Maggie Cheung plays her-self, taking on the role of a silent film vampire in a Paris movie shoot overwhelmed by madness, depression and suicidal tendencies in Irma Vep; Cheung also plays a rock star’s wife who carries on after her husband ODs in Clean; while Connie Nielsen plays a multinational executive in over her head after the company acquires a Japanese anime porn site in DemonLover. These are some of the films of acclaimed French director Olivier Assayas, in Manila this June for the 17th French Film Festival, held, as always, at the Shangri-La Plaza Cineplex.
A special treat: Assayas will attend a series of master class sessions with local directors while in Manila, before a retrospective of seven Assayas films is screened at the festival.
Why is the French Film Festival so darn gentile to Filipino audiences? As local Embassy of France audiovisual attaché Martin Macalintal puts it, “the Festival highlights the continuing relationship between France and the Philippines through cinema.” This year’s fest, turning 17, sports a coquettish glow: the opening night gala — put on by Citibank and Rustan’s — will feature that Hollywood hit, L’Artiste (The Artist), which won a plate full of Oscars, despite it being a silent movie. That’s just for starters. After arriving on Wednesday, June 6, Assayas will hold a master class on Thursday, June 7, 2 p.m. at UP Film institute; then meet with Filipino directors on Friday, June 8, 12 p.m. at the CCP; finally, the retrospective, with the above films plus L’Eau Froide (Cold Water), HHH: Portrait de Hou Hsiao-hsien, L’Heure d’Ete and Les Destinees Sentimentales (Sentimental Destinies), will be held Saturday, June 9, starting 1 p.m., again at the Shangri-La Cineplex.
Another treat: Captive, Brillante Mendoza’s latest co-production with French company Swift Films starring Isabelle Huppert, will be shown on June 9 in an invitation-only exclusive premiere.
We found it odd that The Artist would be picked to represent French cinema, but according to Macalintal, “The French style of cinema, directing and acting is present, even if the story is Hollywood-ish.” And it’s not every year France gets to crow about a boatload of Oscars (though they’ll always have Cannes).
At first sight, the rest of the fest’s lineup looks to be more challenging, which is what we usually expect from French cinema: other films at Shangri-La Plaza from June 8-17 include Au fond des Bois (Deep in the Woods), Le Refuge (Hideaway), Roses Crédit (Roses on Credit), Tout Ce Qui Brille (All that Glitters), L’Art d’Aimer (The Art of Love), L’Ordre et La Morale (Rebellion), L’arnacur (Heartbreaker) and Mariage Trois (The Three-way Wedding), which was shown in a media preview screening.
(One of the other treats of the French Film Festival is the media screenings, which usually start around 11 a.m., so sex in the afternoon is not an unusual occurrence. It puts a different spin on your cappuccino and popcorn, for sure. All films at the fest are free, and exempt from the MTRCB scissors, by the way. Diplomatic and artistic immunity!)
On another note, Macalintal said President Benigno S. Aquino has signed an EO ordering the preservation of Filipino cinema and classic film reels that are currently facing deterioration; the attaché said three films are currently being restored by French archivists, and one of the restored movies (no title given) will possibly be shown during the festival.
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For inquiries on the 17th French Film Festival, contact 633-7851 loc. 113 or log on to www.shangrila-plaza.com.