CANNES 2018

THE OFFICIAL SELECTION - CANNES 71

DESIGN: © FLORE MAQUIN / PHOTO: PIERROT LE FOU © GEORGES PIERRE

OPENING NIGHT FILM 

Everybody Knows - Asghar Farhadi (in competition)

COMPETITION - Palme d'Or

Le Livre d'image - Jean-Luc Godard
Blackkklansman - Spike Lee
Three Faces - Jafar Panahi
Cold War - Pawel Pawlikowski
Leto - Kirill Serebrennikov
Lazzaro Felice - Alice Rohrwacher
Under the Silver Lake - David Robert Mitchell
Capernaum - Nadine Labaki
At War - Stephane Brizé
Asako I & II - Ryusuke Hamaguchi
Sorry Angel - Christophe Honoré
Dogman - Matteo Garrone
Girls of the Sun - Eva Husson
Yomeddine - A.B Shawky
Burning - Lee-Chang Dong
Shoplifters - Kore-Eda Hirokazu
Ash is Purest White - Jia Zhang-Ke
Knife + Heart - Yann Gonzalez
The Little One (Ayka) - Sergey Dvortsevoy
The Wild Pear Tree - Nuri Bilge Ceylan

UN CERTAIN REGARD

Long Day’s Journey Into Night - Bi Gan
Little Tickles - Andréa Bescond & Eric Métayer
Sofia - Meyem Benm’Barek
Border - Ali Abbasi
Sextape - Antoine Desrosières
The Gentle Indifference of the World - Adilkhan Yerzhanov
El Angel - Luis Ortega
In My Room - Ulrich Kohler
The Harvesters - Etienne Kallos
My Favorite Fabric - Gaya Jiji
Friend - Wanuri Kahiu
Euphoria - Valeria Golino
Angel Face - Vanessa Filho
Girl - Lukas Dhont
Manto - Nandita Das
Die, Monster, Die - Alejandro Fadel
The Dead and the Others - João Salaviza & Renée Nader Messora
Donbass - Sergey Loznitsa

SHORTS IN COMPETITION

Gabriel - Oren Gerner (France)
Judgement - Raymund Ribay Gutierrez (Philippines)
Caroline - Celine Held, Logan George (US)
Umbra - Saeed Jafarian (Iran)
III - Marta Pajek (Poland)
Duality - Masahiko Sato, Genki Kawamura, Yutaro Seki, Masayuki Toyota, Kentaro Hirase (Japan)
On The Border - Wei Shujun (China)
All These Creatures - Charles William (Australia)

SPECIAL SCREENINGS

Dead Souls - Wang Bing
10 Years in Thailand - Aditya Assarat, Wisit Sasanatieng, Chulayarnon Sriphol & Apichatpong Weerasethakul
Pope Francis – A Man of His Word - Wim Wenders
La Traversée - Romain Goupil
To the Four Winds - Michel Toesca
Le Grand Cirque Mystique - Carlos Diegues
The State Against Mandela and the Others - Nicolas Champeaux & Gilles Porte

MIDNIGHT SCREENINGS

Arctic  - Joe Penna
The Spy Gone North - Yoon Jong-Bing
Fahrenheit 451 - Ramin Bahrani
Whitney - Kevin Macdonald

OUT OF COMPETITION

Le Grand Bain - Gilles Lellouche
Solo: A Star Wars Story - Ron Howard
The House That Jack Built - Lars von Trier


CLOSING NIGHT FILM

The Man Who Killed Don Quixote - Terry Gilliam

LA Asian Pacific Film Festival 2018

34th Annual Asian Pacific Film Festival
MAY 3-12, 2018 - Little Tokyo - Koreatown - West Hollywood

Visual Communications (VC), the nation’s premier Asian Pacific American media arts center, announced its outstanding program of films and events for the upcoming 34th edition of the Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival (LAAPFF) running MAY 3 - MAY 12, 2018. The all encompassing annual film celebration is presented across Los Angeles in West Hollywood, Downtown LA, Little Tokyo, the Arts District, Koreatown, and Hollywood.

VC proudly celebrates the Film Festival’s 34 years as Southern California’s largest and most prestigious film festival of its kind.  LAAPFF launches the celebration of Asian Pacific Heritage Month through this year’s slate of over 100 films from both Asian Pacific American and Asian international artists.  For over three decades, the Festival has presented nearly 5,000 films by Asian Pacific American and Asian International talent. This year, 39 feature films and 79 shorts from the over 800 submissions will be showcased during the ten-day fest.

