Friday, March 25, 2011

Cinéfranco 2011, March 25 - April 3


Tonight is the opening night of the 14th Cinéfranco International Francophone Film Festival of Toronto. Cinéfranco is considered the leading film event of international Francophone cinema in Toronto, and this year they are moving to their new location at TIFF Bell Lightbox.

The opening night screening at 6:45 will be of the film Impasse du désir by Swiss filmmaker Michel Rodde. Rodde and the film's Québec star Rémy Girard will be in attendance. Girard will also attend the following screening at 9:30 of Y'en aura pas de facile (Tough Luck) with director Marc-André Lavoie and producer Esther Long.

In addition to screenings, they will host a Master Class with Moroccan filmmaker Driss Chouika before the screening of his film Destins croisés (Crossed Destinies), and an interview with Professor Eric Jennings prior to Tête de Turc (Turk's Head). Both are free with the accompanying movies. They will also host two free roundtable discussions. The first is Fiction Films: Past, Present and Future, and the second is Documentary challenges: distribution and marketing.

The films come not only from France, but also Canada (both Québec and Ontario), Morocco, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg. Many of screenings will take place with the filmmaker or actor in attendance.
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Cinéfranco 2011

All screenings are held at the TIFF Bell Lightbox, unless otherwise specified.


2 frogs in the West   2 frogs dans l'Ouest

  • Sat Mar 26 - 3:30 PM
Mirianne Brûlé et Jessica Malka in attendance
20 year old Quebecois Marie Deschamps leaves her studies behind to embrace new experiences  and learn English.


5 Brothers   Comme les 5 doigts de la main

  • Sun Apr 3 - 7:30 PM
Among the 5 brothers of the Hayoun family, David the middle son is chased with a vengeful determination by the Marseille Mafia. When David goes back home to take shelter, he shares with is brothers a painful secret about their dad’s death which sparks off a crisis


Bacon on the side   Il reste du jambon ?

  • Sat Mar 26 - 6:00 PM
When Justine Lacroix, a lovely journalist meets the handsome emergency ward surgeon, it is love at first sight, but there is a tiny little detail Justine forgot to consider: the man she loves is…an Arab, well, “A French man from North African descent”.


Copacabana  Copacabana

  • Tue Mar 29 - 9:00 PM
Boldly unconventional and cheerful, that's how one could describe Babou. Never having cared about social conventions, she is suddenly faced with the realization that her own daughter is ashamed of her and therefore refuses to invite her to her wedding.


Crossed Destinies  Destins croisés

  • Sat Mar 26 - 1:00 PM
Preceded by a Master Class by Driss Chouika
Three 40 something couples respond to the mysterious invitation of Raja, their old friend who disappeared…


D'une rive à l'autre  D'une rive à l'autre

  • Sat Apr 2 - 7:00 PM

Screened before "Les invités de mon père"

Director Maxime Desmons in attendance
In this superbly crafted musical drama, New World passion collides with Old World tradition when Marielle, an African immigrant, falls in love with a female co-worker.


Day off  RTT

  • Sun Apr 3 - 2:45 PM
The break-up under duress with his girlfriend, the encounter with a superb art thief and a programmed wedding in Florida: Arthur, a brave salesman, has gone in a few days from a quiet life in Paris to a frantic chase in the heart of Miami.


Donald McGraw & the Circle of Chiefs   Donald McGraw et le cercle des Chefs

  • Sat Apr 2 - 2:00 PM
2 days of Documentaries on Saturdays March 26 and April 2
at the NFB, 150 John St.
Unique price : $8/film (tickets to be purchased at the door, cash only)
In Donald McGraw’s art gallery, twelve life-size portraits of the principal Native Chiefs of New Brunswick exude gratitude, respect, esteem and concern for justice, a collection that speaks of a desired reconciliation between the two nations.


Eight Times Up   8 fois debout

  • Sun Mar 27 - 8:15 PM
Elsa barely gets by on casual jobs and hopes to find stable employment so that she can regain custody of her son.


Ensemble c'est trop  Ensemble c'est trop

  • Fri Apr 1 - 8:45 PM
Clémentine and Sébastien, young parents first, stretched between their job and their children, have to accommodate Sébastien’s mother, Marie-France, determined to stay on.




Fair is fair  Donnant donnant

  • Sat Apr 2 - 4:30 PM
Escaped from prison and searched by the police, Constant Billot takes shelter in an abandoned barge. Silvia who spotted him, threatens to call the police if he does not kill her adopted mother. A trap even more dangerous than jail will from now on cage him in, the trap of black mail and love…
This delightful comedy played by a trio of actors « sailing between burlesque, black humour and romance genres » sizzles with well carved dialogues.



