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New Film Festival in Angoulême
WORDS: Michaela Fisnar-Keggler
From August 28 till 31, 2008, Angoulême played host to the new Festival du Film Francophone which brought a tasteful variety of films and a multitude of personalities to the Charente.
During four hot sunny days dedicated ‘cinéphiles’ found refuge from the heat in the (partially) air-conditioned movie theatres in Angoulême where a total of 30 films from French-language countries were shown. France, Belgium, Canada, Africa, and Switzerland were represented, not only by the works themselves but also by directors, actors, producers and other crew members who came to the festival. Some of these distinguished visitors had been in the region before, for others it was a first time in the Charente.
Ursula Meier, for instance, the Franco-Swiss director of Home, was quite excited to have been invited to Angoulême. While her earlier films had previously been shown in La Rochelle, this was the first time that Home was projected at a ‘people festival’ where she could personally introduce it to the audience. (Other festivals such as Cannes are open only to professionals, not to the public.)
“It is a precious opportunity to watch your own film together with a movie theatre full of people”, Ursula Meier explains. “It was a great experience. No one walked out during the screening, which is quite remarkable”, she adds with a smile.
What about making a movie in the Charente? “The landscape is beautiful”, she answers, “but for my next project I’d like to shoot in Switzerland, in the snow.”
Actress Elisa Tovati knows Angoulême and the surrounding area quite well. As one of the protagonists of Zone libre which was shot in and around Montbron some three years ago, she had spent an unusually chilly winter in the region.
“We were here from January till March and it was extremely cold, down to 12 degrees Celsius! To walk around Angoulême now in just a light summer dress makes me see this town in a whole new light”, she says with a charming smile.
For film director Salif Traoré from Mali and his team, this was the first time in the Charente, although Angoulême was not unknown to them before their visit: the village, where they shot their movie Faro, reine des eaux, is only a few kilometres away from Segoul, ‘ville jumellée’ (sister city) of Angoulême.
Fabrice Luchini, French actor “à l’énergie démesurée” as he describes himself, has a special relationship to Angoulême, as this is the place where his career was launched suddenly and unexpectedly when he was still a teenager.
From a visitor’s point of view, the festival leaves a favourable impression: the smart variety of films offered something for everyone, the atmosphere was friendly and relaxed, and the event brought the town to life, giving it a flavour of summer holidays and making it a memorable experience.
The only flaw to be mentioned is the absence of English-language subtitles. Certainly, it was a ‘festival francophone’ but given the number of English-speaking people living permanently or temporarily in the Charente or vacationing in their summer residences {around 20,000}, it does come as a surprise that the festival organizers did not make an effort to attract the anglophone audience to this festival whose purpose, after all, it is to promote French-language cinema. Perhaps they will seize the opportunity next year.
Summer give away competition winners
The winners of the June/July competition are; D Thompson, N Kynaston, A David, C Brown, M Davis, D Singleton, K Dobson, J Fahey, R Atkinson, S Davies, D Younge, C Read, A Dudley, L&J Kay, H Browning, D Dodd, D&I Sadler, J Newman, M Ebo, T Brown, C Henry, P Cuthbut, M Borough, S Lesley, P Jones, P Lane, F Baggott, D Wilmslow, L Yanny and D James.
You will be notified by email for your full postal address and tickets will then be sent.
English help for children
Accents are very pleased to announce that they are opening ACCENTS 2 in the Angouleme / Cognac region from September 2008. Based upon the successful Primary School Programme already operating in Civray, Accents 2 will offer English classes to maternal English speakers from Grande Section to CM2.
Please contact accents for more details on +33 (0)5 49 97 10 17 or email AccentsAdmin@orange.fr. Website www.accents-asso.fr
We are looking for an experienced English Primary School teacher to help teach the course – for full details please contact us.
Cognac Otard
Discover the secrets of the Château of François 1er in old Cognac.
Guided tours in period costume from April to October
Details T: + 33 (0)5 45 36 88 86 www.Otard.com