The Festival opens with the Los Angeles premiere of the award winning feature SEARCHING starring John Cho and Debra Messing.  The film, which will hit theaters in August via Sony Screen Gems, gives audiences an early chance to see the movie that took the NEXT audience award and the Alfred P. Sloan award at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. The film is directed and co-written by first-time feature filmmaker Aneesh Chaganty.

SEARCHING is a suspenseful and hyper-modern thriller about a desperate father searching for his missing teenage daughter. After an unsuccessful local investigation, David (John Cho) decides to search the one place no one has looked yet - the internet. Joseph Lee and Michelle La also star in the film. This Opening Night film will screen on Thursday, May 3rd at 7 PM at the Directors Guild of America in West Hollywood, and will be followed by a Q&A with the director and members of the cast and crew.

A first for LAAPFF,  our CENTERPIECE FILMS will feature two outstanding world premieres with IN THE LIFE OF MUSIC and FICTION & OTHER REALITIES. Both films are from Los Angeles based filmmakers, who share how music can craft identity and individuality, while serve as a guiding light in one's path.

IN THE LIFE OF MUSIC is the first Cambodian film to be presented as a Festival Centerpiece film. Co-Directed by Caylee So (an LAAPFF alumnus and leader of the vibrant Long Beach Cambodian community) and Sok Visal, their film is a touching family drama on how music can tether a family almost eradicated by the Khmer Rouge regime.

FICTION & OTHER REALITIES is inspired by stalwart Korean American musician Bobby Choy (a.k.a. Big Phony)'s move to Seoul to focus on his music and realign with his roots. The film is a funny and poignant music-infused love story, reminiscent of ONCE. It is co-directed by Steve Lee and Bobby Choy, who also wrote the film and stars as the lead.

Centerpiece Films will be presented on Saturday, May 5th at the Aratani Theatre at the Japanese American Community and Cultural Center (JACCC) in Little Tokyo - Downtown Los Angeles.  

The CLOSING NIGHT FILM is the Los Angeles premiere of the acclaimed 2018 Sundance World Documentary Special Jury Award winner MATANGI/ MAYA/ M.I.A., directed by Stephen Loveridge. Inspired by her roots, M.I.A. created a mashup, cut-and-paste identity that pulled from every corner of her journey; a sonic sketchbook that blended Tamil politics, art school punk, hip-hop beats and the voice of multicultural youth. Never compromising, Maya Arulpragasm kept her camera rolling through her battles with the music industry and mainstream media as her as her success and fame grew. Loveridge draws from Maya's 22-years cache of personal tapes and captures her remarkable journey from immigrant teenager in London to international pop star M.I.A.

MATANGI/MAYA/M.I.A. will be presented as the Closing Night Film on Thursday, May 10th at the Aratani Theatre at the JACCC in Little Tokyo, Downtown Los Angeles.

Every year, the LAAPFF INTERNATIONAL SHOWCASE highlights new films and filmmakers from around the world.  This year is no different as the Festival boasts acclaimed features from Cambodia, Canada, France, Germany, India, Japan, New Zealand, China, Philippines, Singapore, South Korea, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom.

LAAPFF will present a Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Asian Pacific International documentary and narrative features.  The lineup of these films in competition are:

COMPETITION DOCUMENTARIES - INTERNATIONAL

• ANGKAR - Dir. Neary Adeline Hay
• BECOMING WHO I WAS - Dir. Moon Chang-Yong, Jin Jeon
• CHINA’S FORGOTTEN DAUGHTERS  - Dir. Vincent Du, Meng Han
• THE CLEANERS - Dir. Hans Block, Moritz Riesewieck
• LATE LIFE : THE CHIEN-MING WANG STORY - Dir. Frank W. Chen
• PEOPLE’S REPUBLIC OF DESIRE - Dir. Hao Wu
• SINGING WITH ANGRY BIRD - Dir. Hyewon Lee

COMPETITION NARRATIVES - INTERNATIONAL

• IN THE LIFE OF MUSIC - Dir. Caylee So & Sok Visal
• JIMAMI TOFU - Dir. Jason Chan, Christian Lee
• KISS AND SPELL - Dir. Stephane Gauger
• NEOMANILA - Dir. Mikhail Red
• OMOTENASHI - Dir. Jay Chern
• THE THIRD MURDER - Dir. Hirokazu Kore-eda
• WARU - Dir. Chelsea Cohen, Ainsley Gardiner, Casey Kaa, Renae Maihi, Awanui Simich-Pene, Briar Grace-Smith, Paula Whetu, Katie Wolfe

