Editor

SIFF and TV5MONDE present French Cinema Now, a celebration spotlighting the state of contemporary Francophone cinema. The week-long event runs September 27 through October 4 at SIFF Cinema Uptown, and features 17 extraordinary French language features from five countries and four continents.

The festival kicks off with a playful period comedy starring Jean Dujardin (The Artist) and Mélanie Laurent (Inglorious Basterds). The year is 1809, incorrigible womanizer Captain Neuville is called to battle and must leave his naive fiancee, Pauline. He doesn't write, and to pull Pauline out of a depression, her well-meaning sister Elizabeth (Mélanie Laurent) begins writing fake letters from him. To Elizabeth's dismay, he unexpectedly returns and slips into the facade she created, exploiting his newfound war hero status. Join us after the film for our Opening Night party at Bastille Café + Bar in Ballard for delicious wine and hors d'ouevres. 

Other French Cinema Now films were created by legendary directors including Agnès Jaoui, Cédric Kahn, and Xavier Giannoli working alongside a new wave of filmmakers such as Meryem Benm'Barek, Victor Saint Macary, Ian Lagarde, and Carine Tardieu. Highlights include Chadian director Mahamet Saleh Haroun's A Season in France, about an African teacher who flees his violent country for France, where he falls in love with a local woman (Sandrine Bonnaire, Best Actress winner at the Cairo International Film Festival); Moroccan director Meryam Benm’Barek's Sofia, about a young woman who violates Moroccan law by giving birth out of wedlock; director Sophie Fillières (Pardon My French) tells the tale of When Margaux Meets Margaux, two women, 20 years apart in age, discover they share more than the same name, with life-changing consequences for both of them; and Georgian director Géla Babluani's Money's Money, a tense noir thriller about a heist-gone-wrong when three criminals break into the home of a crooked politician.

Lastly, French Cinema Now would not be complete without a wine tasting event. On Sunday, September 30, Chateau St. Michelle will offer samples of their wine at a pre-reception for the film Place Publique. Jean-Pierre Bacri stars in this comedy of manners as a former TV host who must survive a party surrounded by guests that include his ex-wife, current girlfriend, daughter, and producer.

SIFF Festival Programming Manager, Stan Shields, enthusiastically says, "2018's French Cinema Now lineup is one of the most exciting in years - with an entertaining mix of quirky comedies and touching dramas - featuring award-winning films from both master filmmakers and first time directors. The world of Francophone Cinema is better than ever!"

Beth Barrett,  SIFF Artistic Director, agrees, "We're very excited about this year's lineup, being able to bring such a diverse group of films to the Francophile Seattle audience. Our continued partnership with TV5Monde has allowed French Cinema Now to reach not only the Seattle viewers, but nationally through the TV5Monde channel."

See the Full Lineup Here.