“So how does France still manage to compete with the blockbusters? By using them of course. The French government tax the sales of all blockbusters screened in France. The money earned from this tax, which is huge, is ploughed directly back into the French film industry and film schools. The educational and cultural support for young filmmakers in France is fantastic. It is a very simple and very effective display of a good cultural infrastructure.”

Recent French cinema has placed a large emphasis on the political, and how it affects both the personal and wider social parameters. It’s increasing influence is particularly noticeable when it comes to the younger directors – not surprising given the unrest in Parisian suburbs in recent years. Perhaps an indirect reflection of this aspect on the Cork French Film Festival programme is the inclusion of a number of films made in co-production with other countries and in a host of different languages, including English, Spanish, Flemish, Russian and Arabic. In another sense, this could also be seen as a natural progression for the programme to make when one considers the allure that Paris holds to artists and film makers across the world and the subsequent influence France has had on film both past and present.

“Yes, its true there are political issues in France and all over Europe about immigration and globalization,” says Paul. “It’s easy today to forget the divisions and trauma this continent went through under two world wars.  Alain Resnais’ documentary Night and Fog is a stark reminder of that. That is one reason we feature a diverse range of co-productions with other European countries. Film, more than any other art form relies on the converging of many diverse talents and people and so the feature programme showcases this sense co-operation of synergy.

“However the festival is a celebration of cinema in its full spectrum. We also focus on other forms of cinema and present a series of great live audio visual events. We are pleased to welcome two of France’s leading Independent film collectives, Burstscratch and Atelier MTK. They perform unique forms of experimental cinema with live performances using multiple projectors. It is great to be able to pay homage to the great masters and innovators and transport them to the present with our series of cine-concerts, in fact that is what the story in La jetée is all about!

“Of course no festival is without a party so we are thrilled to welcome Irish band with a French name Cap Pas Cap to perform at our closing party and see us off into the long good night.”

For further details and information on the programme log onto the website www.corkfrenchfilmfestival.com or alternatively their myspace page www.myspace.com/corkfrenchfilmfestival.

Comments (0) »

Show/Hide comment form

Name

Email

Title

Comment

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment