VCU French Film Festival
RICHMOND, Va. – The 15th annual Virginia Commonwealth University French Film Festival, the largest French film festival in the United States, will present an unparalleled selection of feature films and shorts from France on March 30th – April 1st, 2007, in the heart of Carytown, a shopping and cultural center in Richmond, at the historic Byrd Theatre (2908 Cary Street.
DIVERSIFIED AND RECENT PROMISING FRENCH FILMS
The Festival is proud to screen the most recent and notable feature films from established award-winning directors and promising short films by the next generation of filmmakers from France. In 2007, the 15th edition will offer a selection of twelve feature films and twelve short films to the public, such as Gérard Krawczyk’s film La Vie est à nous, Le Passager de l’été by Florence Moncorgé-Gabin, Je vais bien, ne t’en fais pas directed by Philippe Lioret, L’Avion by Cédric Kahn, and Jean-Philippe, a Laurent Tuel’s film. All the films are subtitled in English for everyone’s enjoyment, many of which will be their North American premiere, all of them illustrating the diversity and richness of current French cinematographic production.
A CONNECTION FOR THE AMERICAN PUBLIC TO THE FINEST FRENCH CINEMA
The VCU French Film Festival provides a connection for the American public to the finest French cinema, as well as an opportunity to speak with the directors and actors who created the films. French directors and starring actors engages the audience in question and answer sessions following the screening of their films. The 2007 Festival will host directors as Claude Miller, permanent honorary president of the VCU French Film Festival, who will lead a delegation of about 25 directors and actors coming to Richmond to present their latest films, Gérard Krawczyk (director of Taxi 2, 3, 4) who will teach one of the two Master classes in filmmaking the weekend before the Festival starts, and Pierre-William Glenn.
A LARGE AND DIVERSE AUDIENCE
These distinguished and original films are a great success; attracting a large audience during the three-day festival, last year the festival pulled 17.500 people, made up of a diverse American and French public (film enthusiasts, families, art aficionados, teachers and students). The French Film Festival has a certain aura among lovers of French cinema who come from Virginia, Washington, D.C., Maryland, the Carolinas, Pennsylvania and New York State to attend the festival. Last year’s Festival even attracted Americans from as far as Texas, California and Washington State. They appreciate the variety of films offered: comedies, psychology dramas, historic movies, documentaries, animation and children films.
A RENOWNED EVENT
The Festival is sponsored by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Unifrance, l’ARP (Guild of French Directors and Producers), and the SACD (Guild of Authors, Composers and Directors). The Community Idea Stations (PBS), as well as the TV channel TV5MONDE also are partners of the festival. The festival is also proud to invite in its delegation the Governor of Virginia, Tim Kaine, and The French Ambassador to the United States, His Excellency, Jean-David Levitte, who recognized The Festival as the largest, most prestigious and anticipated French cultural event on the US East Coast.
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