The 26th Créteil Festival Films de Femmes kicked off on March 12 to a fully seated ‘Grand Salle’. This year the festival has as its theme, ‘exile cinema and cultures in exile’ with special discussion forums. This includes films that embrace the subject of women and immigration. Flores de Toro mound by Icier Bollain from Spain is one example in the official competition, the true story of the village of Aragon where single men invited women of foreign birth in 1985 to visit and become future brides

Gaylène Preston’s film Perfect Strangers was the opening film - also in the official competition, a film set in New Zealand about a stranger (Sam Neil) that Melanie picks up from a pub who then kidnaps her and takes her to a deserted island. The film weaves elements from thrillers and Maori folklore and is not unlike the narrative work of Jane Campion.

The guest of honor this year is French actress Dominic Blanc. A retrospective of her films is to be shown at the festival. Blanc read a selection from the novel Ces murs aui nos écoutent entitled ‘La carte d’identité ‘by the Afgan writer Spôjmaï Zariâb who has lived in France for ten years. After the reading, Standy-by directed by Roch Stépanik (2000) was screened where Blanc plays a woman whose husband informs her at the airport that she can not travel with him. The experience is traumatic for her and after he departs she stays at the airport , later turning to prostitution for survival.

On opening night, the head of the jury Ariane Ascaride urged festivalgoers to attend a manifestation of ‘interprofessionals’ on March 12 currently effected by loss of social services in France. Interprofessionals are artists, directors; and technicians for theater and audiovisual productions who receive temporary work assignments. Under new regulations by the present government they can not collect benefits when the projects end. It is believed that this will have an effect on the national film industry and in turn reduce the number of films made in France. The speech by Ascaride brought a long standing ovation.

Créteil has become the festival par excellence in women’s film festivals. This is the major artery for quality film in Europe, and any festival that would like to increase the number of films made by women are obliged to check out this market. Many of the filmmakers attend take part in debates after film screenings. This year a special Working Women in Film, La Coordination Européene des Festivals will take place.

The Association of Women Journalists on the occasion of 20 years of awarding the prize for best documentary offers a special screening of Dorothea Lange, a visual life by Meg Partridge which won the best documentary film prize in 2000. In addition to the official jury, a youth and university jury give out film awards

Competition 2004
Die Farbe der Seele, Helma Sanders-Brahms, Germany
Na cidade vazia Mario Joao Ganga, Angola
Miso (A Smile), Kyng-hee Park, South Korea
Te dov mis ojos Iciar Bollain, Spain
The Floating Landscape Carol Lai Miu-suet Lai Ho, Hong Kong
The Python Laila Pakalnina, Latvia
J'ai toujours voulu être une sainte Geneviève Mersch ,Luxemborg
Perfect Strangers Gaylèene Preston, New Zeeland
Solid Air Mary Miles Thomas ,UK
Angel na obotchninié Svetlana Stassenko,Russia

Documentary Film Competition
Organizaciones orizontales Fausta Quattrini ,Argentina
Double Dare Amanda Micheli ,USA
Elena Dimitrievna Diakonova Gala; Silvia Munt ,Spain,
Prison Lullabies Lina Matta Odile Isralson, USA
l'Etr@anger dy grand fleuve Annick Colomés , France
Thème Je Françoise Romand , France
One of Many, Jo Béranger Doris Buttignol ,France/Germany
Die Kinder des Geldes Daniella Marxer ,France /Austria
Als Wär's das wahre Leben Rosmarie Blank, Netherlands
Du Ska Nog se att Det Gar Over Cecilia Neant Falk, Sweden

Out of Competition
JAPANESE STORY Sue Brooks Australia, 2003
HYSTERICALBLINDNESS MiraNair USA, 2002
CE QU'ILS IMAGINENT AnneTheron, France, 2003
ALOUVOUNE ALAFFA/Les yeux secs Narjiss Nejjar, Maroc/France, 2003
STRUGGLE Ruth Mader,Austria 2003

Jury
ArianeAscaride, actress (présidente du jury)
Claire Delamarre
Laurence Naud
Myriam Benaïnous
Marie Desplechin
Gemma Maza
Romain Ballester
Reiko Kajimoto
Alexandre Mallet Guy
Didier Flamand




Moira Sullivan