Glasgow French Film Festival 2009

 

15th November - 3rd December

Glasgow Film Theatre, 12 Rose St, Glasgow, G3 6RB
0141 332 6535

Your annual fete of French cinema is back in its regular November slot. Besides delivering the best of contemporary cinema francais from established auteurs to new talents, the 2009 selection of the French Film Festival UK at the GFT (15 November to 3 December) will feature tributes to two diverse but legendary figures: Jacques Tati and Jean Eustache.

Ticket Deal: See 5 Films for £28.25/£21

Schedule

The FFFUK brochure is available in the GFT foyer.
All films are in French with subtitles.

Schedule

Jour de Fete (U)

Sunday 15 November
France 1949 1h 30m French

Jacques Tati plays a clumsy village postman inspired by a newsreel championing the super-efficient U.S. mail system. His hilarious attempts to modernize his own rural delivery methods make for high-speed slapstick comedy.

A Prophet (N/C 18+)

Friday 20 November
France 2009 2h 30m French

Critically adored at Cannes and winner of the Grand Prix award, Audiard follows up his acclaimed The Beat That My Heart Skipped with a complex and often violent depiction of a young Arab man coming of age inside a corrupt prison.

Tabarly (N/C 12+)

Friday 20 November
France 2008 1h 30m French

Arguably Europe's most influential sailor, Eric Tabarly went missing at sea en route to Scotland in 1998. Fellow sailor Marcel pieces together archive footage to chart Tabarly's incredible achievements and his mysterious disappearance creating a poignant tribute to one man's fatal obsession with the sea.

Director Pierre Marcel will be in attendance to introduce and discuss the documentary afterwards.

French Gigoench Gigolo (N/C 18+)

Saturday 21 November
France 2008 1h 40m French
* 21 November - 1.00

A successful TV presenter avoids emotional entanglements and instead hires male escorts for her sexual needs in this delightfully droll comedy. This casual arrangement suits her just fine until an unconventional escort and his naive charms begin to thaw her ice queen person

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Magic (N/C 6+)

Saturday 21 November
France 2008 1h 31m French
* 21 November - 3.15

Tommy has convinced himself that his absent father was actually an astronaut since his sad mother never told him otherwise. When the circus arrives in town, Tommy believes that the magical performers will help him locate his father and mend his mum's broken heart.

Seraphine (PG)

Saturday 21 November
France 2008 2h 5m French
* 21 November - 8.15
* 11 December - 3.30
* 11 December - 8.20

This starting portrait of Seraphine de Senlis, a poor housekeeper who became an unlikely art sensation when a champion of modern art discovered her paintings, is not only beautiful but mesmerising. Winner of seven Cesar awards.

Seraphine is no smooth Somebody Up There Likes Me story but an examination, both unsettling and deeply touching, of the sources of creativity, the vagaries of renown and the complexities of relationships. The long French tradition of thoughtful, intelligent films of quality for adults is alive and well here, and that is reason to rejoice. Los Angeles Times

Park Benches (N/C 15+)

Sunday 22 November
France 2008 1h 50m French
* 22 November - 2.30

Exploring the themes of urban solitude with typical Gallic humour: an office is thrown into chaos when a cryptic banner is unveiled across the street while a hardware store's staff are too preoccupied with their own dilemmas to help their customers.

M Hulot's Holiday (U)

Sunday 22 November
France 1953 1h 54m French
* 22 November - 5.30

This is the film that introduced the world to the well-meaning but clumsy character of Monsieur Hulot, who appeared in many of Tati's subsequent films. A loveable dimwit, Hulot takes a summer trip to the beach and is baffled by the holiday goers who are unable enjoy the simpler pleasures in life.

The Father of my Children (N/C 15+)

Sunday 22 November
France 2009 2h 0m french
* 22 November - 8.00

Gregoire has everything a man could want - a loving wife, adorable children and a job as a film producer. Yet as the debts continue to pile up and his future projects begin to look uncertain, all seems lost for Gregoire. Unable to cope any longer, his final act of desperation has devastating consequences for all around him.

The Mother and the Whore (18)

Monday 23 November
France 1973 3h 38m French
* 23 November - 4.00

Alexandre is an unemployed intellectual who, having no money of his own, sponges off his lover, Marie. When he meets the charming Veronika in a cafe, Alexandre falls for her but still remains devoted to Marie. One of the last great flourishes of the French New Wave, which evokes the essence of Nouvelle Vague cinema with all its poetry, daring and honest

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Neuilly sa Mere (N/C 12+)

Monday 23 November
France 2009 1h 30m French
* 23 November - 8.30

A smash hit in France for its mockery of President Sarkozy's swanky hometown of Neuilly. When a young Arab boy is forced to stay with his posh aunt, he finds himself surrounded by wannabe white rappers and politically ambitious teenager

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The First Star (N/C 15)

Tuesday 24 November
France 2008 1h 30m French
* 24 November - 12.45

In order to save his marriage, Jean-Michel finally takes his family on holiday to an expensive ski resort to prove that he's committed to being a good father. Out on the slopes, his West African family feels out of place among affluent white families but Jean-Michel is determined that everyone will have a good time.

