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ARRAS 2022

The Arras Film Festival pulls out all the stops

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- Unspooling 4–13 November, the event’s 23rd edition will boast 120 films, the Golden Atlas competition, European revelations and a multitude of French premieres

The Arras Film Festival pulls out all the stops
The Happiest Man in the World by Teona Strugar Mitevska

Surfing on an astute editorial line combining European films not yet seen in France and a raft of French feature films whose teams are more than happy to make their way to the welcoming Artesian city - an amalgam which has thus far ensured great mainstream success (attracting upwards of 50,000 viewers in 2019 and an impressive 38,000 despite last year’s ongoing context of onerous health restrictions) and cinephile appeal - the Arras Film Festival (steered by Nadia Paschetto and Éric Miot) has unveiled the bumper programme of its 23rd edition, which is unspooling between 4 and 13 November.

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Nine feature films not yet seen in France will be battling it out for the 2022 Golden Atlas (to be awarded by a jury led by French filmmaker Thomas Lilti), notably including Il Boemo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Petr Vaclav
film profile
]
by Czech director Petr Václav (unveiled in competition at San Sebastian), three films discovered in Venice’s Orizzonti line-up (The Happiest Man in the World [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Teona Strugar Mitevska
film profile
]
by Macedonia’s Teona Strugar Mitevska, Victim [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Michal Blaško
film profile
]
by Slovakia’s Michal Blasko, and Luxembourg, Luxembourg [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Antonio Lukich
film profile
]
by Ukraine’s Antonio Lukic), two titles screened in competition in Sarajevo (Six Weeks [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Noemi Veronika Szakonyi
film profile
]
by Hungary’s Noémi Veronika Szakonyi and Men of Deeds [+see also:
film review
interview: Paul Negoescu
film profile
]
by Romania’s Paul Negoescu) and one in the Berlinale’s Panorama section (Working Class Heroes [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Miloš Pušić
film profile
]
by Serbia’s Milos Pusic), not to mention Now/here [+see also:
film review
interview: Peter Monsaert
film profile
]
by Belgium’s Peter Monsaert and Wolka [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by late Icelandic director Árni Ólafur Ásgeirsson.

Gracing the Eastern Visions line-up, we’ll find Metronom [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alexandru Belc
film profile
]
by Romania’s Alexandru Belc (well-received in Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section), Mikado [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emanuel Pârvu
film profile
]
by his compatriot Emanuel Parvu (unveiled in San Sebastian’s New Directors line-up), Klondike [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Maryna Er Gorbach
film profile
]
by the Ukraine’s Maryna Er Gorbach (rewarded in Sundance and screened in the Berlinale’s Panorama section), After the Winter [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ivan Bakrač
film profile
]
by Montenegrin director Ivan Bakrač (discovered in Karlovy Vary), Natural Light [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Dénes Nagy
film profile
]
by Hungary’s Denes Nagy (awarded the Silver Bear for Best Director in Berlin) and poignant title Moja Vesna [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sara Kern
film profile
]
by Slovenian-Australian director Sara Kern (presented in Berlin’s Generation line-up).

Stealing focus in the European Discoveries domain are Cannes titles Corsage [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marie Kreutzer
interview: Marie Kreutzer
film profile
]
by Austria’s Maria Kreutzer, Love According to Dalva [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emmanuelle Nicot
interview: Emmanuelle Nicot, Julie Esp…
film profile
]
by Belgium’s Emmanuelle Nicot, Godland [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Elliott Crosset Hove
interview: Hlynur Pálmason
film profile
]
by Iceland’s Hlynur Pálmason, Nostalgia [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Mario Martone
interview: Pierfrancesco Favino
film profile
]
by Italy’s Mario Martone and Sick of Myself [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kristine Kujath Thorp
interview: Kristoffer Borgli
film profile
]
by Norway’s Kristoffer Borgli. There are also the Berliner attractions Alcarras [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Carla Simón
interview: Carla Simón
interview: Giovanni Pompili
film profile
]
by Spanish director Carla Simon and Rabiye Kurnaz vs George W. Bush [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andreas Dresen
interview: Meltem Kaptan
film profile
]
by Germany’s Andreas Dresen, as well as The Quiet Girl [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Colm Bairéad
film profile
]
by Ireland’s Colm Bairéad and a first feature film unveiled in San Sebastian: Josephine [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Spanish helmer Javier Marco.

The World Cinema section will notably showcase European co-productions in the form of Burning Days [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Emin Alper
film profile
]
by Turkey’s Emin Alper, Blanquita [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Chile’s Fernando Guzzoni, Houria [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by French-Algerian director Mounia Meddour, and Huda’s Salon [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Dutch-Palestinian helmer Hany Abu-Assad.

Last but not least, 27 premieres of French films stand tall amongst the 120 films on the agenda (including 80 which haven’t yet been seen or are premieres), including Alice Diop’s French candidate for the Oscars Saint Omer [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alice Diop
interview: Kayije Kagame
film profile
]
and two other titles discovered in Venice (Our Ties [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Roschdy Zem and For My Country [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rachid Hami
film profile
]
by Rachid Hami), the reigning champion of Cannes’ Un Certain Regard section The Worst Ones [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Romane Gueret and Lise Akoka
film profile
]
by Lise Akoka and Romane Gueret, not to mention And Yet We Were All Blind [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Béatrice Pollet
film profile
]
by Béatrice Pollet, Sixteen [+see also:
film review
film profile
]
by Philippe Lioret and White Paradise [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
by Guillaume Renusson, to name but a few of the participants in this jam-packed showcase, which is further rounded off by a French Perspectives section, showcasing Bright Women [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Sylvie Gautier, Amore mio [+see also:
film review
film profile
]
by Guillaume Gouix and Thomas Salvador’s brilliant movie The Mountain [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Thomas Salvador
film profile
]
.

Likewise worth a mention are two retrospective sections (one organised by Positif magazine, the other named "Victoria: A Queen, An Empire"), a children’s festival (notably featuring Ernest and Celestine: A Trip to Gibberitia [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Julien Chheng and Jean-Christophe Roger, No Dogs or Italians Allowed [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alain Ughetto
film profile
]
by Alain Ughetto, Neneh Superstar by Ramzi Ben Sliman, Ride Above [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Christian Duguay, and The Lulus by Yann Samuell), and, in the festival’s professional sidebar, the 16th edition of the Professional Northern Film Meetings (running 8 – 10 November) and Arras Days’ Development Aid Fund pitching sessions (on 12 and 13 November).

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(Translated from French)

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