The inaugural Champs-Élysées Film Festival, taking place June 6-12, 2012 in Paris, has announced their full lineup. The festival will also have a tribute to Harvey Weinstein, screening a retrospective of 11 films throughout the week. From the official press release:
The Champs Elysees Film Festival will present a jam-packed line up and full program of events at the inaugural edition of the 7-day Festival, June 6-12, President Sophie Dulac announced today. The Champs Elysees Film Festival will be comprised of the following sections: Official Selection of American Independent Films, French Galas, American Galas, Oscar Nominated Foreign Language Films and Shorts. A tribute to Harvey Weinstein will be presented on June 6 at an event to celebrate his career. Weinstein will participate in a roundtable conversation to discuss French/American co-productions and a Retrospective of 11 of his films will be shown throughout the week.
The American independent films selected as part of the inaugural program include Richard Linklater’s BERNIE with Jack Black, Shirley Maclaine and Matthew McConaughey; JESUS HENRY CHRIST with Toni Collette and Michael Sheen; Bruce Beresford’s PEACE, LOVE & MISUNDERSTANDING starring Jane Fonda, Catherine Keener and Elizabeth Olsen and MARINA ABRAMOVIC: THE ARTIST IS PRESENT. An Audience Award will be given out to the most popular American Independent. American Galas include Jennifer Westfeldt’s FRIENDS WITH KIDS and Wes Craven’s MY SOUL TO TAKE in 3D.
French films include COMME UN HOMME directed by Safy Nebbou; JOURNAL DE FRANCE directed by Claudine Nougaret and Raymond Depardon; VOUS N’AVEZ ENCORE RIEN VU directed by Alain Resnais and WRONG helmed by Quentin Dupieux.
In addition, the Festival is launching U.S. in Progress, an enterprise created to present American independent films in post-production to European buyers with the intent to promote the distribution of American independent films in Europe. The program works to forge inroads between the generation of talented American filmmakers emerging today and European buyers. U.S. in Progress is a joint initiative of the American Film Festival in Wroclaw Poland, the Champs Elysees Film Festival and Paris-based Black Rabbit Film.
Dulac explains the impetus to launch the Champs Elysees Film Festival, “As Paris’ first truly international film festival, our mission is to create a bridge between the independent American and French film industries. In the most beautiful city in the world and one with a worldwide association to cinema, the Champs Elysées Film Festival will be a celebration of film promoting the work of young filmmakers and honoring the work of established directors.” She adds, “We want to throw a spotlight on independent film from France and the U.S. We will welcome famous names, offer new films, open up discussions between members of the film industry, give short films a special showcase and invite audiences to gala previews.”
The Champs Elysees Film Festival has selected esteemed French Actor Lambert Wilson for the role of French President and Michael Madsen has accepted the role of the Festival’s U.S. President.
The festival will pay tribute to the actor Donald Sutherland who will be at the Festival to host a screening of the masterpiece KLUTE directed by Alan J. Pakula followed by a “Hollywood Conversation” with the iconic actor. Frederic Mitterrand will bestow Sutherland with the medal of Commander of Arts and Letters that evening.
Official Selection of American Independent Films
BLANK CITY, a documentary directed by Celine Danhier’s
BERNIE directed by Richard Linklater starring Jack Black, Shirley Maclaine and Matthew McConaughey
JESUS HENRY CHRIST with Toni Colette, Jason Spevack and Michael Sheen
KEEP THE LIGHTS ON directed by Ira Sachs
LUV directed by Sheldon Candis
MARINA ABRAMOVIC: THE ARTIST IS PRESENT, Matthew Akers acclaimed documentary
NOT WAVING BUT DROWNING directed by Devyn Waitt
PEACE, LOVE & MISUNDERSTANDING directed by Bruce Beresford starring Jane Fonda, Catherine Keener and Elizabeth Olsen
TABLOID, Errol Morris fascinating documentary
THE PERFECT FAMILY, directed by Anne Renton and starring Kathleen Turner, Emily Deschanel and Jason Ritter
French Galas
ADIEU BERTHE directed by Bruno Podalydès
COMME UN HOMME directed by Safy Nebbou
DU VENT DANS MES MOLLETS directed by Carine Tardieu
JOURNAL DE FRANCE directed by Claudine Nougaret and Raymond Depardon
LA CLINIQUE DE L’AMOUR directed by Artus de Penguern
L’AIR DE RIEN directed by Grégory Magne and Stéphane Viard
MAINS ARMEES directed by Pierre Jolivet
QUAND JE SERAI PETIT directed by Jean-Paul Rouve
VOUS N’AVEZ ENCORE RIEN VU directed by Alain Resnais
WRONG helmed by Quentin Dupieux.
