09/03/2012 - Box office sensation Untouchable and Anne Fontaine’s My Worst Nightmare will bookend the French Insitute of Athens’ annual showcase of French cinema

Dropping its recent habit of flying a widely known celebrity in as each edition’s godfather so as to ensure an elevated level of press coverage, the French Institute of Athens will focus solely on its selection of what’s best in this year’s French-speaking cinema, to ensure its 13th edition is not an 'unlucky' one.

Pierre Schoeller’s Cesar-awarded The Minister [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pierre Schoeller
film profile], Julie Delpy’s new directorial effort Skylab [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Christophe Honore’s Cannes closer Beloved and Bouli Lanners’ Directors’ Fortnight awarded The Giants [+see also:
film review
trailer
making of
interview: Bouli Lanners
film profile] will have a chance to establish themselves with local viewers as part of the fest’s competition, while Bertrand Bonello’s Un Certain Regard competitor House of Tolerance [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Adèle Haenel
film profile] and Joan Sfarr and Antoine Delesvaux’s EFA nominee The Rabi’s Cat will be among the films screening out of competition.

French films that have yet to secure distribution will be showcased at the French Panorama section, the Athens International Film Festival will once more reprise its guest programmer’s section and planners of local human rights film festival Outview will hold the fest’s carte blanche for this year’s programming.

Decidedly less spendy in their selection of guests than previous years, the fest’s organizers will be welcoming but a handful of select film talent. Among them, Muriel Coulin will be visiting Athens to present her 17 Girls [+see also:
trailer
film profile], Eva Ionesco will screen My Little Princess [+see also:
trailer
interview: Anamaria Vartolomei
film profile] and Tony Gatlif will discuss Indignados [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Tony Gatlif
film profile], just a few weeks after its national premiere as the opening film of the Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival.

ARTE’s Director of Film Acquisitions Michel Reilhac is set to star at the fest’s masterclass, which will be presented by Athina Rachel Tsangari, focusing on the alternative means of storytelling, collectively dubbed Transmedia.