From 19th November to 10th December, Alliance Française de Hong Kong is celebrating the 53rd edition of the Hong Kong French Film Festival (HKFFF), with a large selection of more than 50 films. The festival will bring the latest and the best of French Cinema to film lovers through 110 screenings at 6 cinemas including Hong Kong City Hall, Hong Kong Film Archive, Broadway Cinematheque, MOVIE MOVIE Pacific Place, PALACE ifc and PREMIERE ELEMENTS.
Promotion of French Cinema for the 53rd Year in a Row
Alliance Française de Hong Kong has been committed to promoting French cinema since its establishment in 1953, the same year it organised the first French Film Festival. That edition was the pioneer in Hong Kong, making it the oldest film festival in the city. Since then, the festival has brought the latest films to Hong Kong. Until today, more than 2,000 acclaimed French films have been screened in cinemas, attracting more than 11, 000 spectators every year. 
For each edition, Alliance Francaise invites actors and movie directors, giving the public an opportunity to meet them through the Q&A session. Considered one of the most important film events for French cinema in Asia, this festival is supported by the Consulate General of France in Hong Kong and Macau, the Institut français, the Leisure and Cultural Services Department, local theatres, international distributors, as well as numerous sponsors and partners.
This year, the Festival presents a brand new selection of about 50 French films, paying tribute to the icons of French cinema and celebrating new talents. The selection is divided into three categories: Festival Exclusives, which includes around 30 new French films released this summer or during the coming Autumn and Winter. They have been selected for their qualities, originalities and their abilities to reflect the codes and innovations of French cinema. The Retrospective pays tribute to the directors and actors/actresses who continue to inspire us today with a dozen French films from all eras. The final selection focuses On Design: 5 French films and documentaries celebrating French Arts and design, exploring fashion, architecture, the visual arts and more.
This year, the selection of new films can be categorised into three main themes: the figure of father, the emancipation of women and the indefatigable period film.
Filiation and Father Representation
This year’s selection includes several films that focus on the theme of filiation – and in particular the father’s figure, devoted, absent or oppressive – questioning the structure of a family unit and renewing its codes. Dramatic, comic and poetic, the films explore realities of life. In Jim’s story, a comedy-drama by the Larrieu brothers, Mikado, by Baya Kasmi, A Little Something Extra by Artus, and The Quiet Son by Delphine and Muriel Coulin, the father figure is renewed, the different perceptions in relation to reality, portraying its complexity.
Women’s Empowerment
Feature films, dramas, biopics depict the struggle against patriarchy, a quest for freedom and emancipation from codes. The selection illustrates famous French figures: modern architect Charlotte Perriand, iconic actress Maria Schneider. In the biopic, Being Maria (Jessica Palud), Anamaria Vartolomei plays the young Maria Schneider traumatised by the filming conditions of Last Tango in Paris alongside Marlon Brando. The Balconette, a horrific comedy by Noémie Merlant, is part of the post-MeToo era, tackling head-on the trivialization of rape.
Period Films
The selection is also notable for its period films, including The Count of Monte Cristo, directed by Alexandre De La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte, starring Pierre Niney, Anamaria Vartolomei and Anaïs Demoustier, The Flood by Gianluca Jodice, which echoes to the French Revolution, and Michel Hazanavicius’ The Most Precious of Cargoes.
Retrospective
In honour of the 40th anniversary of the death of director François Truffaut, an icon of the French New Wave, the festival is organising a retrospective of ten of his most emblematic films, including The 400 Blows, Jules and Jim and Shoot the piano player. Two films in tribute to Alain Delon, who died this year, will also be screened. Finally, Michel Blanc will be honoured with a special screening of French Fried Vacation 2.
Celebrating French Art and Design
Five documentaries and long features, in partnership with HKDC and the French Consulate, will pay tribute to French art and design, including Martin Bourboulon’s historical drama Eiffel, starring Romain Duris and Emma Mackey (Sex Education, Barbie), the documentary Colette mon Amour ! which recounts the history of the famous Parisian concept store, and Stéphane Guez’s documentary Charlotte Perriand, pioneer in the art of living, which looks at the career of the iconic architect Charlotte Perriand, who long remained in Corbusier’s shadow.
More information about the Hong Kong French Film Festival will be available on: www.hkfrenchfilmfestival.com and www.afhongkong.org.
HKFFF Website: www.hkfrenchfilmfestival.com
Festival Period: November 19 to December 10, 2024
Ticketing: Open on Oct 21, 2024, on www.urbtix.com, cinema partners on www.cinema.com.hk
