THE 25th ANNUAL COLCOA FRENCH FILM & SERIES FESTIVAL TO TAKE PLACE NOVEMBER 1-7
Rescheduled to Allow for Easing of Travel Restrictions for Talent and Attendees, as well as Larger Theater Capacities, the 2021 Event Returns as a Live, In-Person Festival
(Los Angeles, California – May 27, 2021) – The Franco-American Cultural Fund (FACF), a unique collaboration between the Directors Guild of America (DGA), the Motion Picture Association (MPA), France’s Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (SACEM) and the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW), announced today that the 2021 edition of the COLCOA French Film and Series Festival will take place November 1-7 as a live event held at the Directors Guild of America Theater on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood.
COLCOA, which is an acronym for City of Light, City of Angels, celebrates two of the world’s most prolific and collaborative cities in the world of film and television production: Paris and Los Angeles. This year marks the illustrious Festival’s silver anniversary and will feature a week of premieres, directors, writers, actors and producers participating in panels and discussions, and awards. Given the ongoing challenges of international travel, COLCOA has been rescheduled from its original September date to November 1-7.
“We have been working on a new edition at the DGA to celebrate the return of audiences in theaters and offer the experience of real film and TV premieres in Hollywood for the French industry. In order to guarantee the best and safest environment to welcome festival goers, professionals and our sponsors to the event, we chose to modify our dates,” explains Jean-Noël Tronc, President of the FACF and CEO of the SACEM. “We are very confident that we will be able to present the full Festival experience in the Fall, complete with red carpet arrivals and screenings with a real audience, thanks to the continuing improvements in public health and safety in California, while maximizing our chances to invite an artistic delegation from France.”
“The postponed dates of the Cannes Film Festival in July also had an impact on our decision,” said Francois Truffart, Executive Producer and Programmer. “We had to adapt our calendar as several films shown in Cannes will be selected for the COLCOA Awards. The competition will reach a new dimension this year as for the first time it will include not only Premieres at the festival, but films and series recently released in the U.S. theatrically and digitally. Thereby, for its 25th anniversary, COLCOA Awards will be opened to the best French cinema and series have to offer.”
“There is no COLCOA without our community. After a year of isolation, we will finally come together to watch films and series on the big screen, attend in-person Q&As, and exchange our cinematic experiences. And we recognize the significance of returning to the movie theaters at a time of disruption in the movie business to promote French filmmakers whose work has moved during the pandemic to digital platforms,” said Anouchka van Riel, Deputy Director.
Now one of the oldest and most well established Film Festivals in Hollywood, COLCOA, has become a prestigious and widely publicized event. It offers a unique platform to promote French films and series at the beginning of the Awards Season in Hollywood. Annually, the festival brings the highest-caliber French filmmakers and talent to Los Angeles for red carpet premieres, numerous panels and screenings, as well as the opportunity for high-profile collaborations between French and American professionals. In addition, more than 20,000 audience members – including journalists, industry professionals, the general public and students – attend the festival annually.
About COLCOA
COLCOA French Film Festival was created and is produced by the Franco-American Cultural Fund, a unique collaboration between the Directors Guild of America (DGA), the Motion Picture Association (MPA), France’s Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (SACEM) and the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW). COLCOA is also supported by Unifrance, the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, France’s Society of Authors, Directors and Producers (l’ARP), by TVFI, Air Tahiti Nui, Bank of the West/BNP Paribas, TV5 Monde/Sling and Variety. The COLCOA Education Program is supported by ELMA.
For additional information visit : www.theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org
Media Contact:
In Los Angeles:
Patricia Frith Marketing
310 490-2368
[email protected]
In Paris:
Vanessa Jerrom
00 (33) 6 14 83 88 82
[email protected]
