2015 International Film Festival
Films for lovers of the French language
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For nearly half a century the New Zealand International Film Festival has been dedicated to expanding the options of audiences and film-makers alike. NZIFF is a popular annual event operated by a charitable trust.
For those with a love of the French language we have a variety of films this year in French (with English subtitles) for you to choose from, including several direct from Cannes.The last two films listed are set in France and made by French film-makers, although they are in English.
My Golden Days
Trois souvenirs de ma jeunesse | France 2015 | Directed by Arnaud Desplechin
An engagingly eccentric and engrossingly literate coming-of-age film from French writer-director Arnaud Desplechin (My Sex Life), featuring Mathieu Amalric and a cast of brilliant young newcomers.
Girlhood
Bande de filles | France 2015 | Directed by Céline Sciamma
Newcomer Karidja Touré makes a mesmerising impression as a teenager drawn out of her shell and into a black girl gang in Céline Sciamma’s energetic and deeply empathetic drama, set in the tough suburbs of Paris.
Far From Men
Loin des hommes | France 2015 | Directed by David Oelhoffen
This gripping existential Western – North African style – sees Viggo Mortensen and Reda Kateb play two men battling to survive in 50s Algeria. Based on a story by Albert Camus and scored by Nick Cave and Warren Ellis.
Mommy
Canada 2014 | Directed by Xavier Dolan
The emotional roller-coaster of a single mother’s relationship with her ADHD teenage son is rendered with intense sympathy and dramatic flair by 25-year-old director Xavier Dolan. Winner of the Cannes Jury Prize in 2014.
Clouds of Sils Maria
France/Germany/Switzerland 2014 | Directed by Olivier Assayas
IN ENGLISH
Actresses Juliet Binoche, Kristen Stewart and Chloë Grace Moretz bring ample personal history to this engrossing drama of theatre-world affinities and rivalries from the director of Summer Hours and Irma Vep.
Saint Laurent
Belgium/France 2014 | Directed by Bertrand Bonello
The latest French biopic of the iconic fashion designer is a heady experience, stunningly realised without official YSL approval, and concentrating on the decade that culminated with a triumphant collection in 1976.
Measure of a Man
La Loi du marché | France 2015 | Directed by Stéphane Brizé WORLD
In a compelling performance that won him the Best Actor Award at Cannes, Vincent Lindon plays a laid-off factory worker battling to fend for his family and retain compassion and integrity at the bottom of the heap.
The Brand New Testament
Le Tout nouveau testament | Belgium/France/Luxembourg 2015 | Directed by Jaco van Dormael
There’s the Old Testament, the New Testament and now this surreal and funny Brand New one in which God’s ten-year-old daughter leaves home on a mission to liberate humanity from the bored old man’s destructive whims.
Marie's Story
Marie Heurtin | France 2014 | Directed by Jean-Pierre Améris
Education and divine mission drive this 19th-century French pastoral drama: the true story of deaf-blind Marie Heurtin. Her life transforms with the discovery of language, due to the incredible persistence of a Catholic nun.
Love 3D
Marie Heurtin | France 2014 | Directed by Jean-Pierre Améris
IN ENGLISH
Education and divine mission drive this 19th-century French pastoral drama: the true story of deaf-blind Marie Heurtin. Her life transforms with the discovery of language, due to the incredible persistence of a Catholic nun.