The French Film Festival organised on the occasion of French Spring Festival 2023 will be held from 6-9 July at the National Film Corporation (Tharangani Theatre, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7).
All movies will be subtitled in English and entrance will be free. The Film Festival will be inaugurated on 6 July at 6 p.m. with Cédric Klapish’s new movie En Corps/Rise released in March 2022.
The queen of Sri Lankan cinema Malani Fonseka will be the Guest of Honour whilst French Ambassador Jean-François Pactet, will be the Chief Guest.
A total of six movies will be shown: from comedy and thriller, to documentary and animated movies. The event will be open to the public from 7 July and the screenings will be held at 3 p.m. and 6 p.m.
The French Spring Festival is organised annually by the French Embassy in Sri Lanka and the Maldives together with the Alliance Française network in Sri Lanka and the Maldives, and the support of sponsors and official partners.
The movies are:
- One of the flagship movies is the talented director Cédric Klapish’s new movie En Corps/Rise, released in March 2022, a heart-warming and inspiring story that tells us about resilience and healing.
- Rock’n Roll by Guillaume Canet: a hilarious, parodic comedy with Marion Cotillard and Guillaume Canet about the daily lives of two French cinema stars.
- Kirikou et la sorcière/Kirikou and the Sorceress by Michel Ocelot: one of the most famous French animated movies, about the tale of tiny Kirikou born in an African village in which Karaba the Sorceress has placed a terrible curse. A screening dedicated to young audiences and families.
- Rouge/Red soil by Farid Bentoumi: an ecological thriller based on real events, where we discover the story of the red mud scandal at the Gardanne chemical plant.
- 16 levers de soleil/16 sunrises, by Pierre-Emmanuel Le Goff: a documentary about the 6 months spent by the worldwide known French Astronaut Thomas Pesquet aboard the International Space Station.
- Délicieux/Delicious, by Eric Besnard: discover the unusual story of a chef who – on a hunt for revenge – ends up opening France’s first restaurant.
The films and the screening time
- 6 July at 6 p.m. En Corps/Rise by Cedric Klapish 2022 drama comedy
- 7 July 6 p.m. Rock’n Roll by Guillaume Canet 2017 comedy
- 8 July 3 p.m. Kirikou et la sorciere/Kirikou and the sorceress by Michele Ocelot 1998 animated movie young audience and families
- 8 July 6 p.m. Rouge/Red Soil by Farid Bentoumi 2021 drama, thriller
- 9 July 3 p.m. 16 levers de soleil/16 sunrises by Pierre-Emmanuel Le Geoff 2018 documentary
- 9 July 6 p.m. Delicieum/Delicious by Eric Besnard 2021 comedy
