03/01/2011

The Unifrance agency, which promotes French cinema abroad, is breaking new ground internationally for it is organising the first edition of online fest MyFrenchFilmFestival from January 14-29. The aim is to introduce young audiences to new French films on their favourite territory: the Internet.

The selected films can be viewed via video-on-demand for a charge of €1.99 per feature outside France (where the price is aligned with national VoD sites) with the exception of Latin America and Russia where access will be free. PACS systems are also offered.

The films will be available in ten languages (German, English, Arabic, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese and Russian; there will also be a Korean version on the website of partner KT) and the website includes film trailers and interviews with the directors and actors.

There are some top-quality flicks in the feature film selection, including Nassim Amaouche’s Goodbye Gary [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Grand Prize in Cannes Critics’ Week 2009); Christopher Thompson’s energetic Bus Palladium [+see also:
trailer
film profile]; Frédéric Mermoud’s Accomplices [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Frédéric Mermoud
film profile]; Nicolas Saada’s Spy(ies) [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (nominated for the Best Debut Film César 2010); Axelle Ropert’s The Wolberg Family [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (selected in the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight 2009); Patrick Mario Bernard and Patrick Trividic’s The Other One [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile], which earned Best Actress for Dominique Blanc at Venice in 2009; Maïwenn Le Besco’s sharp comedy All About Actresses [+see also:
trailer
film profile]; Lea Fehner’s Silent Voices [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Qu'un seul tienne et les au…
film profile] (Venice Days 2009 and Louis Delluc Award for Best Debut Film); Pascal Elbé’s film noir Turk’s Head [+see also:
trailer
film profile]; and social comedy All That Glitters [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Géraldine Nakache and Hervé Mimran.

The line-up also includes ten shorts; a heritage film (Jean Renoir’s French Cancan); and two titles out of competition available only in the United States: Riad Sattouf’s The French Kissers [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (unveiled in Cannes Directors’ Fortnight 2009 and winner of Best Debut Film César 2010); and Mona Achache’s The Hedgehog [+see also:
trailer
film profile].

Three prizes will be awarded at the end of the festival by Internet users, the international press jury and foreign bloggers’ jury. Finally, a game called French Film Epidemic will be organised on the festival’s Facebook page, giving people the chance to win a trip to New York and free film viewings.

(Translated from French)