Cinemania: Film speaks its own language

 

 

T’Cha Dunlevy, GAZETTE FILM CRITIC

http://www.montrealgazette.com/entertainment/Cinemania+Film+speaks+language/5604990/story.html

 

MONTREAL - The lineup for the 17th edition of Cinemania was announced Tuesday morning. The festival, which celebrates French-language films subtitled in English, runs Nov. 3 to 13, showing a total of 35 films.

Opening the festivities is Maïwenn’s Polisse, winner of the Grand Jury Prize at Cannes this year, in its North American premiere. The gritty drama follows members of the Paris police force’s child protection unit. The director will attend the festival to present her film and participate in a discussion on Nov. 5, moderated by Dennis Trudeau.

The closing film is Robert Guédiguian’s The Snows of Kilimanjaro, which screened at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September. It tells the story of a couple robbed in their home, who as a result miss their dream trip to the famous mountain.

Another notable film is Cédric Klapisch’s latest effort, the romantic comedy My Piece of the Pie, which has been seen by more than 1 million people in France. The director will be on hand to introduce the movie, as well as for a master class on Nov. 6 and retrospective including his films Good Old Daze, Family Resemblances and Not For or Against.

In addition to Polisse, the fest screens several films from this year’s Cannes lineup, including: Dominique Abel and Fiona Gordon’s whimsical comedy The Fairy, about a hotel night clerk’s meeting with a mysterious woman who grants him three wishes (it opened the Director’s Fortnight at Cannes); Finnish director Aki Kaurismäki’s typically quirky Le Havre, about illegal immigration in the French port town; Pierre Schoeller’s political intrigue The Minister (winner of the FIPRESCI Prize in the Un Certain Regard section); Ismaël Ferroukhi’s Second World War tale Free Men; André Téchiné’s Unforgivable, a quiet thriller about a bestselling author who spontaneously moves in with his real estate agent; Alain Cavalier’s Pater, an offbeat look at French politics; and Bruno Rolland’s debut feature Léa, about a college student who becomes a stripper to pay for her studies.

Culled from the TIFF crop are: Frédéric Louf’s coming-of-age comedy 18 Years Old and Rising; Rémi Bezançon’s A Happy Event, in which a woman’s world is turned upside down by the birth of her child; and Cédric Kahn’s A Better Life, a long-distance love affair starring Guillaume Canet as a French restaurateur with big dreams but little business sense.

Other notable films include: Pierre Duculot’s Miles from Anywhere, following a woman’s trip to Corsica after her grandmother’s death; Zabou Breitman’s No and Me, about a friendship between a 13-year-old girl and an 18-year-old homeless woman; Jalil Lespert’s Headwinds, featuring Audrey Tautou; Patrice Leconte’s brotherly love triangle Voir la mer; Brigitte Sy’s first feature, Free Hands, based on the true story of her romance with a prison inmate; and Éric Valette’s thriller The Prey.

Cinemania runs Nov. 3 to 13 at the Imperial Cinema, 1430 Bleury St. Tickets cost $12.50, $10 for students and seniors; a six-film pass costs $64. Advance tickets are on sale Nov. 2 and 3 from noon to 9 p.m. at the Imperial. For more information, visit cinemaniafilmfestival.com.

tdunlevy@montrealgazette.com

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