STAND UP MAN - DIR. ARAM COLLIER

Films from North America are eligible for the Grand Jury Award for Outstanding Asian American documentary and narrative features.  These competition films are:

COMPETITION NARRATIVES - NORTH AMERICA

• AUGUST AT AKIKO’S - Dir. Christopher Makoto Yogi
• THE FEVER AND THE FRET - Dir. Cath Gulick
• FICTION & OTHER REALITIES - Dir. Bobby Choy, Steve Lee
• FISH BONES - Dir. Joanne Mony Park
• FOR IZZY - Dir. Alex Chu
• HANH, SOLO - Dir. Jason Taylor
• STAND UP MAN - Dir. Aram Collier
• WHITE RABBIT - Dir. Daryl Wein

COMPETITION DOCUMENTARIES - NORTH AMERICA

• ANOTE’S ARK - Dir. Matthieu Rytz
• CALL HER GANDA - Dir. PJ Raval
• CORRIDOR FOUR - Dir. Stephen Tringali
• ISLAND SOLDIER - Dir. Nathan Fitch
• MINDING THE GAP - Dir. Bing Liu
• SCIENCE FAIR - Dir.: Cristina Costantini, Darren Foster
• ULAM: MAIN DISH – Dir. Alexandra Cuerdo

LAAPFF is proud to be an Academy Award®-qualifying festival for the Short Film Awards. Recipients of the Film Festival’s qualifying awards will be eligible for consideration in the Animated Short Film/Live Action Short Film category of the Academy Awards^® without standard theatrical run, provided the film otherwise complies with the Academy rules.  With over 60 eligible films, recipient(s) of LAAPFF’s Golden Reel Award for Narrative Short Film will be eligible for consideration in the Animated Short Film/Live Action Short Film category of the Academy Awards®.  Additionally, the Film Festival grants a Golden Reel Award for Excellence in Documentary Short Films.

The sharing of experiences through film and media becomes increasingly important during these fast changing times to ensure that our voices, images, and stories are heard and seen.  LAAPFF is proud to present the following important special presentations that include discussions, films, performance art, and media installations that will encourage dialogue, reflection, and inspiration.

ANOTE'S ARK - DIR. MATTHIEU RYTZ

SPECIAL PRESENTATIONS include features from across the globe highlighting historical moments, food, and filmmakers that are pushing the boundaries to classic family films. There’s a secret screening that you won’t want to miss!  These include:

• PROOF OF LOYALTY: KAZUO YAMANE AND THE NISEI SOLDIERS OF HAWAII - Dir. Lucy Ostrander, Don Sellers

PROOF OF LOYALTY tells the story of Kazuo Yamane, a Japanese American who played a crucial strategic role in World War II. He and his fellow Nisei fro Hawaii combatted prejudice and discrimination to loyally serve tjeir country, forming the most awarded and celebrated U.S. army battalion. Their extraordinary service, mostly untold, ultimately changed the course of U.S. history.

• THE CHINESE EXCLUSION ACT – Dir. Ric Burns, Li-Shin Yu

Burns and Yu tackle a complicated yet under told story about a significant piece of U.S. history — the only legislation barring an entire group of immigrants based on ethnicity and race. As highlighted through first-person interviews and archival materials, this film serves as resistance against racism and the resilience of people that shaped the fabric of the United States.

• PRISON FOOD (World Premiere) – Dir. Johneric Concordia

Two special sneak episodes from the new series produced by Discovery Asia, features Johneric Concordia (Owner of The Park's Finest restaurant) teaching inmates how to cook.  Following the screening will be a discussion with the director/chef on the art of cuisine as it builds community.

• IT’S A PARTY – Dir. Weldon Wong Powers

The unsuccessful friends of a popular rapper have gathered for a surprise birthday party at his house, only to realize he may never show up.

• FIND YOUR VOICE – Dir. Chris Herd

After winning the lottery, E, a young Maori rapper, returns home to New Zealand to find his musical and traditional roots. In the quest to find his voice he soon becomes lost as love, culture, and, cash collide on the dark side of the music scene.

