Franglais27 Tales

Paris is again at your fingertips from whichever location you may be this spring for the latest edition of the Paris International Film Festival. For this fourth edition, the festival can be enjoyed from the comforts of your sofa as a virtual edition where there will be the encouragement to network with talks and presentations within the virtual Paris map. We are delighted to be a press partner again for this year for the Paris International Film Festival.

The festival will be accessible 10 – 20 February 2022 on the Filmocracy platform, after being voted the no.1 film festival on the platform for 2021.  Some of the enjoyable features from the 2021 edition such as being able to participate in virtual tours of the sights of Paris, such as the Louvre, will be returning.  It was also delightful to be able to converse with others in break out sessions between films, similar to an in-person festival, as there is the possibility for on camera discussions too to re-create that festival vibe.

This year’s selection of films includes films such as Father of Flies that have featured within the late 2021 festival circuit as well as international premieres.  With 22 features and 30 shorts there are many films to delve into across French cinema and international films from independent filmmakers.

There are so many films of interest within the programme, but these five films seemed especially appealing to add to our watchlist.

Pierre & Jeanne

Starring Mathieu Amalric and based on the Guy de Maupassant novel, Pierre et Jean, the film follows the exploits of the family Roland.  When a sum of money is inherited by Jeanne, there are various questions raised by Pierre including those of the very foundation of the family which threatens to damage the present with potential secrets to be unearthed. As Amalric provides a good performance within his film roles, Pierre & Jeanne sounds unmissable.

Much Ado

Directed by the Shakespeare Sisters following the success of Soundtrack to Sixteen, this is a new imagining of the Shakespeare play, Much Ado About Nothing.  The film covers the different life approaches of the cousins Hero and Beatrice as university students and their philosophies of love too.  However, matters all come to a head when they are trapped in the house with the boys’ rugby team when a party gets out of control. Much Ado About Nothing is a play with witty dialogue and so this modern version sounds as though it will be an enjoyable watch.

A Year Among the French

Set in 1969, the film tells the tale of a 10-year-old boy transported to living in France from his village in Morocco.  He encounters the world of the French from a child’s perspective and cannot understand the interest shown in him or the customs of the French.  The film explores these cultural differences for Mehdi compared to the world that he experiences at home with his family. This sounds like an interesting portrayal of a child’s assimilation within a new country despite sharing the same language.

4 Days to Eternity

This German film is based on the legend of Idilia Dubb from the Rhein Valley.  Idilia finds herself imprisoned within a gloomy castle with no escape, but her diary can help her to unravel elements of the past and its secrets.  Her diary however distorts the difference between reality and fantasy.

Pink Opaque

Travis is a film student with a documentary to complete however he becomes embroiled in investigating buried family secrets after re-connecting with his estranged uncle which sounds intriguing.  Along the way, Travis also develops a romantic relationship, but this too may be put to the test.

Festival passes for the year’s edition are still available to purchase here and the official trailer for the festival with extracts from the programme can be viewed here.

Let us know in the comments below as to which films are on your watchlist for this fourth edition of the Paris International Film Festival.