Running Jan. 19-Feb. 19, this year’s MyFrenchFilmFestival, an online showcase organized by France’s film-TV promotional body UniFrance, will mark its 14th edition with an accent on young talent, both in front of and behind the camera, and an emphasis on female empowerment.
With a mix of heritage docs like Agnès Varda’s “Jane B. for Agnès V.,” and a nine-film competition that spotlights auteurist animation like Alain Ughetto’s “No Dogs or Italians Allowed” alongside outré dramatic fare, the 11 features and 15 shorts that make up this year’s selection will be available on 80 partner platforms as well on MyFrenchFilmFestival, where all the shorts will be available to screen free of charge.
All films will be subtitled in 11 languages, including Arabic, English, Japanese, Korean, Mandarin, Portuguese, Spanish and Ukrainian, while the feature section will also be available for free in many Latin American, African and Middle Eastern territories.
Coming out and coming down are two common themes of this year’s selection, which explores queer relationships in prison in Zeno Graton’s “The Lost Boys,” on the dance-floor in Patric Chiha’s “The Beast in the Jungle,” and in between two exotic dancers in Lucie Borleteau’s “My Sole Desire.” Meanwhile, the two hapless leads of Bastien Milheau’s teen comedy “Super Drunk” will have to come-of-age while scrounging for booze in the countryside.
While Nicolas Pariser’s “The Green Perfume” sends established names Sandrine Kiberlaine and Vincent Lacoste on a breakneck spy caper, titles like Jean-Baptiste Durand’s “Junkyard Dog” and Jeanne Aslan and Paul Saintillan’s “Spare Keys” will help break a new generation of onscreen talent, introducing international viewers to rising stars like Raphäel Quenard, Céleste Brunnquell and Quentin Dolmaire.
Rounding out the Francophone selection, the Quebecois road-movie “Rodéo,” from Joëlle Desjardins and the sailing doc “Polaris,” from Ainara Vera, both situate family stories – parents in one, siblings in the other – against rugged and expressive natural landscapes. Meanwhile, the free-of-charge shorts selection will spotlight a number of animated and family-oriented offerings.
Filmmakers Marie Kreutzer (“Corsage”), Katell Quillévéré (“Along Came Love”), Lillah Halla (“Power Alley”), and Faouzi Bensaïdi (“Desserts”), and Italian star Pierfrancesco Favino (“The Traitor”) will make up this year’s jury.
