NEW YORK, June 12, 2017— On July 7th, 2017, the free outdoor French film festival Films on the Green will screen the 1995 thriller La Cérémonie (A Judgment in Stone) directed by Claude Chabrol. La Cérémonie was selected for the festival by guest curator Matthew Weiner. The screening will take place at 8:30 PM at Tompkins Square Park.
La Cérémonie is an adaptation of British writer Ruth Rendell’s 1997 novel by the same name, and references the famous case of Christine and Lea Papin, two French maids who murdered their employer’s wife and daughter in cold blood in 1933, as well as the 1947 theatrical play they inspired, The Maids, by Jean Genet.
In Chabrol’s film, Catherine Lelievre hires rigid, taciturn Sophie. She thinks she has found the perfect housekeeper for her family’s remote mansion in Brittany. But, detached and automated, Sophie displays odd behavior that becomes inexplicably disturbing. When she becomes friends with the impertinent Jeanne who runs the post office, the tension between Sophie and her employers increases.
A later film by director Claude Chabrol (Le Beau Serge, Le Boucher, Bellamy), La Cérémonie stars Isabelle Huppert alongside Sandrine Bonnaire. It was awarded Best Foreign Language Film by the Los Angeles Film Critics and the National Society of Film Critics in 1996. Isabelle Huppert was also awarded a César for Best Actress in a Leading Role in 1996, and shared the Volpi Cup for Best Actress of the 1995 Venice Film Festival with Sandrine Bonnaire for their roles in the film.
Matthew Weiner on his selected film La Cérémonie:
“The superb acting, directing, and exquisite score of La Cérémonie combine to create an unnerving mixture of kindness and evil. This masterpiece of storytelling seems more relevant than ever, elevating a classic noir mood to unforgettable social commentary.”
Matthew Weiner has been entertaining audiences for two decades, most recently as writer, creator, executive producer and director of Mad Men, one of television’s most honored series. He also worked as a writer and executive producer on “The Sopranos,” along with several comedy series, and made his feature film debut in 2014. Weiner studied at Wesleyan University and earned his MFA from USC School of Cinema and Television. Upcoming from Weiner is his debut novel, Heather, The Totally (Little Brown; November 7).
The screening of La Cérémonie (1h52) is free and open to the public and will take place in Tompkins Square Park on Friday July 7th, 2017 at 8:30pm. DJs from New York University’s radio station, WNYU 89.1 FM will spin French music on-site before the screening. The film will be shown in French with English subtitles.
In its landmark 10th year, Films on the Green invited 10 guest curators—some of the most creative and compelling filmmakers, actors, and artists of our time–to select one film each for the summer’s program. The guest curators include: Wes Anderson, Jim Jarmusch, James Ivory, Saul Williams, Isabella Rossellini, Wanda Sykes, Laurie Anderson, Matthew Weiner, Matías Piñeiro, and Amy Hargreaves.
2017 FESTIVAL SCHEDULE
All films are in French with English subtitles, except for the film that will be screened on July 12th, which is in French and English with Spanish subtitles. Screenings begin at sunset.
- June 2 – Central Park (79th St & Fifth Ave): Potiche (Trophy Wife), by Ozon, selected by Wanda Sykes
- June 9– Washington Sq. Park: Tey (Today) by Gomis, selected by Saul Williams
- June 16 – Washington Sq. Park: La Traversée de Paris by Autant-Lara, selected by Amy Hargreaves
- June 23 – Transmitter Park (Brooklyn): Mauvais Sang by Carax, selected by Wes Anderson
- June 30 – Transmitter Park (Brooklyn): Contempt by Godard, selected by Jim Jarmusch
- July 7 – Tompkins Sq. Park: La Cérémonie by Chabrol, selected by Matthew Weiner
- July 12 – J. Hood Wright Park (West 173th St): The Science of Sleep by Gondry (2006), presented in partnership with the Mexican Cultural Institute of New York (screening in French and English with Spanish subtitles).
- July 14 – Tompkins Sq. Park: Port of Shadows by Carné, selected by Laurie Anderson
- July 21 – Riverside Park, Pier I (at 70th St): Lumière d’été by Grémillon, selected by Matías Piñeiro
- July 28 – Riverside Park, Pier I (at 70th St): A Trip to the Moon by Méliès followed by Elena and Her Men by Renoir, selected by Isabella Rossellini
- Sept 7 – Columbia University (at 116th St): The Wild Child by Truffaut, selected by James Ivory, presented in partnership with the Columbia Maison Française
The Cultural Services of the French Embassy, FACE Foundation and NYC Parks would like to thank Films on the Green’s 2017 lead sponsor, Le Petit Marseillais™, and the festival’s 2017 official sponsors, Air France, Atout France-France Tourism Development Agency, BNP Paribas, JC Decaux, and TV5 Monde.
More information: http://frenchculture.org/film-tv-and-new-media/festivals/films-green-2017
The Cultural Services of the French Embassy promotes the best of French arts, literature, cinema, digital innovation, language, and higher education across the US. Based in New York City, Washington D.C., and eight other cities across the country, the Cultural Services brings artists, authors, intellectuals and innovators to cities nationwide. It also builds partnerships between French and American artists, institutions and universities on both sides of the Atlantic. In New York, through its bookshop Albertine, it fosters French-American exchange around literature and the arts. www.frenchculture.org
FACE Foundation is an American nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting French-American relations through innovative cultural and educational projects. In partnership with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, FACE promotes artistic, literary and educational exchange and collaboration between creative professionals from both countries. With additional corporate, foundation, and individual support, FACE administers grant programs in the performing and visual arts, cinema, translation, and secondary and higher education, while providing financial sponsorship to French-American festivals and other cultural initiatives. FACE focuses on new and recent work of living artists and the promotion of bilingualism and the French language. FACE Foundation (French-American Cultural Exchange) is a 501(c)(3) organization chartered by the state of New York. www.face-foundation.org
NYC Parks is the steward of approximately 29,000 acres of land — 14 percent of New York City — including more than 5,000 individual properties ranging from Coney Island Beach and Central Park to community gardens and Greenstreets. We operate more than 800 athletic fields and nearly 1,000 playgrounds, 550 tennis courts, 66 public pools, 48 recreational facilities, 17 nature centers, 13 golf courses, and 14 miles of beaches. We care for 1,200 monuments and 23 historic house museums. We look after 650,000 street trees, and two million more in parks. We are New York City’s principal providers of recreational and athletic facilities and programs. We are home to free concerts, world-class sports events, and cultural festivals. www.nycgovparks.org
Media Contact:
Camille Desprez – + 1 (212) 439-1417, camille.desprez@diplomatie.gouv.fr
Frenchculture.org – @franceinnyc – facebook.com/frenchculture
Follow Films on the Green on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram #fil