Diverse and top-quality European films showcased at Arras

by Fabien Lemercier

04/11/2011 - The Arras International Film Festival aims to present European films unreleased in France, picking titles free from formatting and focusing on film industries with a low production capacity. Its 12th edition kicks off today with 100 features in the line-up, including Philippe Lioret’s All Our Desires [trailer] (pictured), which will open the event.

A jury headed by Claude Lelouch will judge the nine films screening in the European Competition: A Trip by Slovenia’s Nejc Gazvoda (see review); Cracks in the Shell [trailer] by Germany’s Christian Schwochow (see review); The Mole [trailer] by Poland’s Rafael Lewandowski (see news); Room 304 [trailer] by Denmark’s Birgitte Stærmose (see review); The House [trailer] by Slovakia’s Zuzana Liova (see video interview); Behold the Lamb by the UK’s John McIlduff; My Only Son by Belgium’s Miel van Hoogenbemt; Nokas by Norway’s Erik Skjoldbjærg (Best Director and Best Screenplay at the Amanda Awards 2011); and Shelter [trailer] by Bulgaria’s Dragomir Sholev (see interview).

Quality fare can also be found in the European Discoveries section, with several titles that won acclaim at Cannes: Breathing [trailer] by Austria’s Karl Markovics; Ave [trailer, film focus] by Bulgaria’s Konstantin Bojanov; Corpo Celeste [trailer, film focus] by Italy’s Alice Rohrwacher; and Oslo, August 31st [trailer, film focus] by Norway’s Joachim Trier.

The line-up also includes Belgian helmer Michael R. Roskam’s sensational Bullhead [trailer, film focus]; Hasta la Vista [trailer] by fellow Belgian Geoffrey Enthoven; directorial duo Elena Hazanov and Jean Liermier’s Swiss feature Game of Love and Chance; French director Cyril Mennegun’s moving film Louise Wimmer [trailer]; and two other Norwegian films: Jannicke Systad Jacobsen’s Turn Me On, Goddammit [trailer] and Marius Holst’s King of Devil’s Island [trailer].

Finally, the programme is completed by a flurry of 18 avant-premieres with a majority of 100% French films, as well as Terraferma [trailer, film focus] by Italy’s Emmanuele Crialese and Le Havre [trailer, film focus] by Finland’s Aki Kaurismaki.

(Translated from French)