Running Jan. 13-Feb. 13, this year’s MyFrenchFilmFestival, an online fest organized by France’s film-TV promotional body Unifrance, will mark its 13th edition with an emphasis on debut features and dynamic new voices.
Showcasing star power, animated auteur fare and award-winning documentaries – all subtitled in 15 languages – the 12 features and 17 shorts of this year’s selection will reach home viewers via 70 partner platforms as well on MyFrenchFilmFestival, where all the shorts will be available to screen free of charge.
In an effort to cast as wide a net as possible, this year’s competition will feature projects that run the gamut from Alice Diop’s breakthrough documentary “We” – which finds connections in the lives of immigrants, lovesick teens and retirees all connected by a commuter rail line north of Paris – to Jean-Christophe Meurisse’s satirical sketch comedy “Bloody Oranges,” which shreds polite society with anarchic glee.
In between are everything from star vehicles for Isabelle Huppert (“about Joan”) and Adèle Exarchopoulos (“Zero Fucks Given”), to bittersweet animation (“The Crossing”), to more than a few coming-of-age tales, which include Anaïs Volpé’s “The Braves,” Vincent Maël Cardona’s “Magnetic Beats,” and Samuel Theis’ “Softie.” Festival favorites from Cannes Critics’ Week (“A Tale of Love and Desire”) and Berlin (“The World After Us”) round out this year’s competition.
As in previous editions, online festivalgoers will be able to explore the full selection – which presents foundational works from Maurice Pialat and Olivier Assayas alongside promising shorts from a whole new generation of Gallic voices – through thematic pathways dedicated to new talents, idiosyncratic approaches, and youth stories, among several more. An international jury that includes filmmakers Emily Atef (“More than Ever”), Chie Hayakawa (“Plan 75”), Juho Kuosmanen (“Compartment Number 6”), Sergei Loznitsa (“Donbass”), and Albert Serra (“Pacifiction”) will meet during the month-long event to vote on the top prize.
While available on over 70 VOD platforms worldwide, this year’s selection will stream free of charge across Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, South Korea, Romania, Russia and Ukraine.
MYFRENCHFILMFESTIVAL 2023
FEATURE FILM COMPETITION
“about Joan” (“À propos de Joan”), Laurent Larivière
“A Tale of Love and Desire” (“Une histoire d’amour de du désir”), Leyla Bouzid
“Bloody Oranges” (“Oranges sanguines”), Jean-Christophe Meurisse
“Magnetic Beats” (“Les magnétiques”), Vincent Maël Cardona
“Softie” (“Petite nature”), Samuel Theis
“The Braves” (“Entre les vagues”), Anaïs Volpé
“The Crossing” (“La traversée”), Florence Miailhe
“The World After Us” (“Le monde après nous”), Louda Ben Salah-Cazanas
“We” (“Nous”), Alice Diop
“Zero Fucks Given” (“Rien à foutre”), Julie Lecoustre & Emmanuel Marre
OUT OF COMPETITION
“Bootlegger,” Caroline Monnet
“To Our Loves” (“À nos amours”), Maurice Pialat
SHORT FILM COMPETITION
“Bye Bye” (“Partir un jour”), Amélie Bonnin
“Cataract,” Faustine Crespy & Laetitia de Montalembert
“King David” (“Le roi David”), Lila Pinell
“Let the Beast Rise” (“Que la bête monte”), Marthe Sébille
“Malmousque by the Sea” (“Malmousque”), Dorothée Sebbagh
“Marianne” Julien Gaspar-Oliveri
“Our Own Land” (Nous n’irons plus en haut”) Simon Helloco
“Out of the Blue” (“Une femme à la mer”), Céline Baril
“Paloma” Hugo Bardin
“Titan” Valéry Carnoy
SHORT FILM OUT OF COMPETITION
“Anxious Body” Yoriko Mizushiri
“A Story for 2 Trumpets” (“Histoire pour 2 trompettes”), Amandine Meyer
“Belle River,” Guillaume Fournier, Samuel Matteau, and Yannick Nolin
“Laissé inachevé à Tokyo,” Olivier Assayas
“Pests” (“Nuisibles”), Juliette Laboria
“Please Don’t Touch,” Capucine Gougelet
“The Night Watch” (“Ronde de nuit”), Julien Regnard