American Galas
AFTER LIFE directed by Agnieszka Wojtow
BRAKE directed by Gabe Torres
BITCH SLAP directed by Rick Jacobson
FRIENDS WITH KIDS directed by Jennifer Westfeldt
MY SOUL TO TAKE (3D) directed by Wes Craven
PERFECT HOST directed by Nick Tomnay
TERRI, directed by Azazel Jacobs
SUMMERTIME directed by Matthew Gordon.
The Champs Elysees Film Festival intends to reflect the diversity of international production by offering the public a selection of the 2012 Oscar nominated foreign language films, some never before seen in France:
BULLHEAD directed by Michael R.Roskam (Belgium)
DANS SES VEUX directed by Juan José Campanella (Spain/Argentina) (2010)
MONSIEUR LAZHAR directed by Philippe Falardeau (Canada)
UNE SEPARATION directed by Asghar Farhadi (Iran)
72 DAYS directed by Danilo Serbedzija (Croatia)
LETTERS TO ANGEL directed by Sulev Keedus (Estonia)
VOLCANO directed by Runar Runarsson (Iceland)
Films being screened as part of Harvey Weinstein’s retrospective include THE AVIATOR, CHICAGO, GANGS OF NEW YORK, JACKIE BROWN, KILL BILL 1&2, THE ENGLISH PATIENT, PULP FICTION, SHAKESPEARE IN LOVE, GOOD WILL HUNTING and THE YARDS.
More than thirty short films comprise the Champs Elysees Film Festival’s Official Selection of Short Films which were selected by a French industry team as well as four major film school programs: University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts, New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts and Columbia University’s Columbia University Film Festival for the United States and Paris-based film school La Femis for France:
French Shorts Selection
HURLEMENT D’UN POISSON directed by Sébastien Carfora
IT’S A MIRACUL’HOUSE directed by Stéphane Freiss
LES MEUTES directed by Manuel Schapira
MON CANARD directed by Emmanuelle Michelet & Vincent Fouquet
LES GROSSESSES?DE CHARLEMAGNE directed by Nicolas Slomka and Matthieu Rumani,
PLUME directed by Barry Purves
PERSONNE(S) directed by Marc Fouchard
LA FILLE DE L’HOMME directed by Manuel Schapira
KISS & KILL directed by Alain Ross
USC School of Cinematic Arts Shorts Selection
LITTLE SPOON directed by Lauren Fash
ELLEN directed by Kyle Hausmann-Stokes
EFRAIN directed by Matthew Breault
FIG directed by Ryan Coogler
THE NATURE OF FALL directed by Tomer Stolz
New York University Tisch School of the Arts Shorts Selection
LITTLE HORSE directed by Levi Abrino
BORDER LAND directed by Alexander Smolowe
PREMATURE directed by Rashaad Ernesto Green
DOWN IN NUMBER 5 directed by Kim Spurlock
Columbia University Film Festival Shorts Selection
ROLLING ON THE FLOOR LAUGHING directed by Rusel Harbaugh
MOTHERLAND directed by Shario Siddiqui
HATCH directed by Christoph Kusching
CROSSING directed by Gina Atwater
OFF SEASON directed by Jonathan Van Tulleken
THE HIROSAKI PLAYERS directed by Jeff Sousa
La Femis Shorts Selection
GOOSE directed by Morgan Simon
DEMAIN CE SERA BIEN directed by Pauline Gay
ON TRAKS directed by Laurent Navarri
BYE BYE WILD BOY directed by Julie Lena
