Irish Film Institute -GUESTS AT THE IFI FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL 2018

GUESTS AT THE IFI FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL 2018

The IFI French Film Festival 2018 is fast approaching, with more than 20 features screening between November 14th and 25th, bringing Ireland’s biggest cultural event to the Irish Film Institute.

This year, we’re also pleased to be able to welcome a number of very special guests to the festival to present their films, alongside a major career interview. Read on for details.

FESTIVAL GUEST OF HONOUR: CÉDRIC KAHN
We are delighted to welcome screenwriter, director and actor Cédric Kahn to this year’s Festival, where he will take part in a masterclass on Saturday 17th at 13.00, introduce his classic film Roberto Succo on Saturday 17th at 15.00, and take part in a Q&A after his new film, The Prayer (La Prière), on Friday 16th at 20.20.

Born in Crest, France in 1966, Kahn began his career as a film editor and a screenwriter before directing his first feature Bar des Rails, selected for the 1991 Venice International Film Festival. Since then many of his films have been selected and received awards at film festivals internationally: Trop de bonheur, selected for the Cannes Directors’ Fortnight and winner of the Jean Vigo Award 1994; L’ennui (1998) based on the novel Boredom by Alberto Moravia, won the Louis-Delluc Award; Roberto Succo (Cannes Film Festival, 2001); Red Lights (Berlin Film Festival, 2004); L’avion (2005); Regrets (2009); A Better Life (2011); Wild Life, winner of the Special Jury Prize at San Sebastian in 2014; and The Prayer, winner Silver Bear for Best Actor, Berlin 2018. In addition to all this, Kahn has acted in films directed by Elie Wajeman, Joachim Lafosse, and Paweł Pawlikowski amongst others.

ANDRÉA BESCOND
Andréa Bescond is a multidisciplinary artist, dancer, choreographer, actress, playwright and theatre and film director. As a dancer she trained both at Rosella Hightower’s International School of Dance and the Paris National Conservatory of Music and Dance, and was recipient of the Promise Award at the 1998 International Chamber Competition of Paris. Commencing her career in theatre, she was nominated for Best Female Newcomer in 2010 for the comic play The 39 Steps. Subsequently she wrote the play Les Chatouilles ou la danse de la colère, directed by Eric Métayer, which has toured widely winning many awards. In 2015, she collaborated with Métayer on the screen adaptation of the play, Little Tickles, and we are delighted to welcome her to present it at this year’s festival on Thursday 22nd.

CLAIRE BURGER
Claire Burger graduated from the film editing department of the Fémis French National Film School. Her 2008 short Forbach was winner of both the Cannes Cinéfondation award and the Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival Grand Prix. This was followed by It’s Free for Girls, co-directed with Marie Amachoukeli, which screened at Cannes Critics’ Week and picked up a César for best short film and special mention at Clermont-Ferrand (2009). Party Girl (2014), which she co-directed with Marie Amachoukeli and Samuel Theis, won both the Cannes Un Certain Regard Ensemble Prize and the Camera d’Or award. We are honoured to welcome Claire to present Real Love, her new feature and the festival Gala Opening Film on Wednesday 14th of November.

ERIC MÉTAYER
Eric Métayer is an actor, playwright, theatre and film director, and son of the French humorist Alex Métayer. After studying Visual Arts and Art History, he joined the theatre workshop Atelier 93 and the drama school Cours Florent which he left after a year to focus on improvisational comedy theatre by joining the French National Improvisation League, with whom he won a number of awards and trophies. He has acted in numerous TV series and has directed and written for both theatre and television. His screen roles include films directed by Alain Cavalier, Claude Lelouch, Serge Leroy and Pierre Jolivet, amongst others. Les Chatouilles ou la danse de la colère which he directed and also co-wrote with Andréa Bescond, has toured widely winning many awards. In 2015, he collaborated with Bescond on the screen adaptation of the play, Little Tickles, and we are delighted to welcome him to present it at this year’s festival on Thursday 22nd.

The IFI French Film Festival 2018 runs from the 14th to the 25th of November. Click here for more information.

 


The IFI is supported
by The Arts Council

Arts Council of Ireland