New York, April 09, 2014 —Tournées Festival, a grant program of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the US and FACE (French American Cultural Exchange) that establishes recurring and self-sustaining French film festivals at American universities, has released the list of films available for screening at grantee colleges and universities for 2014-2015.
Among the most acclaimed films offered are Blue is the Warmest Color (La Vie d’Adèle), The Past (Le Passé), Stranger by the Lake (L’Inconnu du lac), In The House (Dans la maison), Venus in Fur (La Venus à la fourrure), The Last of the Unjust (Le Dernier des injustes), and The Missing Picture (L’Image manquante). The films chosen reflect the great diversity of French and francophone cinema, from the popular to the experimental, and incorporate both established and emerging talents. This year 5 classic French films (like Bay of Angels or Breathless) have been added to the Tournées Festival selection for the first time, all of which were released in the U.S. in 2013. Selected universities will now choose six films: five contemporary and one classic.Full list of 2014-2015 films follows.
Tournées Festival was launched 18 years ago in order to promote francophone films and culture in the U.S. Since then, the program has partnered with more than 450 American universities across the United States, and made it possible for more than 500,000 students to discover French-language films.
“The hallmark of good cinema is its ability to seduce you, to draw you into a universe. When you watch a foreign film, you enter one of these unfamiliar and exhilarating spaces. That’s what Tournées Festival is about: experiencing French culture through film, while also sharing and exchanging with a community. From the silent film era, the poetic realism of the 30’s, the 60’s Nouvelle Vague, to 70’s Polars, the author age of the 90’s, French cinema has made its mark in the U.S., and continues to do so through innovative new approaches to film and with the emergence of so many brilliant filmmakers every year. We are proud to make French films even more accessible to young generations through Tournées Festival”, stated Antonin Baudry, Cultural Counselor of the French Embassy in the US.
“Tournées Festival has become one of the pillars of FACE’s program. It is thrilling to witness such renewed enthusiasm for French cinema from US universities across the country. We have at heart to spread this one-of-a kind festival to even more universities and will continue to raise funds in that effort,” added Adrien Meyer, Chairman of FACE.
Each year, a highly knowledgeable committee of American higher education and cinema professionals selects Tournées Festival grantee universities based on the caliber of community outreach proposed by the school and the degree to which new audiences would be introduced to French film. One Tournées Festival grant may be awarded per university. Chosen grantee universities receive $2,200 to screen 6 films. In the 2013-2014 round, Tournées Festival awarded 53 grants. The Tournées Festival is made possible by its French and American partners: Ministère des Affaires Etrangères et Européennes, Centre National de la Cinématographie et de l’Image Animée, Fond Culturel Franco-Américain (SACEM), Campus France, Highbrow Entertainment, and the Florence Gould Foundation.
TOURNEES FESTIVAL FILMS SELECTION 2014
CONTEMPORARY FILMS
Our Children (A Perdre la raison) by Joachim LafosseCousin Jules (Le Cousin Jules) by Dominique BenichetiOn My Way (Elle s’en va) by Emmanuelle BercotThe Last of the Unjust (Le Dernier des injustes) by Claude Lanzmann In The House (Dans la maison) by François OzonThe Attack (L’Attentat) by Ziad Doueiri2 Autumns, 3 Winters (2 automnes, 3 hivers) by Sébastien BetbederGriGris (GriGris) by Mahamat-Saleh HarounErnest & Celestine (Ernest et Célestine) by Stéphane Aubier, Vincent Patar & Benjamin RennerGolden Slumbers (Le Sommeil d’or) by Davy ChouCamille Claudel 1915 (Camille Claudel 1915) by Bruno DumontAugustine (Augustine) by Alice WinocourThe Gatekeepers (Israël Confidential) by Dror MorehThe Past (Le Passé) by Asghar FarhadiStranger by the Lake (L’Inconnu du lac) by Alain GuiraudieThe Missing Picture (L’Image manquante) by Rithy PanhBastards (Les Salauds) by Claire DenisBlue is the Warmest Color (La Vie d’Adèle) by Abdellatif KechicheJimmy P (Jimmy P) by Arnaud DesplechinThe French Minister (Quai d’Orsay) by Bertrand TavernierVenus in Fur (La Venus à la fourrure) Roman Polanksi
CLASSIC FILMS Mauvais Sang (Mauvais Sang) by Leos CaraxLe Joli Mai (Le Joli Mai) by Chris Marker & Pierre LhommeBay of Angels (Baie des Anges) by Jacques DemyBreathless (A Bout de souffle) by Jean-Luc GodardGrand Illusion (La Grande illusion) by Jean Renoir
ABOUT
The Cultural Services of the French Embassy provides a platform for exchange and innovation between French and American artists, intellectuals, educators, students, the tech community, and the general public. Based in New York City, Washington D.C., and eight other cities across the US, the Cultural Services develops the cultural economy by focusing on six principal fields of action: the arts, literature, cinema, the digital sphere, French language and higher education. www.frenchculture.org
FACE (French American Cultural Exchange) is an American nonprofit organization, chartered by the state of New York and dedicated to nurturing French-American relations through innovative international projects in the arts, education, and cultural exchange. In partnership with the Cultural Services of the French Embassy, FACE administers grant programs and projects in the performing and visual arts, cinema, publication and translation, secondary and higher education. www.facecouncil.org
MEDIA CONTACT
Emilie Cabouat-Peyrache, Press Attaché+ 1 (212) 439-1417 – emilie.cabouat@diplomatie.gouv.frFrenchculture.org // @franceinnyc // facebook.com/frenchculture