COLCOA: Los Angeles celebrates French cinema

The COLCOA French Film and Series Festival is back for its 25th edition with a brilliant selection including long-awaited films like France with Léa Seydoux, the biopic Eiffel with Roman Duris and Albert Dupontel's latest comedy Bye Bye Morons!

The opening film of the 25th Annual festival will be the North American Premiere of writer-director-author Emmanuel Carrère's Between Two Worlds, starring Academy Award winner Juliette Binoche. The film will screen on November 1, kicking off the Festival as a live week-long event taking place at the DGA Theater Complex in Los Angeles. All programs will be presented with English subtitles or in English. The Festival is back in-person to celebrate its silver anniversary with strict COVID rules in place, including proof of vaccination and mandatory wearing of masks.

Contrary to what could have been expected after all these months of lockdown, this very eclectic and high-profile program reflects the amazing number of films actually produced in France during the last two years, with a majority of films from Cannes, Venice or Berlin shown for the first time in the U.S. and half of them presented before their release in France”, said Francois Truffart, Executive Producer and Artistic Director, COLCOA.

This year's program will include 55 films and series, as well as 19 shorts, most of which are International, North American, U.S. and Los Angeles premiere presentations. Click here to check out the full line-up and to buy tickets.

Thirty of these films will be up for COLCOA Cinema Awards, including the following selections:

COLCOA 2021 FILM SELECTION

OPENING FILM, Monday November 1:

BETWEEN TWO WORLDS 

Based on French investigative journalist Florence Aubenas’s best-selling non-fiction book, The Night Cleaner, BETWEEN TWO WORLDS recounts the adventures of Marianne Winckler (Academy Award winner Juliette Binoche), a celebrated author who goes undercover as a cleaning lady to write a book on job insecurity in the gig economy. This very touching film, whose authenticity is underscored by an amazing performance from non-professional actors, opened the Director's Fortnight in Cannes this year and just nabbed the Audience Award at the San Sebastian Film Festival. It will be released in France and in the U.S. in 2022 by Cohen Media Group.

CLOSING FILMS, Sunday, November 7:

LOST ILLUSIONS, which recently premiered at the Venice Film Festival, is writer-director’s Xavier Giannoli's Balzac adaptation, and ONODA, 10,000 NIGHTS IN THE JUNGLE, written and directed by Arthur Harari and the opening film of Un Certain Regard Competition in Cannes 2021.

Full Feature film lineup also includes:

• A TALE OF LOVE AND DESIRE (West Coast Premiere) – Drama, romance by Leyla Bouzid
• ANOTHER WORLD (North American Premiere) – Drama by Stéphane Brize
• AUTHENTIK (North American Premiere) – Audrey Estrougo's biopic about the birth of famous rap group Suprême NTM
• BLACK BOX (North American Premiere) – Yann Gozlan's film noir starring Pierre Niney
• BYE BYE MORONS (Los Angeles Premiere) – Albert Dupontel's multi-Cesar Award-winning comedy including Best film.
• EIFFEL (North American Premiere) – Martin Bourboulon's epic romance drama about the famous French engineer and the reason why he created the world famous tower.
• FRENCH TECH (North American Premiere) – Comedy by Bruno Podalydès
• GAGARINE (West Coast Premiere) – Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh's first feature
• IBRAHIM (West Coast Premiere) – First drama by actor Samir Guesmi
• LOVE SONGS FOR TOUGH GUYS (North American Premiere) – Dark comedy by Samuel Benchetrit
• LOVERS (North American Premiere) – Thriller by veteran writer, director, actor Nicole Garcia
• MAGNETIC BEATS (North American Premiere) – D’Ornano-Valenti Award winner by Vincent Maël Cardona
• NIGHT RIDE (Special Screening) – A first feature, thriller by Frédéric Farrucci
• OLGA (North American Premiere and Official Entry from Switzerland to Academy Awards 2022 for Best international Feature) – Drama from Elie Grappe
• ROBUST (West Coast Premiere) – Constance Meyer's 2021 Critic's Week opening
• THE BIG HIT (West Coast Premiere) – Dramedy Emmanuel Courcol
• THE NIGHT DOCTOR (U.S. Premiere) – Film Noir by Elie Wajeman
• THE RESTLESS (North American Premiere) – Drama w/d Joachim Lafosse
• THE UNSOPHISTICATED LADY (U.S. Premiere) – Comedy by Anthonin Peretjatko
• THE YOUNG LOVERS (North American Premiere) – Drama, Romance by Carine Tardieu, starring Fanny Ardant

