Courtroom – The American French Film Festival in Los Angeles https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org The American French Film Festival in Los Angeles Fri, 03 Jan 2025 18:03:36 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 DOG ON TRIAL https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/dog-on-trial-2/ https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/dog-on-trial-2/#comments Fri, 22 Nov 2024 22:35:12 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=20045

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OPENING IN US THEATRES IN 2025, FOLLOWED BY A DIGITAL RELEASE.

DOG ON TRIAL 

| 2025 – 85′  – Comedy, Courtroom
Written by: Laetitia Dosch, Anne-Sophie Bailly.
Directed by: Laetitia Dosch.
Starring: Laetitia Dosch, François Damiens, Pierre Deladonchamps, Jean-Pascal Zadi, Anne Dorval, Anabela Moreira, Mathieu Demy.
Official Selection Cannes International Film Festival 2024.
Official Competition TAFFF 2024 (North American Premiere).
In French with English subtitles.
A Quiver Distribution release. |

“Is a dog the same as a table?” Well, in fact, in the eyes of Swiss law, it is. Thus begins Laetitia Dosch‘s somewhat absurdist, yet increasingly serious courtroom drama. It all begins when April, an idealistic lawyer with a predilection for lost causes, agrees to defend Cosmos, her client’s faithful canine companion, who is accused of biting three people… and whose very life now hangs in the balance. If April loses this case, as she almost always does, the frisky, affectionate pup will be put to death. As ridiculous as that sounds, that is indeed the law of the land in most countries around the world, including the U.S. And what begins as an almost silly comic premise evolves into a passionate cri de cœur for both animal and women’s rights.

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COURTED https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/courted/ https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/courted/#comments Fri, 13 Sep 2024 17:27:13 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=18830

COURTED

| 1986 – 98′ –   DRAMA, COURTROOM.
Written by: Christian Vincent.
Directed by: Christian Vincent.
Starring: Fabrice Luchini, Sidse Babett Knudsen, Eva Lallier, Corinne Masiero, Sophie-Marie Larrouy, Fouzia Guezoum, Simon Ferrante, Abdallah Moundy.
Winner Best Actor (Fabrice Luchini) & Best Screenplay, Venice International Film Festival 1986.
Official Competition COLCOA 2016.
In  French with English subtitles.
An Under The Milky Way release. |

Best Actor prize at the 2015 Venice International Film Festival went to Fabrice Luchini for his portrayal of Michel Racine, a cranky, straight-laced judge presiding over a sobering murder case, while dealing with a divorce on the home front, and a pesky flu. As demanding as all of that is, Michel’s world skids to a halt when a randomly chosen juror turns out to be someone from his past. Ditte, played by Borgen star Sidse Babett Knudsen, is a caring single mother who made an indelible impression on Michel six years earlier. Michel, whose reputation for severity has earned him a nickname reflecting the double-digit sentences he likes to hand down, tosses his beloved protocol aside for a series of assignations to explore their mutual attraction. While nodding to courtroom drama and rom-com, Courted conscientiously dodges the clichés of both genres.

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A FRENCH CASE https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/a-french-case/ https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/a-french-case/#comments Sat, 07 Sep 2024 20:59:42 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=18712

A FRENCH CASE

| 2021 – 6 x 52′ –  Series – Drama, Thriller, Courtroom.
A France-Belgium-Switzerland Co-production.
Created by: Jérémie Guez, Alexandre Smia.
Written by: Jérémie Guez, Alexandre Smia, Trân-Minh Nam.
Directed by: Christophe Lamotte.
Starring: Guillaume De Tonquédec, Guillaume Gouix, Laurence Arné, Blandine Bellavoir, Michaël Youn, Laurent Stocker, Thierry Godard, Michel Vuillermoz, Gérard Jugnot, Gilbert Melki, Anne Le Ny.
In French with English subtitles.
A PBS/Walter Presents release. |

 

What happened to little Gregory? Inspired by a real-life case that shocked the nation and divided public opinion, this is the still unsolved story of one of the most high-profile crimes in France’s recent history. 

