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EVENT DESCRIPTION
The Hong Kong French Film Festival (HKFFF) returns to the city’s cinemas in November 2023 with a large selection of 50 films. French talents including actresses, actors, writers, directors, and photographers are invited to come to Hong Kong for a series of events of the Festival. This year we are bringing 30 new films, of which two thirds of them are Asia Premiere. The selection includes two animated films, four documentaries and a retrospective of 18 films spanning across 70 years of French cinema.
Social and Institutional Justice
The selection of new films can be categorized into two main themes; social and institutional justice and the complexity and struggles of relationship. Justice and the questions it raises are at the heart of this year’s films. Anatomy of a Fall (L’anatomie d’une chute), won the Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023. It a drama about an investigation of the guilt or innocence of a popular novelist (Sandra Hüller) who are accused of murdering her husband.
I will always see your faces (Je verrai toujours vos visages), directed by Jeanne Herry who are specialized in social issues. The film is about restorative justice. It is a system that offers victims and perpetrators of offences the opportunity to dialogue through secure systems. Then there is Abbé Pierre and his quest for social justice, The Edge of the Blade (Une Affaire d’Honneur) by Vincent Perez and the exercise of individual ‘self-justice’ embodied by the duel in the 19th century. Vincent Perez is our guest of honor at the festival, together with Karine Silla, co-writer of the film.
The Complexity and Struggles of Relationship
Another key theme of this year’s selection is about relationship of the couple. Tran Anh Hung’s latest film, The Pot au Feu (La Passion de Dodin Bouffant), received the award of The Best Director (Prix de la mise en scène) at the Cannes Film Festival 2023. The story sets in 1885, is about how the couple (played by Benoît Magimel and Juliette Binoche) turned the practice of gastronomy and mutual admiration into a romantic relationship. The director and guest of honor, Tran, will be presenting his film to the Festival audiences and offering master classes.
In the film, Suddenly (Soudain Seuls), the couple played by Gilles Lellouche and Mélanie Thierry live alone on an Antarctic island; Happiness is for Tomorrow (Le Bonheur est pour demain), starring Laetitia Casta; Last Summer (L’été dernier), about a woman’s incestuous relationship with her stepson; Love and the Forests (L’Amour et les forêts), is a powerful, intimate thriller; and Time to Love (Le Temps d’aimer), in which Vincent Lacoste embarks on a long and painful journey of self-recognition. And what could be more sumptuous than the royal couple in Jeanne du Barry, with Johnny Depp as Louis XV, and Maïwenn as Jeanne.
Documentary
The documentary section includes four films, including two directed by Karine Silla, Amandiers and The Mixing (Métissages). A third poignant documentary, Living Legacy (Vivants), explores with sensitivity of the end of life and Chambre 999, about the profession of the filmmaker.
The Retrospective section presents 18 films that are well loved by the audiences since the first edition back in 1953, the same year that Alliance française de Hong Kong was founded. Classics such as Et Dieu créa la femme, Les 400 coups, Les choses de la vie, La reine Margot and Amélie Poulain, and popular hits such as Taxi, La grande vadrouille, Nikita, Jean de Florette and Les Tribulations d’un Chinois en Chine will be presented in this edition.
Photo Exhibition of Luc Roux
November 22 to December 3, 2023
Venue: Soho House, Sheung Wa
In addition to the rich programme of screenings, Q&As, and master classes, renowned film critic Jean-Pierre Lavoignat will present a series of screenings and lectures on the director Claude Sautet, Romy Schneider and Patrice Chéreau. Last but not least, as part of 70th anniversary celebration of the Alliance Française Hong Kong, a special photo exhibition of Luc Roux: Cinematic Pulse: In the heart of Luc Roux’s photographs (Le cinema au coeur) is organized. The exhibition will take place from November 22 to December 3, 2023 at Soho House. 50 photos of Luc Roux’s work will be exhibited during the festival. There will also be guided tours with the presence of Luc Roux and Pierre Lavoignat.
Venues:
Hong Kong City Hall, MOViE MOViE PACIFIC PLACE, PALACE ifc, Broadway Cinematheque, Premiere Element