Fracture  Fracture

  • Sun Mar 27 - 3:15 PM
Teaching at Pierre-de-Ronsard secondary school in Seine Saint-Denis is a challenge for young Anna Doblinsky faced with teenagers trapped in a dead-end. Lakdar, one of her students, wants to become a cartoonist. However an unfortunate medical error is going to rob him from his dream. His tragic descent to hell will play havoc.


Halal Five-O  Halal, police d'État

  • Thu Mar 31 - 9:00 PM
Paris 2011, a serial killer is playing havoc in the grocery stores in Barbès, a Parisian neighbourhood. One of the victims is the wife of an Algerian diplomat. It is enough for the Algerian Police to intervene and lend the best detectives in North Africa to serve the French National Police…Inspector Nerh-Nerh and The Kabyle, two hicks whose investigating methods are less than conventional…


Impasse du désir  Impasse du désir

  • Fri Mar 25 - 6:45 PM
Michel Rodde and Rémy Girard in attendance
Robert, a psychiatrist and analyst, discovers that his young wife is having an affair with. Totally overwhelmed by the situation, his obsession with it prevents him from concentrating on his patients until he meets Leo Debond, a depressive and psychotic bachelor. Secretly identifying himself with Leo, Robert realizes that Leo will provide him with the perfect means of relieving his suffering.


In Gold We Trust  600 kilos d'or pur

  • Sat Mar 26 - 8:30 PM
A group of adventurers set out to rob a gold mine in the heart of Guyana. But the operation goes awry. 600 kilos of pure gold is a mighty loot when you have to lug it on your back! Soon the thieves are chased down. Pushed into the hostile jungle, the runaways fend for their lives and their gold.
“In Gold We Trust surprises by going from hardcore action adventure to being a human suspense story in which the real obstacles to be overcome are each character’s interior demons." (Maxime Chevalier, filmsactu.com)


Kigali Jerusalem  Kigali Jérusalem

  • Sat Mar 26 - 4:30 PM
2 days of Documentaries on Saturdays March 26 and April 2
at the NFB, 150 John St
Unique price : $8/film (tickets to be purchased at the door, cash only)
Jérémie Fazel in attendance


Young people travel to Rwanda and Israel to reflect on keeping the memory of the tragic Jewish and Tutsi genocides alive through present and future generations.


Kill me please   Kill me please

  • Sat Apr 2 - 10:00 PM

Saul Rubinek in attendance

Dr. Kruger, offers wealthy patients with terminal illnesses the chance to die with dignity, holding a glass of champagne. But at this posh clinic, nothing happens as planned!


Les Conspirationnistes  Les Conspirationnistes

  • Sat Mar 26 - 2:00 PM
2 days of Documentaries on Saturdays March 26 and April 2
at the NFB, 150 John St.
Unique price : $8/film (tickets to be purchased at the door, cash only)
They call themselves « truth seekers ». The documentarian calls them “conspirationnistes”. He explores their passionate quest with cleverness and intelligence.


L’Appât  L'Appât

  • Sun Mar 27 - 6:00 PM

Guy A. Lepage in attendance

Prudent Philibert Poirier (Guy A.Lepage), an agent of La Sûreté du Québec (SQ) is awkward and goofy. Ventura (Rachid Bidouri) is a James Bond like, daredevil elite French spy who can speak eight languages. An unfortunate event forces them to work together. An amazing, action-packed adventure made funny by the two protagonists’ language differences!


Mammuth   Mammuth

  • Mon Mar 28 - 9:30 PM
At the ripe age of 60, Serge cannot get his pension because he is missing documents from his past jobs. His wife tells him to go get his papers. Serge hits the road on his 1970 Mammuth bike. His trip across France is packed with realistic, humorous and sometimes strange encounters.


Masquerades   Mascarades

  • Sun Mar 27 - 1:00 PM
A small village in the Algerian countryside. Mounir , a bragger, has only one dream- to finally be appreciated by his fellow villagers. But everybody laughs at his sister who falls asleep everywhere and whom the village is convinced will end up a spinster. On one drunken night, Mounir spreads the rumor that his sister is going to marry a very rich man. Recognition knocks at last and so does trouble…


Memoirs of a general store / Morteterre   Mémoires d'un magazin général / Morteterre

  • Wed Mar 30 - 6:30 PM
Zefred in attendance


While Julie dreams of leaving her small town to become a great filmmaker, she crosses paths with the owner of the general store ...
Denis and his parents have to spend the night in a strange haunted manor because of a sudden car breakdown ...