• OUT OF STATE – Dir. Ciara Lacy

The award winning documentary OUT OF STATE is the story of outcasts, native Hawaiian prisoners shipped 3,000 miles across the ocean to a for-profit prison in the desert of Arizona. In this unlikely setting, these men discover their fierce indigenous dances, inspiring two native Hawaiians to fight to turn their lives around upon release.

• KULEANA – Dir. Brian Kohne

Kuleana is the Hawaiian word for spiritual responsibility. In 1971, few understood the concept of kuleana, as the Hawaiian Renaissance, a reawakening of island culture, had yet to begin and ancient customs and values teetered on the precipice of extinction. On Maui, childhood friends Nohea and Kim share a common nemesis: Kim's father, Victor Coyle, a real-estate developer who blatantly exploits the land and the people he has managed to usurp and control. Ancestral spirits and modern day warriors also contribute to the fight as Nohea and Kim learn the most important lesson: kuleana is not a burden; it is a privilege.

This year’s LAAPFF competition line-up for Grand Jury Awards for North American feature films is rich with stories and insights from important and nuanced perspectives from creative talent across the spectrum.

SPOTLIGHT ON TAIWAN highlights the best in Taiwanese cinema and the country’s rich culture and history that have shaped the island nation into one of the most dynamic countries in the Asia-Pacific Rim. This section is generously supported by Taiwan Academy of Los Angeles and the Ministry of Culture, Taiwan. 

This year, LAAPFF is honored to present two feature films — Jay Chern’s third feature film, OMOTENASHI, and the world premiere of Frank W. Chen’s documentary LATE LIFE: THE CHIEN-MING WANG STORY.

OMOTENASHI, from a past LAAPFF Award winner Jay Chern (THIEF, LAAPFF 2014), stars Edison Wang as Jacky, the young heir to a construction company in Taiwan. His father sends him to Kyoto to oversee the renovation of the beautiful yet obsolete Bright Moon Ryokan. Jacky is going in hopes to get back his ex-girlfriend Naoko and to sell the hotel. There, he meets the innkeeper Mitsuko and her daughter Rika. Unaware of his hidden agenda, the innkeeper is excited about the idea of turning the hotel into a wedding venue, and suggests that Jacky learns "omotenashi,” the virtue of traditional Japanese hospitality, together with her daughter and her otaku helper.

LATE LIFE: THE CHIEN-MING WANG STORY could be best described as a baseball version of the documentary LINSANITY. Directed by Frank W. Chen and produced by Brian Yang (LINSANITY), the film chronicles Taiwanese baseball player Chien-Ming Wang’s last ditch effort to be recruited back on a professional baseball team after a series of injuries disrupted his trailblazing career in the major leagues. LATE LIFE is an up-close and personal film that delves into Wang's personal drive as a star athlete with a resiliency that impresses everyone in his wake.

In addition, this year’s Spotlight on Taiwan highlights the works of emerging Taiwanese filmmakers with three short films — 100th BIRTHDAY WISH by Chien-Hung Lien, MISS WORLD by Georgia Fu, and FUNDAMENTAL by Shih-Chieh Chiu. These short films present universal stories that are also unique in capturing everyday Taiwanese life. As LAAPFF is an Academy Award®-qualifying festival for the Short Film Awards, perhaps these new directors will be the next Ang Lee.

BECOMING WHO I WAS - Moon Chang-Yong, Jin Jeon

The Festival is proud to partner with our following screening venues across Los Angeles:

Aratani Theatre @ JACCC – Little Tokyo (DTLA)

244 South San Pedro Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Aratani Hall at JANM (Japanese American National Museum)
100 N Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012 

Tateuchi Democracy Forum @ National Center for the Preservation of Democracy
111 N. Central Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90012

Downtown Independent – Downtown L.A. (DTLA)
251 S. Main Street, (between 3^rd and 2^nd Streets), Los Angeles, CA 90012

CGV Cinemas – Koreatown – Mid-Wilshire
621 Western Avenue (between 6^th Street and Wilshire Blvd.), Los Angeles, CA 90005

Directors Guild of America – West Hollywood
7920 Sunset Boulevard (at Hayworth), West Hollywood, CA 90046

Regal L.A. LIVE: A Barco Innovation Center
1000 W. Olympic Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90015

