EXCLUSIVE: New York-based cultural institution Villa Albertine and Unifrance have announced the selection of French features due to be showcased in the 9th edition of their joint Young French Cinema program.
The initiative aimed at promoting films in the U.S. by emerging French filmmakers without domestic distribution will showcase 11 titles this year.
They include Marie Amachoukeli’s Cannes Critics’ breakout Àma Gloria, Virginie Verrier’s female soccer pioneer bio-pic Marinette and Erwan Le Duc’s father and daughter tale No Love Lost.
Under the program, the titles are made available for booking by arthouse cinemas, film societies, the Alliance Française network and universities across the U.S.
“The program mainly focuses on rising talents, from high-profile independent works to impactful dramas and powerful documentaries about the world around us,” the partners said in a joint statement.
“The 2024 selection demonstrates that this young generation—more than ever—shares a global vision and an amazing capacity to combine cultural influences and tackle an incredibly wide range of subject matters.”
The initiative is one of 15 professional programs from Villa Albertine, which is an institution of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, with support from the French Ministry of Culture.
The body was created in 2021 to foster connections between France and the U.S. across different disciplines in the arts and culture sectors.
Its team of 80 people is deployed in ten major U.S. cities spanning Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, New Orleans, San Francisco and Washington.
The 2024 Selection:
- Àma Gloria by Marie Amachoukeli
Motherless Cléo spends the summer with her beloved nanny Gloria in the latter’s home of Cape Verde. Opening film of Cannes Critics’ Week. - All to Play For (Rien à Perdre) by Delphine Deloget
Virginie Efira stars as a single mother caught in crosshairs of child services when her son hurts himself while home alone. World premiered in Cannes Un Certain Regard. - Calti Blues by Justine Harbonnie
Caiti Lord, a talented 30-year-old singer living in a hippy community, attempts to follow her dreams as madness surges in the U.S. World premiered ACID and Visions du Réel - First Case (Premiere Affaire) by Victoria Musiedlak
A recently qualified young lawyer flounders as she is thrown into her first criminal law case. World premiered at Locarno Film Festival. - Little Girl Blue (Little Girl Blue) by Mona Achache
After her mother’s death, Mona Achache discovers thousands of photos, letters and recordings, that make her even more of an enigma. Played in Cannes, Telluride and Toronto. - Marinette by Virginie Verrier
Bio-pic about real-life, female soccer pioneer Marinette Pichon who overcame a difficult childhood to become a sporting trailblazer. Played at Tribeca Film Festival. - Metamorphosis (Quartiers Lointains) by various filmmakers
Shorts compendium by Pan-African and French multicultural filmmakers exploring the challenge of existing in societies to which they belong but also belong to others. - No Love Lost (La Fille de son père) by Erwan Le Duc
A father and daughter set-off on a chaotic family journey in search of the wife and mother who abandoned them sixteen years previously. World premiered in Cannes Critics’ Week. - The Rapture (Le ravissement) by Iris Kaltenbäck
A midwife highly invested in her career loses control of her life amid heartbreak, her best friend’s pregnancy and a potential new relationship. World premiered at Cannes Critics Week - Sisterhood (HLM Pussy) by Nora El Hourch
When Zineb is sexually harassed by a young thug on her housing estate, friend Amina posts a compromising video of the perpetrator on social media, setting in motion a chain of dangerous events. World premiered at Toronto. - Spirit of Ecstasy (La vénus d’argent) by Héléna Klotz
French pop star Claire Pommet makes acting debut as a clever and ambitious non-binary person eager to make their mark. World premiered at Toronto