My father's guests   Les Invités de mon père

  • Sat Apr 2 - 7:00 PM
80-year-old retired doctor Lucien has a big personality. And his commitment is such that, without telling his family, he has just married young and flashy Tatiana to protect her from deportation. But his daughter Babette and his son Arnaud soon realize that the old man has fallen in love with the gorgeous yet self-interested Eastern European woman. The family dynamics suddenly dive into a chaos...


My Joan of Arc  Ma Jeanne d'Arc

  • Thu Mar 31 - 6:30 PM

Dany Chiasson in attendance

Driven by the memory of her grandmother, French-Canadian Director Dany Chiasson travels on horseback across France, retracing Joan of Arc's first 11-day ride over enemy land to meet the uncrowned King. Along the way, Chiasson meets the colourful characters of the French countryside who animate the surrounding history and attempt to help fulfill her dream: to hear the call of the skylark.
A film of stunning beauty, poetry and warm sincere emotions! A real treat!


So happy together   Tellement proches

  • Sun Apr 3 - 5:00 PM
Thirty something man-child Alain cannot handle being a father. His wife Nathalie is always glued to her  family: her brother, a lawyer who brags and owes everybody money; her sister in law who raises her daughter like a horse in a show and her other sister who has completely lost it... Useless to talk about the chaotic family dinners, a real feast for us! But how will Alain be able to survive these family ordeals?


Sumbu Kalambay  L'épopée de Sumbu Kalambay

  • Sat Mar 26 - 3:30 PM
2 days of Documentaries on Saturdays March 26 and April 2
at the NFB, 150 John St.
Unique price : $8/film (tickets to be purchased at the door, cash only)
A documentary on the boxer Sumbu Kalambay, 4 times World middleweight boxing champion. A film about his fascinating life as a champion athlete.


Symphonia   Symphonia

  • Sat Apr 2 - 4:30 PM
2 days of Documentaries on Saturdays March 26 and April 2
at the NFB, 150 John St.
Unique price : $8/film (tickets to be purchased at the door, cash only)
Encounters that are life-altering. Exceptional music and orchestra, passion and disillusion. Lucy, Joseph, Venus, Nirvana and others, tell the story of their lives and their hopes.


The Little Room  La Petite Chambre

  • Fri Apr 1 - 6:30 PM
Coming out of a tragic pregnancy, Rose resumes her activities as a home care nurse. The increasingly fragile eighty something Edmond, clashes with his son who wants him in a retirement home. Rose feels that her mission is to save aging Edmond. The film calls attention to the actors.


The Mosque  La Mosquée

  • Sun Apr 3 - 12:30 PM
For his film « Waiting for Pasolini », filmmaker Daoud Aouad Syed had put up sets on lands he rented from the villagers of Zagora. Once the shooting wraps up, the team leaves and the sets are destroyed except for one, the set of the faux mosque that had become the local place for worship.



Tough Luck  Y'en aura pas de facile

  • Fri Mar 25 - 9:30 PM
Rémy Girard, Marc-André Lavoie  and Esther Long in attendance.
Réjean, a professional biographer has to send a DVD introducing himself to a dating website. Easy for a pro right?... As Réjean is telling us the action packed funny moments of his life, his stories swing between fiction and reality for our great pleasure!
“We are easily immersed in this very light comedy. (…) We come out of the film happy to have been given the opportunity to see a cute little film…” (Isabelle Hontebeyrie, fr.Canoe).


Turk's Head  Tête de Turc

  • Sat Apr 2 - 2:00 PM
When physician Simon pays a call to a menacing housing project, his vehicle is ambushed by rock-throwing youths, including high schooler Bora, who launches a Molotov cocktail but then rushes to save the doc before his car explodes. As Simon rests in a coma, Bora tries to avoid exposing himself to the cops and his hot-blooded seamstress mom, but he's soon beaten down by drug dealers angry that the neighborhood is now filled with roving reporters and police patrols. (Variety.com)


Twice a woman  Deux fois une femme

  • Tue Mar 29 - 6:30 PM

François Delisle in attendance

Catherine, a battered humiliated wife, pulls away from her husband’s violence to rebuild a new identity and pick up the pieces of her shattered life. Will she succeed in getting over the fear of her husband (so brilliantly played by Marc Béland)?
“With Twice a WomanFrançois Delisle delivers a moving poetic film on how a battered wife wins her self-esteem back” (Charles-Henri Ramond, Films du Québec).


Unleashed  Déchaînées

  • Wed Mar 30 - 8:30 PM
Lucie, a 19 yr old intern at  Suisse romande Television, sees her face in TV archives of the Geneva feminist movement from the 70s. When she tells her grand-parents about her clone, Lucie understands by their sudden stiffness that her family is hiding a deep-seated secret. Lucie sets on a search to unearth the mystery in the midst of life -changing personal events.
http://www.cinefranco.com/

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