AMC Dine-In Sunset 5
8000 Sunset Boulevard, West Hollywood, CA 90046

East West Players
120 Judge John Aiso Street, Los Angeles, CA 90012

For program information, and to purchase tickets, please visit: LAAPFF2018

COLCOA 2018 - NEW WAVE 2.0

2018 COLCOA NEW WAVE 2.0 SERIES - at DGA on Sunset Blvd.

On Saturday, April 28^th starting 11:00 AM, save your day for an exclusive program of four features putting the new French New Wave under the spotlight. This day in Truffaut Theater is dedicated to first films directed by women. This much anticipated Series will start on Tuesday night with the Premiere of the highly acclaimed Bloody Milk (Petit paysan), starring Swann Arlaud, winner of Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Debut Feature César Awards.

Tuesday, April 24 – 8:00 pm – Truffaut Theater

BLOODY MILK (Petit Paysan)
Drama | Los Angeles Premiere
Followed by a discussion with writer/director Hubert Charuel and actor Isabelle Candelier

First-time helmer Hubert Charuel weaves a compelling, unconventional rural thriller out of the tale of a taciturn farmer and his cows. Swann Arlaud delivers a riveting performance as Pierre, whose quiet, repetitive life revolves around meticulously caring for the dairy farm he’s taken over from his parents. He calls each cow by name, lovingly delivers their calves with his own hands and even invites one of them to share his home. They occupy every inch of his psyche and his life… Until a deadly bovine epidemic rears its ugly head and strikes one of his own. Seething with suspense and heart-felt tragedy, Bloody Milk is an astute, understated tale told simply and with great eloquence. It premiered as part of the International Critics’ Week at the 2017 Cannes Film Festival. It was nominated for eight Cesars and won three of them: Best Actor (Swann Arlaud), Best Supporting Actress (Sara Giraudeau) and Best First Feature.

Saturday April 28 – 11:00 am – Truffaut Theater

LUNA 
Drama | North American Premiere
(Followed by a discussion with writer/director Elsa Diringer)

Sixteen-year-old Luna just earned her vocational training certificate in horticulture. She works on a farm near Montpellier and hangs out with Ruben. She’s head-over-heels in love with him. One night, at a drunken party with their friends, they participate in a brutal assault on Alex, a young graffiti artist and trumpeter who’s a stranger to them all. A few weeks later, Alex reappears in Luna’s life… and fate takes another turn. Elsa Diringer’s sensitive first feature delves into the question of violence in our culture and individual responsibility in the face of heinous collective behavior.

Saturday April 28 – 1:45 pm – Truffaut Theater

THE PARTY’S OVER (La Fête est finie)
Drama | North American Premiere
(Followed by a discussion with writer/director Marie Garel-Weiss)

 Celeste and Silhem are admitted to a rehab facility on the same day. Addicted to drugs, the otherwise-normal teenage girls form an indelible bond. That friendship becomes as much their salvation as an obstacle, when they’re thrown out of the facility for breaking the rules and are on their own, desperately struggling to stay clean and sober. That’s when the real battle begins — their struggle for freedom and rebirth. The semi-autobiographical film marks Marie Garel-Weiss’ feature directorial debut and was honored with the Golden Salamander at the 2017 Sarlat Film Festival and the Audience Award at the Saint-Jean-de-Luz Film Festival, where the film’s two radiant leads, Zita Hanrot and Clemence Boisnard, deservedly shared the festival’s Best Actress Award.

Saturday April 28 – 5:25 pm – Truffaut Theater

MONTPARNASSE BIENVENÜE (Jeune Femme)
Drama, Comedy | Los Angeles Premiere
Followed by a discussion with composer Julie Roué

Laetitia Dosch is a freewheeling dynamo as Paula, the impulsive, maddening, headstrong, endearing heroine of Montparnasse Bienvenüe, writer/director Léonor Serraille’s unflinching, picaresque character study of a “young woman” of our times. Paula no sooner arrives in Paris, when she’s immediately dumped by her long-term, off-screen lover — a state she is loath to accept. Now virtually homeless, she wanders the streets of the city, crashing with friends, aimlessly adrift, furiously improvising from one moment to the next… and utterly determined to survive.

