Cinéfranco 2018

21st annual celebration of International Francophone cinema in Toronto

Carlton Cinemas – Friday, October 5 – Saturday, October 13, 2018

Opening Night

ORIGAMI

A film by Patrick Demers

Filmmakers at Cinéfranco

Jocelyn Forgues, Noël en boite, Au bout du compte

Marcel Grimard, La Grue

Claudia Hebert, Road Map + Petites failles

Ricardo Trogi, Closing Night 1991

Thursday, September 20, 2018 - Policiers and thrillers highlight the 21st Cinéfranco 2018. Canada’s largest annual showcase of francophone cinema takes place Friday, October 5 – Saturday, October 13 at the Carlton Cinemas in Toronto.

With 19 feature films from Canada, France, Tunisia, Belgium and Switzerland and a program of 9 Canadian shorts, Cinéfranco is proud to present 12 Ontario premieres, 1 Canadian Premieres, 1 Toronto Premiere and 5 North American Premieres.

In its 21st year, Cinéfranco continues to celebrate the richness and talent of francophone cultures around the world showing their diversity through the lens of seasoned and first-time filmmakers. Festival circuit favourites, box-office hits and critically acclaimed films focus on the mystery, tensions, betrayals and suspense of thrillers and policiers.

Cinéfranco 2018 Opening Night and Closing Night films both hail from Quebec. Montreal director Patrick Demers’ time travel thriller Origami opens Cinéfranco. Awarded the Jury Prize at the 2017 Fantasia Festival in Montreal Francois Arnaud delivers a strong performance as David who’s on his own special voyage: one that doesn’t take him from place to place but rather from one moment in time to another. Ricardo Trogi attends the Closing Night screening of his charming comedy 1991. The dramedy is the third film in Trogi’s semi-autobiographical series after 1981 and 1987.

Thriller and policier highlights at Cinefranco 2018 include

La Belle et la meute (Beauty and the Dogs) from Tunisian director Kaouther Ben Hania. Her powerful policier with a sobering twist screened at Cannes 2017 Un Certain Regard and was selected as Tunisia’s entry for Best Foreign Language Oscar. Raped by two police officers Mariam wanders the streets in a state of shock, the beginning of a long night fighting for her rights and dignity. But how can justice be done when the perpetrators are the arbiters of justice.

The tightly plotted Belgian crime thriller Tueurs (Above the Law) is inspired by co-director/writer Francois Troukens experiences as an ex-con. While Frank carries out a daring but non-violent hold-up, a commando force steps in and kills the magistrate investigating a political case. Thanks to rigged evidence, Frank is arrested and has no choice but to escape and attempt to prove his innocence.

Greed is the catalyst in Olivier Marchal’s Carbone (Carbon). Threatened with losing his company, an ordinary Parisian business man mounts a scam which becomes the burglary of the century. Entangled with gangsters he must cope with betrayal, murder, and settling of scores.

Belgian director Samuel Tilman delivers a gripping psychological thriller with Une Part d’ombre (The Benefit of the Doubt). David is suddenly taken in for questioning by the police as part of a murder investigation. Soon, loyalties and friendships are tested as the investigation reveals that all is not what it seems behind the happy and respectable façade of David’s life.

Hubert Charuel draws from his rural French roots for the unconventional thriller Petit paysan (Bloody Milk). A big winner at the 2018 Césars with Best First Film, Best Actor (Swann Arland) and Best Supporting Actress (Sara Giraudeau), Arland plays the moody and intense young dairy farmer who will do whatever it takes to save his herd when an epidemic breaks out.

Vincent Cassel stars as a world-weary, disillusioned detective in director Erick Zonca’s mystery thriller Fleuve noir (Black Tide). While Visconti investigates the case of a missing teenager, he neglects to care for his own son who is mixed up with drug trafficking.

Actor-director Albert Dupontel’s Au Revoir là-haut (See You Up There), a bittersweet, stylish comedy caper, was nominated for 13 César Awards including Best Film. An accident in the trenches leaves infantryman and artist Edouard disfigured. With fellow former soldier (director Albert Dupontel), he hatches an audacious get-rich-quick scheme. A breathless, dizzying adventure through Jazz Age Paris.