Numero Zero (N/C 15+)

Tuesday 24 November
France 1971 1h 50m French
* 24 November - 6.00

A portrait of a French woman's life during the tumultuous early 20th century, Eustache's first feature consists mainly of an interview with his grandmother. She gives a passionate account of her eventful past-the wars she survived, the babies she lost and the husband accused of paedophilia. Shown publicly for the first time in 2002, as Eustache had held only a few private screenings of the complete film before his death.

Trafic (U)

Wednesday 25 November
France 1971 1h 36m French
* 25 November - 6.15

Hulot is a bumbling automobile inventor travelling to an auto exhibition in the Netherlands in his new design, a luxury camping car. Sadly, a series of disasters strike on the trip - the petrol runs out, the car is impounded and then involved in a massive car crash. Undeterred, Hulot's American assistant is determined to make it to Amsterdam, no matter what.

My Little Loves (N/C 15+)

Wednesday 25 November
France 1974 2h 3m French
* 25 November - 8.15

Just one year into high school, Daniel is uprooted from his rural country life and transplanted into the city to live with his mother and her lover. With a nod to Rimbaud, Eustache delivers an unsentimental portrait of a small-town boy's gradual discovery of work and play in the adult world.

Mon Oncle (U)

Thursday 26 November
France 1958 1h 51m French
* 26 November - 6.00

Possibly his most famous and popular work, Tati won the Special Prize Jury at Cannes and the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 1958 for his legendary film. An impractical but adored uncle of young Gerard, Hulot is scornful of the boy's materialistic parents and delights his nephew with his aptitude for accidents. 5+)

The Girl from Monaco (N/C 15+)

Thursday 26 November
France 2008 1h 35m French
* 26 November - 8.45

Fresh from her worldwide success with Coco Before Chanel, Anne Fontaine returns with a witty satire on male sexual vanity and self-delusion. A brilliant lawyer is hired to defend a notorious criminal at a high profile trial but is more interested in seducing a glamorous weather girl. 9+)

The Magnificent Tati (N/C 9+)

Friday 27 November
France 2009 1h 50m French
* 27 November - 6.00

We are delighted to present the world premiere of a new factual film on the life and work of Jacques Tati. From his origins as a mime on the Parisian music-hall stage to his Oscar winning film Mon Oncle, the film examines how Tati lost it all after his masterpiece Playtime.

Also screening three of Tati's short films, Watch Your Left/Soigne ton gauche, School for Postmen/L'ecole des facteurs and Evening Classes/Cours du soir.

Lady Jane (N/C 15+)

Friday 27 November
France 2008 1h 44m French
* 27 November - 8.45

L'armee du Crime director Guediguian directs an exceptional cast in this gripping tale about old criminals who reunite to rescue a friend's kidnapped son. In order to pay the ransom, the trio must resort to their old tricks and don their balaclavas once more.

Sagan (N/C 15+)

Saturday 28 November
France 2008 2h 0m French
* 28 November - 1.30

Featuring a fantastic performance from rising star Testud who plays infamous teenage novelist Francoise Sagan. At the age of 18, Sagan became a cultural sensation when she published her first novel Bonjour Tristesse in the Fifties. The film documents her manic ways until her death in 2004, a life marked by scandals, arrests and the occasional drugs overdose.

Bonjour Tristesse (15)

Saturday 28 November
France 1958 1h 33m English
* 28 November - 4.00

Jean Seberg stars as Sagan's iconic teenage socialite Cecile, off to another high-society soiree in a black-and-white Paris with her playboy dad. But when papa is stolen away by the glamorous Deborah Kerr, Cecile plots her revenge with style.

Another Man (N/C 18+)

Saturday 28 November
France 2008 1h 29m French
* 28 November - 6.30

An inexperienced film reviewer secures a cushy job at a local newspaper by plagarising a high-brow Parisian magazine. He soon falls for the charms of a well-established female colleague who is secretly planning to expose him. Baier's most personal film to date and a cult hit in France, most notably for its homage to film noir

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The Joy of Singing (N/C 15+)

Saturday 28 November
France 2008 1h 36m French
* 28 November - 8.45

Two spies infiltrate a widow's singing class in order to locate secret files about her late husband's black-market trading. Unexpectedly both spies become passionate singers while fending off amorous attention from their classmates. A refreshingly unpredictable and sexy comedy.

