Rendez-vous with French cinema

French cinema is as varied and vital as ever in 2014, and this year’s edition of Rendez- Vous with French Cinema covers the wide spectrum from engaging entertainments like Albert Dupontel’s 9 Month Stretch to the works of art house favourite Jean-Pierre Jeunet (Amélie), and master filmmakers Alain Resnais and Bertrand Tavernier. With the best and latest French offerings screening alongside restored versions of classic films at Ciné Lumière, Curzon Soho, and throughout the UK, this is one cinematic rendezvous that you definitely should not miss.

This year’s edition pays tribute to the late and great Alain Resnais, a director of unmatched distinction and elegance, whose works awed and amazed, or shocked and unnerved, but never left audiences indifferent. In addition to his last film, Life of Riley, an audacious adaptation of the work of British playwright Alan Ayckbourn with staggering performances by an all-star ensemble cast, we will be screening the restored print of his landmark of the French New Wave, the multi-award-winning Hiroshima mon amour.

Families are also invited to indulge in French cinematic treats, with a preview screening of Belle and Sebastian, a film about a lonely boy and a wild dog during World War II, and more.

Confirmed guests include:

Director Jean-Pierre Jeunet (The Young and Prodigious T.S. Spivet, Sun 27 Apr, Ciné Lumière)
Director and actor Albert Dupontel (9 Month Stretch, Mon 28 Apr, Ciné Lumière)
Actress Caroline Silhol (Life of Riley, Sat 26 Apr, Ciné Lumière)
Actor Raphaël Personnaz (Quai d’Orsay, Mon 28 Apr, Ciné Lumière)
Actress Fanny Ardant and director Marion Vernoux (Bright Days Ahead, Wed 23 Apr, Curzon Soho)
Director Martin Provost (Violette, Fri 25 Apr at Curzon Soho & Sat 26 Apr at Arts Picturehouse)
Director Agnes B. (My Name is Hmmm…, Thu 24 Apr, Curzon Soho)