Women’s stories, directors and performers shine at Cinéfranco 2018

Women’s stories, directors and performers continue to play a strong role in Francophone cinema and Cinéfranco 2018 showcases some of their work including the breath-taking performance of Debbie Lynch-White in the bio pic La Bolduc the life story of Mary Travers who became a household name in Quebec in the 1930’s for her irresistible mix of Irish and French-Canadian folksongs. French actress-director Agnès Jaoui (Look at Me) reunites with her regular cast-mate and co-writer Jean-Pierre Bacri, for Place Publique, their latest dissection of contemporary French bourgeois society. In Prendre le large (Catch the Wind), Sandrine Bonnaire creates an incandescent portrait of a woman beginning a new life in Morocco proving once again why she’s one of the best actresses on the planet. The clash between a law student and her professor (Daniel Auteuil) is Yvan Attal’s focus in Le Brio featuring a strong performance by newcomer Camélia Jordana. And, Nawell Madani directs and stars in the dramedy C’est tout pour moi (Stand Up Girl) inspired by her own life struggling to find her niche in show business. Despite her father’s wishes Lila pursues her dream to be a dancer and moves to Paris to find the harsh reality of a world not ready to open its doors to her. By dint of believing, Lila launches into a career as a stand-up comic. She has only one idea in mind: for her name to receive top-billing and to make her father proud. Comme des garçons (Let the Girls Play) tells with humour and empathy the story of the first all-female soccer team in France which started as a provocation and became a revolution against a background of the women’s movement in the 1960’s.

In Short / Courts toujours

Cinéfranco 2018 celebrates filmmakers from Ontario, Québec, New Brunswick with a program of 9 short films with filmmakers in attendance.

CINÉFRANCO 2018 BOX-OFFICE

Tickets: $12.00 + $10.00 Seniors, Students

Advance Tickets:

• Online: www.cinefranco.com

• Advance In Person: At the Cinéfranco reception desk at the Carlton Cinema (20 Carlton St at College subway)

Day of:

• Walk Up: Box office opens 30 min. before the first screening of the day. Cash only.

FOR COMPLETE FILM SCHEDULE AND FILM INFORMATION PLEASE GO TO:

www.cinefranco.com

Twitter: @Cinefranco

CINÉFRANCO 2018 – FILM SCHEDULE / HORAIRE DES FILMS

ALL FILMS ARE SUBTITLED IN ENGLISH AND SCREEN AT THE CARLTON CINEMAS (20 Carlton St.)

Friday, October 5, 2018

Origami, the opening film by Patrick Demers – 7pm

Saturday, October 6, 2018

Beauty and the Dogs (La belle et la meute ) – 11am, Canadian Premiere

Noël en boîte – 2pm, Toronto Premiere

Carbon (Carbone) – 4.30pm, American theatrical Premiere

See You Up There (Au revoir là-haut ) – 7pm, Ontario Premiere

Sunday, October 7, 2018

La Bolduc – 2pm, Ontario Premiere

Le Brio – 4.30pm, Ontario Premiere

Place publique – 7pm, Ontario Premiere

Monday, October 8, 2018

Above the Law (Tueurs) – 1.30pm, North American Premiere

Catch the Wind (Prendre le large) – 4pm, Ontario Premiere

Stand Up Girl (C’est tout pour moi) – 6.30pm, North American Premiere

Wednesday, October 10, 2018

Shorts program, 7pm, with guest directors:

Marcel Grimard La Grue

Claudia Hébert Roadmap/Petites failles

Léa pascal Combat

Thursday, October 11,2018

Let the Girls Play (Comme des garçons) – 6.30pm, North American Premiere

In the Game (La Finale) – 8.30pm, north American Premiere

Friday, October 12, 2018

The Benefit of the doubt (Une Part d’ombre) – 6.30pm, Ontario Premiere

La Ch’tite Famille (Family is Family) – 8.30pm, Ontario Premiere

Saturday, October 13, 2018

Bloody Milk (Petit Paysan) – 11am, Ontario Premiere

Black Tide (Fleuve noir) – 2pm, Ontario Premiere

The Return of the Hero (Le retour du héros) – 4.30pm, Ontario Premiere

1991 – 7pm Closing film with guest director Ricardo Trogi