 

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MURDER ON A SUNDAY MORNING https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/murder-on-a-sunday-morning/ https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/murder-on-a-sunday-morning/#respond Fri, 05 Jul 2024 15:39:50 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=17212

MURDER ON A SUNDAY MORNING

| 2001 – 100′ – Documentary, Crime.
Written by: Jean-Xavier de Lestrade.
Directed by: Jean-Xavier de Lestrade.
2002 Academy Award winner for Best Documentary.
In English.
A Pathe / Cinedigm release. |

 

On May 7, 2000, in the parking lot of the Ramada Inn in Jacksonville, Florida, 65-year-old Mary Ann Stephens is shot in the head before her husband’s eyes. Ninety minutes later, 15-year-old Brenton Butler is arrested. For the investigators and the media it’s just another messed-up youth, just another wasted life.

 

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CAIRO CONSPIRACY https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/cairo-conspiracy/ https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/cairo-conspiracy/#respond Fri, 07 Jun 2024 17:05:57 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=16857

CAIRO CONSPIRACY

| 2023 – 126′ – Drama, Thriller.
A Sweden-France-Finland Co-production.
Written by: Tarik Saleh.
Directed by: Tarik Saleh.
Starring: Tawfeek Barhom, Fares Fares, Mohammad Bakri, Makram Khoury, Mehdi Dehbi, Moe Ayoub, Sherwan Haji, Ramzi Choukair.
Official Selections: Cannes  International Film Festival 2022. Nomination César Award 2023 for Best Foreign Film. Swedish Entry for Best International Picture Academy Awards 2023.
In Arabic with English subtitles.
A Samuel Goldwyn Films release. |

 

Adam, the son of a fisherman, is offered the ultimate privilege to study at the Al-Azhar University in Cairo, the epicenter of power of Sunni Islam. Shortly after his arrival in Cairo, the university’s highest ranking religious leader, the Grand Imam, suddenly dies and Adam soon becomes a pawn in a ruthless power struggle between Egypt’s religious and political elite.

 

 

 

 

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SPIRAL https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/spiral/ Mon, 08 Apr 2024 19:17:13 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=16162

SPIRAL

| 2005~2014 – 52′ x 86 episodes – Seasons 1~8 – Series – Thriller, Drama.
Created by: Alexandra Clert.
Written by: Virginie Brac, 
Antonin Martin-HilbertMarine Francou, Sylvie Chanteux, Maxime Caperan, Anne Rambach, Marine Rambach, Thomas Finkielkraut, Thierry Depambour, Anne Landois, Eric de Barahir, Kristel Mudry, Laurent Vivier, Sébastien Vitoux, Simon Jablonka, Cristina Arel-lano, Laurent Burtin, Alexandra Clert, Laurence Diaz, Guy-Patrick Sainderichin, Mathieu Missoffe, Yann Brion, Yann Le Nivet, Olivier Fox, Jean-Luc Estebe, Séverine Werba, Erwan Augoyard, Sophie Kovess-Brun, Gaëlle Bellan, Sylvie Chanteux, Marine Francou, Laura Piani, Sylvie Chanteux, Antonin Martin-Hilbert, Frédéric Balekdjian Erwan Augoyard.
Directed by: Nicolas Guicheteau, Frédéric Mermoud, Jean-Philippe Amar, Frédéric Jardin, Philippe TriboitPascal Chaumeil Gilles Bannier, Philippe Venault Jean-Marc Brondolo, Manuel Boursinhac Jean-Marc Brondolo, Virginie Sauveur, Manuel Boursinhac, Frédéric Balekdjian.
Starring: Caroline ProustGregory FitoussiPhilippe Duclos, Thierry Godard, Tewfik Jallab, Philippe Duclos, Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Clara Bonnet, Valentin Vernet, Bruno Debrandt, Fred Bianconi, Nicolas Briançon, Dominique Daguet, Alban Casterman.
Official Competition COLCOA 2015 (Season 5). Winner COLCOA TV Series Award.
In English.
A MHz Choice release. |

Pitched by some as France’s answer to The Wire, this series, created by Alexandra Clert and Guy-Patrick Saninderichin, offers a stylish look at the various cogs in the machinery of the French justice system through the eyes of a young Deputy Public Prosecutor, a Police Captain, a Preliminary Judge and a Criminal Lawyer. Broadcasted in 70 countries, Spiral remains one of the most popular French series in the world. 

