French Cinema to Rendez-Vous with India

GOA, India -- The third edition of Rendez-Vous With French Cinema in India will be held in Mumbai from Dec. 4-7, jointly organized by the French Embassy in India and Unifrance. 

The festival's aim has been to showcase contemporary French cinema in India while helping Indian distributors to promote French films here.

The event will include seven French movies subtitled in English and open with romantic comedy Heartbreaker starring Romain Duris, Vanessa Paradis and Julie Ferrier, the latter also visiting Mumbai.  The film will be distributed in India by PictureWorks.

Other films included are France's 2010 Oscar entry and Cannes Grand Prix winner Of Gods & Men (Des hommes et des dieux by Xavier Beauvois), Potiche (by François Ozon), Oceans (by Jacques Perrin and Jacques Cluzaud), Sarah’s Key (Elle s’appelait Sarah by Gilles Paquet-Brenner), Carlos (by Olivier Assayas) and Love Crime (Crime d’amour by Alain Corneau).

The festival will pay tribute to Alain Corneau, who passed away in August this year, less than a fortnight after his new film Crime d’Amour (Love Crime) was released. Corneau had a strong India connection having filmed his 1988 release Nocturne Indien here and serving as a jury member at various Indian festivals. 

French delegates expected to visit the festival include actresses Kristin Scott Thomas (Sarah’s Key and Love Crime) and Julie Ferrier (Heartbreaker) alongwith directors Olivier Assayas (Carlos), François Ozon (Potiche) and Jacques Cluzaud (co-director Oceans).

The delegation will also include executives such as Unifrance president Antoine de Clermont-Tonnerre, Unifrance general manager Régine Hatchondo, Pathé chairman Jérôme Seydoux, Kinology director of international sales Grégoire Melin, Wild Bunch director of international sales Silvia Simonutti, Elzevir Films producer Marie Masmonteil, National Center of Cinematography's Audrey Azoulay and Ecran Total chief editor Serge Siritzky.

“The eclectic mix of films lined up for the 3rd Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in India is set to mesmerize the Indian audience, to show the incredible diversity of French cinema, give them exciting emotions, and develop relationships with Indian distributors to help them discover and release French films with financial support,” said, Unifrance general manager Régine Hatchondo.