unusual story of a chef who – on a hunt for revenge – ends up opening France’s first restaurant!
At the dawn of the French Revolution, Pierre Manceron, a daring but proud cook, is sacked by his master, the Duc de Chamfort. When he meets an astonishing woman who wants to learn the culinary arts alongside him, he regains his self-confidence and is driven to emancipate himself from his domestic status and embark on his own revolution. Together, they invented a place for pleasure and sharing open to all: the first restaurant. An idea that will earn them customers… and enemies.