Saturday April 28 – 8:00 pm – Truffaut Theater

SOME LIKE IT VEILED (Cherchez la femme)
Comedy | West Coast Premiere
(followed by a discussion with writer, director Sou Abadi and actor Camélia Jordana)

 Armand and Leila are in love. Both students at the prestigious Science Po University, they’re about to go to New York together to do an internship at the United Nations. But Leila’s older brother, Mahmoud, puts the kibosh on those plans the moment he returns from Yemen – complete with beard and prayer beads. He condemns his sister’s Western ways and, above all, forbids any contact with her boyfriend. So to get into the family apartment, Armand has a make-over, dons a burqa and pretends to be Leila’s female Islamic Studies tutor. Plenty of hijinks ensue. But the ruse works… a little too well! Some Like It Veiled takes the cross-dressing conceit of the Billy Wilder classic and brings it to the age of Islamic fundamentalism. The result: an extremely funny, politically-incorrect French farce.

COLCOA 2018

22nd Annual COLCOA French Film Festival in Los Angeles

COLCOA 2018 - CITY OF LIGHTS, CITY OF ANGELS

The Franco-American Cultural Fund announced today the program for the 22nd COLCOA FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL, which will run April 23-30 at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles. The event will showcase a record 86 films, television series, digital series and VR programs. 75 of these will be in competition for the COLCOA Awards, including several World, International, North American, and U.S. Premieres. COLCOA is considered the largest festival dedicated to French films and series worldwide.

“Through its different competitions, we are proud to dedicate this year’s programming of COLCOA to women, both in their role in the making of the films and series, and their central roles in the majority of the stories selected this year,” stated François Truffart, COLCOA Executive Producer and Artistic Director. “Concretely, we will also introduce a new series called Women Make History.  We will dedicate a day to first films made by female writers and directors; our Focus on a Filmmaker day will be offered to writer, director, actor Mélanie Laurent; and one of our panels will address the role of women in the French film industry.”

COLCOA CINEMA

An exclusive lineup of 37 new features and documentaries will compete for the COLCOA CINEMA AWARDS, beginning on Opening Night (Monday, April 23) with the North American Premiere of writer/director Eric Barbier’s PROMISE AT DAWN. This adaptation of French author Romain Gary’s autobiography and celebration of his mother gathers, in the title roles, Pierre Niney and Charlotte Gainsbourg

The cinema competition will close on Monday, April 30, with the North American Premiere of Cedric Kahn’s new drama, THE PRAYER.  The film recently had its triumphant world premiere at the Berlin Film festival where newcomer Anthony Bajon won the Best Actor Award.

The line-up includes new features from established writers/directors, including w/d Mathieu Amalric (BARBARA), w/d Yvan Attal (LE BRIO), w/d Daniel Auteuil (THE OTHER WOMAN), w/d Xavier Beauvois (THE GUARDIANS), w/d Samuel Benchetrit (DOG), w/d Christian Carion (MY SON), w/d Alain Chabat (CHRISTMAS AND CO), w/d Dany Boon (FAMILY IS FAMILY), w/d Albert Dupontel (SEE YOU UP THERE), w/d Emmanuel Finkiel (MEMOIR OF WAR), w/d David and Stephane Foenkinos (JEALOUS) w/d Yann Gozlan (BURN OUT), w/d Naomi Kawase (RADIANCE), w/d Mélanie Laurent (DIVING, THE ADOPTED), w/d Philippe Le Guay (NAKED NORMANDY), w/d Eric Toledano & Olivier Nakache (C’EST LA VIE!), w/d Laurent Tirard (RETURN OF THE HERO) and w/d Nicolas Vannier (SCHOOL OF LIFE).

The festival will also present the work of newcomers such as w/d Fillipe Barboza (GABRIEL AND THE MOUNTAIN), w/d Modi Barry & Cédric Ido (CHÂTEAU), w/d Hubert Charuel (BLOODY MILK), w/d Charles de Meaux (THE LADY IN THE PORTRAIT with Chinese star Fan Bing Bing), w/d Elsa Deringer (LUNA), w/d Marie Garel-Weiss (THE PARTY IS OVER), w/d Julien Hallard (LET THE GIRLS PLAY), w/d Xavier Legrand (CUSTODY), w/d Nawell Madani (STAND UP GIRL!) w/d Dominique Rocher (THE NIGHT EATS THE WORLD) and w/d Léonor Seraille (MONTPARNASSE BIENVENÜE).  