In addition to Cohen Media Group’s BETWEEN TWO WORLDS and Music Box Films’ LOST ILLUSIONS, COLCOA is working with several U.S. distributors to present films in Hollywood before their U.S. release, including:

• BLOODY ORANGES (West Coast Premiere) – Dark Star Pictures' horror-comedy by Jean-Christophe Meurisse. screening will be presented as an After 10 show on Saturday night only for audiences 18+.
• FRANCE (West Coast Premiere) – Kino Lorber's the new comedy/satire by Bruno Dumont starring James Bond's actress Lea Seydoux
• MY BEST PART (West Coast Premiere) – Altered Innocence's first comedy/drama by actor Nicolas Maury ( CALL MY AGENT)
• SIMPLE PASSION (West Coast Premiere) – Strand Releasing's film by Danielle Arbid • THE ROSE MAKER – Music Box Films', a feel-good comedy by Pierre Pinaud
• THE SUMMIT OF THE GODS – A special screening of Netflix's anticipated animated film by Patrick Imbert

For the first time, two films already released in the US will be part of the competition for the COLCOA Cinema Awards and presented as a free special screening:

• TITANE, by Julia Ducournau, released in the U.S by Neon Films
• THE MAD WOMEN'S BALL, by Melanie Laurent. In association with Amazon Studios, This film will have it theatrical U.S. Premiere at the Festival.

Presented out of competition, the free COLCOA CLASSICS series will pay tribute to writer/director Bertrand Tavernier with rare theatrical screenings of THE JUDGE AND THE ASSASSIN and CAPTAIN CONAN, writer Jean-Claude Carriere and a special screening of award winner THE DISCREET CHARM OF THE BOURGEOISIE, and actor Jean-Paul Belmondo with the presentation on the big screen of LE MAGNIFIQUE, followed by a discussion with actor Jacqueline Bisset and writer Francis Veber. Finally, A digitally restored version of Jacques Rivette's GANG OF FOUR will have its International Premiere at COLCOA.

Previously announced, the lineup for the rest of the Festival can be found here: DocumentaryTelevision Movies and Series, and Shorts.

Other exciting programs offered throughout the festival include: After 10 Series (November 2–6); COLCOA Documentaries (November 3-7); World Cinema Produced by France; French NewWave 2.0, exploring a new generation of filmmakers; and the Happy Hour Talks, a series of panels presented in association with Variety (November 2-6) that are free to the general public. Panels will include a tribute to Bertrand Tavernier, a focus on a film composer: Amine Bouhafa for THE SUMMIT OF THE GODS & GAGARINE), a focus on a filmmaker (Nicole Garcia for LOVERS) and a focus on a producer (Philippe Martin for LOVERS, GALLANT INDIES & SIMPLE PASSION).

TICKETS AND COVID RESTRICTIONS

Tickets are available for advance purchase online at colcoa.org. The online box office and RSVP will be open until the night before each show at the festival. Tickets will be also available on site at the Directors Guild of America, 7920 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90046 during the event. For sold out shows, some tickets may become available 20 minutes before each screening. Please visit colcoa.org for box office hours.

Depending on screenings ticket prices are $14/$10 for adults; $11/$7 tickets for seniors (62+), disabled, and members of American Cinematheque, ASC, ICG, Film Independent, SAG- AFTRA or Women in Film; $7/$5 for students and under 21. Limited opening night tickets available at the Box Office . Tickets are complimentary for DGA and WGAW guild members. All screenings and events before 4 pm during weekdays are free on a first come, first served basis, with no reservation needed.

Only fully vaccinated guests will be allowed to attend the event – proof of vaccination will be required to enter the DGA Theater Complex. Temperatures will be taken onsite upon arrival at the DGA and cleared guests will receive a day-specific wristband. Masks must be worn at all times in the DGA's public spaces, including theaters, lobby and restrooms.

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