THE AMERICAN FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES THE DOCUMENTARY LINE UP FOR ITS 26TH ANNUAL EVENT TAKING PLACE OCTOBER 10-16 IN LOS ANGELES
Filmmakers bring their personal passions to this year’s crop of documentary films to be featured at THE AMERICAN FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL (formerly known as COLCOA) this year. Using the medium they love the most - film - these documentarians dig deep into their own personal histories, as well as that of the medium itself to tell stories that have been long buried, if not forgotten.
Five feature documentary films and three TV documentaries make up the non-fiction part of the program that will be on offer when the Festival celebrates its 26th year at the DGA Theaters as a live event October 10-16. These films will also be eligible for the 2022 American French Film Festival Best Documentary Award. The full Festival line-up will be announced on September 20.
“By putting together films that are about the exemplary lives of exemplary women, minorities fighting to create and being recognized for their work as filmmakers, the intimacy of a famous American writer and a famous French author, surpassing of oneself thanks to sport or dance, and about the resilience of Ukrainian fighters, this selection of contemporary French documentaries for the 26th edition of the festival brings the competition for the Best Documentary Award 2022 to a very high level,” said François Truffart, Executive Producer and Programmer, The American French Film Festival.
The film documentaries chosen for premiere exhibition at THE AMERICAN FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL include:
Flickering Ghosts of Loves Gone / Et j’aime a la fureur (2022 - written and directed by Andre Bonzel - North American Premiere) - Inheriting a film collection of home movies after the death of a relative, the director of the cult film Man Bites Dog recounts his life and the women he loved while investigating some family secrets hidden in the recovered images.
Rookies / Allons Enfants (2022 - written and directed by Thierry Demaizière, Alban Teurlai) - Filmed over the 2018-19 academic year, this upbeat breakdance documentary follows a group of talented, ambitious kids from diverse backgrounds as they adjust to life at Turgot, in the center of Paris, a much swankier high school than they're used to.
The Earth is All That Lasts / Seule La Terre est Eternelle (2022 - Written by Francois Busnel, co-directed by Francois Busnel and Adrien Soland - North American Premiere) - This soulful documentary feature takes us on a lyrical road trip through the American northwest with the late great Jim Harrison. The prolific writer of poetry, novels, screenplays and nonfiction (The Road Home, Legends of the Fall) — a man considered this country's foremost master of the novella — recounts his life, his craft and many a homespun, yet highly perceptive, philosophies with an intimacy and surprising immediacy for a man who passed on six years ago.
The Super 8 Years / Les Annees Super 8 (2022 - written by Annie Ernaux, directed by Annie and David Ernaux - West Coast Premiere) - Internationally recognized author Annie Ernaux (Simple Passion, A Woman’s Story) incorporates her family’s super eight films, shot between 1972 and 1981, into a story which combines the intimate with historical, as well as a look at the lifestyle and aspirations of a social class at the start of two pivotal decades.
Trenches / Tranchées (2022 - written and directed by Loup Bureau) - In Donbas, months before Russia launched a full-scale invasion of Ukraine, while precarious truces and ceasefires are negotiated far away by diplomats, Ukrainian soldiers fight against separatists supported by Moscow. At an age when some are experiencing the best years of their lives, men and women on the frontline are fighting in the trenches. The film takes us on an immersive and stunning cinematic journey, revealing the reality of survival.
The television documentaries to be included in this year’s lineup are:
Alice Guy, The First Female Director / Alice Guy L’Inconnue du 7eme art (2022 - written and directed by Nathalie Masduraud and Valerie Urrea - North American Premiere) - It all began in 1896: The first narrative filmmaker was a woman named Alice Guy. Her inimitable imagination, quick-witted humor, poetic eye, social conscience, and her boundless energy and passion for visual story-telling led her to write and direct almost one thousand films. But even though she shot the first fiction film in history, her work remained in the shadows until today.
Nadia (2021 - written and directed by Anissa Bonnefond - North American Premiere). This film follows the unique destiny of Nadia Nadim, who was born and raised in Afghanistan. She was forced to escape her country after her father was killed by The Taliban in 2000. She went on to become a professional football player with the Paris Saint-Germain team, and is committed to supporting a non-profit organization that supports women, education and refugee children. She is also studying to become a surgeon.
The American French Film Festival offers a unique platform to promote French films and series at the beginning of the Awards Season in Hollywood. Annually, the festival brings the highest-caliber French filmmakers and talent to Los Angeles for red carpet premieres, numerous panels and screenings, as well as the opportunity for high-profile collaborations between French and American professionals. In addition, more than 20,000 audience members - including journalists, industry professionals, the general public and students - attend the festival annually.