Playtime (U)

Sunday 29 November
France 1968 2h 6m French
* 29 November - 1.00

His fourth and most daring film, Tati again plays Hulot who now lives in a futuristic vision of Paris, where few traces of the old city remain, replaced by towering office blocks. Hulot navigates a group of lost American tourists to safety, away from confusing modern technology and sterile urban environments. A commercial failure in 1968, it is now viewed as stunningly realised masterpiece

Lads and Jockeys (N/C 9+)

Sunday 29 November
France 2008 1h 50m French
* 29 November - 1.15

It is September 2006 and a new school year has begun in France. Thirty 14- year-old boys and girls in Chantilly enter a boarding school specialising in the education of jockeys and stable lads and girls. A lushly filmed and moving equestrian documentary from debut director Benjamin Marquet

Please Please Me (N/C 15+)

Sunday 29 November
France 2009 1h 30m French
* 29 November - 3.15

Ariane believes that her partner Jean-Jacques is fantasising about another woman. Hoping to save their relationship, she asks him to have an affair with the woman in question who turns out to be the daughter of the French President! A charming comedy of manners and errors

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Louise-Michel (N/C 15+)

Sunday 29 November
France 2008 1h 34m French
* 29 November - 5.15

After the sudden shutdown of their company, factory workers led by Louise (the iconic Yolande Moreau) are determined to get their revenge on the boss responsible. After hiring an incompetent hit man to whack him off, Louise takes matters into her own hands...

Grown-Ups (N/C 15+)

Monday 30 November
France 2008 1h 24m French
* 30 November - 6.00

Albert drags his exasperated teenage daughter across Europe in search of hidden treasure but realises that she's no longer interested in digging up fields when she meets two young women with a passion for boys. A clever multilingual screenplay that pokes gentle fun at problems of communication.

Bellamy (N/C 15+)

Monday 30 November
France 2009 1h 50m French
* 30 November - 8.15

Police commissioner Paul Bellamy (Depardieu in his first role for veteran Chabrol) takes his annual holiday in the south of France but would rather be back in Paris fighting crime and certainly has no enthusiasm for his wife's plans. When Paul's good-for-nothing brother arrives with a shifty looking friend, Bellamy is keen to find out what they're really up to.

Special Correspondents (N/C 15+)

Tuesday 1 December
France 2009 1h 33m French
* 1 December - 6.30

Just as they are about to be sent to Iraq where the conflict is intensifying, a star radio journalist and his sound technician lose their plane tickets and money for the trip. In desperation, the duo hide in downtown Paris, where they report "live" using lots of cleverly inserted sound effects. A hilarious wartime satire that mocks the media's obsession with all things jihad.

Eldorado (N/C 15+)

Tuesday 1 December
France 2008 1h 25m French
* 1 December - 8.40

Yvan, an overweight and unkempt car dealer arrives home one night to discover that an incompetent burglar has broken in. Weary and philosophical, he does not call the police and ends up consoling the intruder, as Yvan knows a drug addict when he sees one. A melancholy road movie with wonderful performances.

Screening with short film Vanille by Mark Sloss (17m).

I Always Wanted to be a Gangster (N/C 15)

Wednesday 2 December
France 2007 1h 53m French
* 2 December - 6.15

Tarantino dialogue meets Tati slapstick in this farcical comedy set in the murky underworld of criminal Paris. A petty thief conspires with an ambitious waitress to rob her workplace, while a nearby couple abduct a suicidal teenager and a lively bunch of grannies get their shotguns out to some banks for one last thrill.

Screening with short film The Barrel of the Danaides by David Guiraud (12m)

The Beautiful Person (N/C 15+)

Wednesday 2 December
France 2008 1h 37m French
* 2 December - 8.45

After the traumatic death of her mother, Junie arrives at a new school and quickly attracts the attention of besotted schoolboys. A predatory teacher becomes increasingly infatuated with her, but Junie only has eyes for bashful Otto. An intelligent portrayal of the emotional consequences of young love.

Screening with short film The Baker's Daughter by Claudine Bourbigot (8

m).

Parade (U)

Thursday 3 December
France/Sweden 1974 1h 29m French
* 3 December - 6.30

An excited audience take their seats in a circus tent, eager for the spectacle to begin. The genial Monsieur Loyal (Tati) greets everyone with an invitation that all are welcome to join in the show. A cavalcade of acrobats, clowns and singers appear to entertain. Soon, the show is over and two curious children explore the remnants of the evening's amusements backstage..

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Crime is our Business (N/C 15+)

Thursday 3 December
France 2008 1h 48m French
* 3 December - 8.00

Crime-solving duo Prudence and Beresford return for another highly entertaining Agatha Christie adaptation. Bored by their retirement to the countryside, Prudence is secretly delighted by the chance to investigate a mysterious railway murder. The bizarre case leads her to a spooky mansion owned by an eccentric widower and his strangely morose daughter...

www.gft.org.uk