Actors Camélia Jordana (LE BRIO), Vanessa Paradis (DOG), Nahuel Perez Biscayart (SEE YOU UP THERE), Melville Poupaud (THE LADY IN THE PORTRAIT, BEYOND SUSPICION), Antony Bajon (THE PRAYER) and veteran w/d Francis Veber (20th anniversary of THE DINNER GAME) will be in attendance at the festival, with additional talent to be announced shortly.

The popular COLCOA High School screening program will run for five days during the festival.  More than 3,000 Southern California students and teachers are invited to attend free screenings and conversations, as well as participate in a student film critic contest. Celebrating its 11^th year, this program is produced in partnership with ELMA (European Languages and Movies in America), with the support of AATF-SC (American Association of Teachers of French – Southern California). In addition, master classes will take place at several film schools across the city with the support of the Cultural services of the French Embassy in the US and ELMA. 

 

Other exciting programs offered throughout the festival include: After 10 series (April 24~28); COLCOA Classics (April 24~28); COLCOA Documentaries (April 24~29); World Cinema Produced by France, including Chinese, Brazilian, and Japanese co-productions (April 25); Focus on a Filmmaker, dedicated to writer/director Mélanie Laurent (April 26); Films Noir Series (April 28); French NeWave 2.0, exploring first films directed by women (April 28); and the Happy Hour Talks, a series of panels presented in association with Variety (April 24-28) that is free to the general public. Panel will include a discussion about distribution and promotion revolution in the digital area on April 25, Place of Women in the Industry in France on April 27 and a focus on composer Laurent Perez Del Mar on April 28.

COLCOA DIGITAL SERIES & VIRTUAL REALITY

As a symbol of the globalization of production and the venue of a new generation of producers and filmmakers, digital series has become a format in its own right for the industry, involving both independent and studio creators. For the second year, COLCOA is proud to introduce, in association with TITRAFILM, its competition of four programs presented as North American Premieres before being released by Studio+ in the U.S.:  RED CREEK, TANK 2, BIARRITZ SURF GANG and CABEZA MADRE. Similar to the Short Film Competition, audience members will have access to free screenings of the competing digital series and will vote for the COLCOA Digital Series Awards. (See attached detailed program.)

Also, for the second year at COLCOA, audience members will have the opportunity to explore the VR Corner at the festival during the weekend of April 28, supported by FRENCH IMMERSION, a new program launched by The Cultural Services of the French Embassy.  As the market for VR continues to expand, five films representing a cross-section of the medium will be featured: BATTLESCAR examines the punk rock scene of New York narrated by Rosario Dawson, I SAW THE FUTURE showcases the futuristic (and accurate) predication of the digital age by Arthur C. Clarke, who co-wrote 2001:  A SPACE ODYSSEY, THE LITTLE PRINCE brings one of the most beloved and bestselling novels to life, PLANET ∞ takes viewers on a journey from a decayed planet to one that is overtaken by rain forming an ecosystem populated by giant carnivorous tadpoles and U-TURN examines the gender gap from both sides with interwoven stories that allow the viewer to embody either a female or male character. 

COLCOA AWARDS

The complete recipient list of the 2018 Awards for the four competitions (Cinema, Television, Shorts, and Web series) will be announced on May 1st, 2018 by the Franco-American Cultural Fund. For the Eleventh year, LAFCA will partner with COLCOA Cinema for the Critics’ Awards.

For the second year, a student jury made of high school and college students, will vote for the COLCOA AMERICAN STUDENTS’ AWARD.

The COLCOA AWARDS are presented in association with KPCC-89.3, TITRAFILM, TV5 Monde USA, and AIR TAHITI NUI.

FOCUS ON A FILMMAKER

Writer, director and actress Mélanie Laurent will be honored as the “Focus on a Filmmaker.”  On Thursday, April 26, her film THE ADOPTED/LES ADOPTÉS will screen as part of the COLCOA Classic series and, following the first screening of the film, she will participate in a Happy Talk dedicated to her career. The evening will conclude with the U.S. Premiere of her latest film DIVING/PLONGER. 

COLCOA SHORTS

The Shorts section, presented in association with Unifrance and TV5 Monde, is comprised of an exclusive selection of 23 films, which will be in competition for the COLCOA Short Awards on April 29. This year, more than half of the selections are by women filmmakers and a quarter of the section are animated films. The COLCOA Shorts Competition will be available in the U.S. after the festival from May 4 to May 31, on the cinema-on-demand program of TV5 Monde, an Official Partner of COLCOA. GARDEN PARTY, which was presented in this section last year at COLCOA, received an Oscar® nomination in 2018 for Best Animated Short Film. 