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GOLIATH https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/goliath/ Sat, 30 Dec 2023 18:30:12 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=15582

GOLIATH

| 2023 – 122′ – Drama, Thriller
Written by: Simon Moutaïrou, Frédéric Tellier.
Directed by: Frédéric Tellier.
Starring: Pierre Niney, Gilles Lellouche, Emmanuelle Bercot, Laurent Stocker, Yannick Renier, Chloé Stefani, Marie Gillain, Jacques Perrin.
In French with English subtitles.
A Distrib Films US release. |

Patrick is a tenacious lawyer specializing in environmental law. France is a schoolteacher who becomes an activist after her husband develops cancer from exposure to a pesticide. Mathias is an ambitious lobbyist working for an international chemical corporation. The paths of these characters collide as the lives of thousands are affected by a tragic act that sparks a powerful movement while the corporation fights to prevent the truth from being revealed.

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ALL YOUR FACES https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/all-your-faces-2/ https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/all-your-faces-2/#comments Mon, 27 Nov 2023 18:13:47 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=15359

ALL YOUR FACES

| 2024 – 118′ – Drama
Written by: Jeanne Herry.
Directed by: Jeanne Herry.
Starring: Adèle Exarchopoulos, Dali Benssalah, Leïla Bekhti, Élodie Bouchez, Gilles Lellouche, Miou-Miou, Suliane Brahim, Jean-Pierre Darroussin, Fred Testot, Denis Podalydès, Raphaël Quenart.
Winner Best Supporting Actress, César Awards 2024 (Adèle Exarchopoulos).
Official Competition TAFFF 2023.
In French with English subtitles.
A Distrib Films US release. |

Writer/director Jeanne Herry, once again, weaves a powerful tale that quietly builds, packing an emotional wallop we never see coming, in this poignant story of resilience, redemption and even forgiveness. She and her accomplished ensemble cast illustrate the delicate dance that takes place within restorative justice programs, which provide a safe space for dialogue between criminal offenders and victims of similar crimes. All Your Faces brings together a rich tapestry of victims and perpetrators of burglaries, rape, a mugging, armed robbery and physical assault, gingerly paving a road between the two… that somehow leads to understanding, accountability and healing.

 

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THE GOLDMAN CASE https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/the-goldman-case-2/ https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/the-goldman-case-2/#comments Mon, 30 Oct 2023 23:56:09 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=14914

THE GOLDMAN CASE

| 2024  –  115′  – Drama, History
Written by: Cédric Kahn, Nathalie Hertzberg.
Directed by: Cédric Kahn.
Starring: Arieh Worthalter, Arthur Harari, Stéphane Guérin-Tillier, Nicolas Briançon, Aurélien Chaussade.
Official Competition Director’s Fortnight Cannes 2023.
Winner Best Actor, César Awards 2024 (Arieh Worthalter).
Official Selection TAFFF 2023.
In French with English subtitles.
A Menemsha Films Release.  |

“I’m innocent because I’m innocent,” Pierre Goldman decries. An incendiary left-wing activist and highly controversial public figure, Goldman proclaims his innocence of the double homicide he’s accused of, despite his admission of multiple armed robberies and shady dealings. Director Cédric Kahn‘s stark courtroom drama recounts Goldman’s 1975 trial in minute detail, holding a magnifying glass to the racial prejudice and antisemitism that were rampant in the country at the time, and examining even broader questions of Jewish identity. Reflecting the political, ideological and racial tensions that marked 1970s France and Europe, when the proceedings were considered to be the trial of the century. This meticulous retelling of that page in history was the Directors’ Fortnight opening film at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.

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LAMBERT VS. LAMBERT: OVER HIS DEAD BODY https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/lambert-vs-lambert-2/ https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/lambert-vs-lambert-2/#respond Fri, 27 Oct 2023 16:27:09 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=14874

LAMBERT VS. LAMBERT: OVER HIS DEAD BODY

| 2023  –  4 x 52′  – Series – Documentary
Created by by: Élodie Buzuel.
Directed by: Élodie Buzuel, Vincent Trisolini.
Official Selection TAFFF 2023.
In French with English subtitles.
A Disney+/HULU release. |

On July 11, 2019, Vincent Lambert passed away at the Hospital of Reims. It was the final act in an 11-year family, medical, legal, political and media saga that took numerous improbable twists and turns, and continued right up until the eve of his death. The story began with a relatively commonplace automobile accident in 2008, which left the 32-year-old nurse in a persistent vegetative state. Lambert vs. Lambert follows the protracted legal battle between the man’s wife and other members of his family, who used the courts to block any medically-assisted end-of-life resolution. Tremendously well-known in France, the case drew extensive media coverage in a Catholic country where euthanasia remains an extremely sensitive issue. How did the debate over one man’s life upend an entire society’s relationship to the question of life and death?

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