French cinema hits the high notes

Happy tunes at the French box office: The Musicians to open UniFrance Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in Pari Photo: UniFrance

As denizens of the French film industry gather in Paris this week for the annual UniFrance Rendez-Vous with French Cinema the omens are brighter than they have been for many a year.

The last 12 months have seen two diverse successes – the feel-good comedy A Little Something Extra, directed by comedian Artus, with a cast of non-professional actors with disabilities and the epic swashbuckler The Count of Monte Christo, based on the Alexandre Dumas classic and directed by Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte with a dashing star turn from Pierre Niney. Among others both are being heavily touted for Lumière and César awards.

Figures released by the CNC (the national film body) indicate that almost half the tickets sold last year at the French box office were for French films despite competition from the likes of Hollywood fare such as Inside Out 2 (a global blockbuster), Moana 2, Despicable Me 4 and Dune: Part Two.

Romance on the run: François Civil and Adèle Exarchopoulos in Beating Hearts (Photo UniFrance) Photo: UniFrance

Another French title Beating Hearts - directed by Gilles Lellouche - about an improbable romance between Adèle Exarchopoulos and François Civil and unfolding over 15 years, added to the box office stampede. Altogether the three top French titles were seen by more than 25 million domestic filmgoers.

Other French successes included the Golden Globe scorer Emilia Pérez, by Jacques Audiard, heavily touted on the awards circuit including six nominations in the prestigious Lumière Awards (France’s equivalent of the Golden Globes and awarded by foreign journalists working in France from 38 different countries). The Lumières which are viewed as a precursor to the César awards (28 February), will be announced during the Rendezvous at a ceremony on 20 February in the Forum des Halles followed by a reception at the Hôtel de Ville hosted by the mayor Anne Hidalgo (the first woman to hold the office).

The 27th edition of the event opens tomorrow (Tuesday 14 January) with a first screening of The Musicians by Grégory Magne, about a group of virtuosos who find they cannot play together – and the composer emerges as the only one who might manage to save the day. The cast includes Valérie Donzelli, Frédéric Pierrot and Mathieu Spinosi. The occasion will provide an opportunity to show off the Pathé Palace, a new luxury cinema designed by Renzo Piano, with seven screens and bar offering panoramic views and just a stone's throw from the Opéra Garnier in the centre of the city. Previously the building housed the Gaumont Opéra Capucines, closed since October 2019 for the renovations.

Nicole Garcia will head up the jury in Angers Photo: Marie Rouge for UniFrance

During the industry part of the jamboree (located now in Montparnasse after being in residence around the Champs Elysées for the last few years) more than 400 international buyers will be in attendance plus an expected 45 export companies. A media junket (still in the Arc de Triomphe area) will see 120 journalists from some 30 countries converge to do interviews for French films due for release internationally in the coming months.

And just as the Rendez-Vous which runs until 21 January, fades out elsewhere in France a festival devoted to first films Angers Premiers Plans in its 37th incarnation gets into its stride in the historic town in the Loire Valley with a jury headed by actress and director Nicole Garcia (running until 26 January).