ACIDE, CREATURE FROM THE LAKE / La Créature du lac, FIST / Prends mon poing, GRANDPA WALRUS / Pépé le morse, HYBRIDS, HITCHIKER (THE) / L’Autostoppeuse, I HAVE ARRIVED / Je suis venu, I AM A WOUND / Je suis une blessure, INDES GALANTES (LES), INTERFERENCES,  JUNE 19 / 19 juin, LITTLE GIRLS / Petites Filles, MARLON, ORDEAL, OUR CHILDREN / Nos Enfants, OVERRUN, PIONEERS / Les Pionniers de l’Univers, NOTHIN’ SPECIAL / Rien d’spécial, RISE OF A STAR, UNDER MOM’S SKIRT / Les Trompes de maY (THE) / La Doublure, VOYAGERS, WINKLES (THE) / Les Bigorneaux make up th mère, UNDERSTUDe Shorts section.

COLCOA TELEVISON

This year the Television section includes 12 selections competing for the COLCOA 2018 Television Awards given by both audience and a professional jury.  This year’s Television section is comprised of television series and TV movies, including the International Premiere of PROUD, a three-part miniseries that spans three generations with each generation dealing with a crucial gay rights moment in France. The section is presented in association with TV France International and TITRAFILM with the support of AMC Networks, Arte Distribution, Endemol Shine International, Film & Picture, France TV Distribution, Gaumont, Lagardère Studios, Leonis, Scarlett Productions, StudioCanal, Tetra Media, TF1 Studio, Walter Presents.

 

BEYOND SUSPICION / Insoupçonnable, THE AGE OF STATELESS / Le Temps des Egarés, THE ART OF CRIME / L’Art Du Crime, BARON NOIR, BEAUTIFUL LOSER / Irresponsable, THE CONSOLATION / La Consolation, I LOVE YOU 2 / J’ai Deux Amours, ISKLANDER / Maroni Les Fantômes du Fleuve, INFIDELITY / Un Adultère, PROUD / Fiertés, SPECIAL HONORS / Mention Particulière, and THROUGH THE MILL / La Mélancolie Ouvrière make up the Television section.

 

French composer Laurent Perez Del Mar will be honored with the “Focus on a Composer” and he will meet the COLCOA audience on Saturday April 28, for a one-hour discussion about his career. Del Mar is critically acclaimed for his work on the score for the Academy Award nominated feature film THE RED TURTLE / La Tortue Rouge, which was nominated for an Academy Award® for Best Animated Feature Film.  The Sony Pictures Classics film was produced by the world-renowned Studio Ghibli. 

 

Focus on a Composer and part of the COLCOA Television Competition are free to the public, as are the previously announced COLCOA Classic series and COLCOA Short Competition.

 

COLCOA FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL is presented by the Franco-American Cultural Fund, a unique collaboration between the Directors Guild of America, the Motion Picture Association, the Writers Guild of America West, and France’s Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (SACEM). COLCOA is also supported by France’s Society of Authors, Directors and Producers (L’ARP), the Film and TV Office of the French Embassy in Los Angeles, the CNC, TV France International, and Unifrance.

 

COLCOA FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL is sponsored by Air Tahiti Nui, TV5MONDE, Variety (Official Sponsors); Admirable Malibu Wines, Airstar America, Barnstormer, France Télévisions, KPCC 89.3, Los Angeles Times, Champagne Trésor de France, The Hollywood Reporter (Premier Sponsors); Club Culinaire of Southern California, ELMA, LA Confidential, Sunset Marquis, Titra Film (Major Sponsors); Alliance Française de Los Angeles, Cinando, D’Alessio Law Group, Discover Hollywood, Duverger, Laemmle, Marché du Film/Festival de Cannes, Miraval/Vineyard Brands/La Vielille Ferme, Office de Tourisme Epernay, Paul M. Young Fine Wines, (Platinum Sponsors); Cinelife, Delair Labs, France-Amérique, French Morning, Gayot, Hénaff Gonidec, La Chouquette, Le Grenouille Selections/The Source Imports, Locations Wines, Lycée International Los Angeles, Mademoiselle M, MAC, Petit Pot, Rosenthal, Samsung, Sharingbox, Tealeaves (Supporting Sponsors).

For tickets and more information please visit: COLCOA2018