ALLIANCE FRANÇAISE FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL

C’Mon Get Happy

The Alliance Française French Film Festival is on at Cinema Paradiso, Luna on SX and Windsor Cinema from Wednesday, March 21, to Monday, April 9. Tickets can be purchased from lunapalace.com.au

There might once have been a time folks could argue that Perth was devoid of any serious cultural events, not so any longer, as almost every second week Perthites can gather for a festival of some kind. One that rates highly is the Alliance Française French Film Festival, now in its 23rd year of showcasing the diversity of French cinema, it’s fine actors, directors and it’s cuisine and scenery, that will have you reaching for your red wine and beret, and possibly even your passport to experience the wonders of the region first hand.

While there are plenty of cultural clichés that tend to spring to mind when one thinks of France, the mix of features on offer during the Alliance Française French Film Festival really demonstrate what an interesting nation it is. When asked about what makes a film truly ‘French’ the Festival’s artistic director Emmanuelle Denavit-Feller notes “there are many things that make a film French, I think that it is very true that in France you can have a wide variety of films.” And indeed there’s plenty of variety in this year’s program - from light hearted comedies, to compelling crime dramas, stories of friends, family, lost love and tragedy and a little known tale of espionage in the French resistance during World War II.

One of the highlights of the festival - A Happy Event - co-written by French director Remi Bezancon and his wife, who just so happens to hail from Perth, chronicles the carefree life of a young Parisian couple who are confronted with the prospect of an earlier than expected venture into parenthood. It’s a topic that might not get the same attention in France as in other Western societies, because as the director puts it, in France “a child is like a sacred thing. It’s called a happy event and it MUST be a happy event.”

The struggles and confusion that go along with being a new parent are not well documented in French cinema, and although well received by the general public Bezancon admits, “some critics didn’t like the attention to the subject in such this way, but I don’t listen to the critics.”

The director believes that a filmmaker should become so adept at creating their work that, “when you see one shot, you know who the director is.” And it’s this passion that inspires the film-maker to create his own distinct style - “it’s like for literature, you know the style of writing, it’s the same for film.”

Emotionally charged, the opening night film of the festival - Declaration Of War - follows closely in theme to A Happy Event, charting the lifestyle change of a young French couple that discovers they are expecting, but that the unborn child is gravely ill. With furious energy it follows the efforts of the young couple as they deal with their change in fate through the help of their friends and family.

At the other end of the filmic spectrum, Point Blank is an intense thriller involving a case of mistaken identity, and is sharper than a wedge of French cheese and equally as satisfying. It traverses some of Paris’ most interesting locations as the protagonist is forced to undertake a mammoth mission in order to save his pregnant wife from the hands of violent criminals. It’s a fast paced French thriller; complete with double-crossings, backstabbing and a violent shoot out, French style.

A historical piece that tells the not so widely known tale of the work between Arab émigrés and the French resistance during World War II – Free Men is told through the eyes of black marketer turned freedom fighter. When he’s caught working the black market he’s given the choice of prison or act as a spy for the Gestapo and is soon working both sides to save his own skin. But, as the atrocities become more apparent and the Gestapo increasingly vicious, he begins to take a stand against the evil forces of the war. It’s a gripping account that is reminiscent of Roberto Benini’s 1997 Oscar winner Life Is Beautiful and will engage not only the historian but the drama lover and thrill seeker.

Those desiring cinema that is slightly more light-hearted will likely enjoy Nobody Else But You, a crime caper set in a remote area of France. A small town starlet is found dead by self-administered sleeping pills, but a bestselling crime novelist from Paris isn’t convinced and sets about finding the truth.

In 2012 the Alliance Française French Film Festival boasts something for all tastes with over 40 films covering action, comedy, animation, documentaries and of course, what’s a French film festival without a slather of romantic flicks as well? Bon appetite!

_JOE CASSIDY