Music & Dance – The American French Film Festival in Los Angeles https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org The American French Film Festival in Los Angeles Sat, 25 Jan 2025 03:40:34 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.7.1 SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D’ETAT https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/soundtrack-to-a-coup-detat/ https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/soundtrack-to-a-coup-detat/#respond Sat, 25 Jan 2025 03:31:40 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=21113

SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D’ETAT

| 2024 – 150′ – A France/Belgium/Netherlands co-production – Documentary, Music & Dance,
Written by: Johan Grimonprez.
Directed by: Johan Grimonprez.
Starring: Louis Armstrong, Andrée Blouin, John Coltrane, Dizzy Gillespie, Abbey Lincoln, Patrice Lumumba,
Nina Simone, Malcolm X.
Official Selection Sundance Film Festival 2024. Oscar Nominee for Best Documentary Feature Film 2025.
In English, in French, Dutch & Russian with English subtitles.
A Kino Lorber release. |

United Nations, 1960: the Global South ignites a political earthquake, jazz musicians Abbey Lincoln and Max Roach crash the Security Council, Nikita Khrushchev bangs his shoe, and the U.S. State Department swings into action, sending jazz ambassador Louis Armstrong to Congo to deflect attention from the CIA-backed coup. Director Johan Grimonprez captures the moment when African politics and American jazz collided in this magnificent essay film, a riveting historical rollercoaster that illuminates the political machinations behind the 1961 assassination of Congo’s leader Patrice Lumumba. Richly illustrated by eyewitness accounts, official government memos, testimonies from mercenaries and CIA operatives, speeches from Lumumba himself, and a veritable canon of jazz icons, Soundtrack to a Coup d’Etat interrogates colonial history to tell an urgent and timely story of precedent that resonates more than ever in today’s geopolitical climate.

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]]> https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/soundtrack-to-a-coup-detat/feed/ 0 L’OPÉRA https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/lopera/ Mon, 13 Jan 2025 19:18:51 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=20877

L’OPÉRA

| 2021 – 8 x 45′ – Season 1 – Series – Drama, Music & Dance.
Created by: Cécile Ducrocq, Benjamin Adams.
Written by: Cécile Ducrocq, Benjamin Adams, Simon Jablonka.
Directed by:Stéphane Demoustier, Cécile Ducrocq, Inti Calfat, Dirk Verheye, Laïla Marrakchi.
Starring: Ariane Labed, Suzy Bemba, Raphaël Personnaz, Damien Chapelle, Loris Freeman, Audrey Gorlenko, Maud Jurez, Sarah Le Picard, Brigitte Sy.
Official Competition COLCOA 2021 (Winner Best Series Award).
In French with English subtitles.
A Sundance Now / AMC+ release. |

L’Opéra plunges us into the ultra-romantic universe of the Opéra de Paris, that mythic temple of classical dance ensconced in the glittering Palais Garnier.  But this behind-the-scenes intrigue goes far beyond tutus and stardust, to reveal the dark underbelly of that monolithic icon, as we follow the paths of three of its protagonists — Zoé, an aging prima ballerina with a decadent lifestyle, who is suddenly threatened with expulsion; Flora, an aspiring young Black dancer eager to break into that venerable, often-impenetrable, universe; and Sébastien, the company’s ruthlessly ambitious new Dance Director, desperate to prove himself.  With equal parts sumptuous homage and social commentary, The Opera takes a deep dive into the cut-throat politics behind a major cultural institution.

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]]> ROUND MIDNIGHT https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/round-midnight/ https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/round-midnight/#comments Mon, 12 Aug 2024 15:55:50 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=17606

ROUND MIDNIGHT

| 1986 – 130′ –  Drama, Classic, Music & Dance.
Written by: Bertrand Tavernier, David Rayfield.
Directed by: Bertrand Tavernier.
Starring: François Cluzet, Dexter Gordon, Gabrielle Hacker, Sandra Reaves-Philipps, Christine Pascal, Herbie Hancock, Lonette McKee, Liliane Rovère, Martin Scorsese, Ged Marlon, John Berry, Philippe Noiret, Eddy Mitchell.
Official selection Venice International Film Festival. Winner of two César Awards for Best Sound and Best Original Score (Herbie Hancock). Academy Award Nomination for Best Actor (Dexter Gordon).
In English.
A Warner Bros release. |

 

In the 1950s, Dale Turner (Dexter Gordon), a gifted black saxophonist with a drinking problem, leaves behind New York and his estranged family and relocates to Paris. There he plays for a progressive, jazz-loving audience without being judged by his race, and ages quietly in peace. Not intending to turn away from his vices, Dale nonetheless becomes the project of a French fan (François Cluzet) who tries to help him fight his alcoholism, ultimately inspiring both Dale and his music.

 

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]]> https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/round-midnight/feed/ 1 ALL THE MORNINGS OF THE WORLD https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/all-the-mornings-of-the-world/ https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/all-the-mornings-of-the-world/#comments Mon, 05 Aug 2024 20:15:44 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=17540

ALL THE MORNINGS OF THE WORLD

| 1992 – 115′ – Drama, Classic, Music & Dance, Biopic.
Written by: Alain Corneau.
Directed by: Alain Corneau.
Starring: Gérard Depardieu, Jean-Pierre Marielle, Anne Brochet, Guillaume Depardieu, Carole Richert, Caroline Sihol, Michel Bouquet, Myriam Boyer.
Official Selection Berlin International Film Festival 1991. Seven César Awards 1992 winner including Best Film, Best Director, Best Supporting Actress (Anne Brochet) and Best Cinematography.
In French with English subtitles.
An Entertainment One release. |

France, late 17th century. The viola da gamba player Monsieur de Sainte Colombe comes home to find that his wife died while he was away. In his grief he builds a small house in his garden into which he moves to dedicate his life to music and his two young daughters Madeleine and Toinette, avoiding the outside world. Rumor about him and his music is widespread, and even reaches to the court of Louis XIV, who wants him at his court in Lully’s orchestra, but Monsieur de Sainte Colombe refuses. One day a young man, Marin Marais, comes to see him with a request: he wants to be taught how to play the viol. A provocative tale of romance, lust, desire and devotion. One of the most celebrated motion pictures ever to explore the art of music. 

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]]> https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/all-the-mornings-of-the-world/feed/ 2 THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/the-young-girls-of-rochefort/ https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/the-young-girls-of-rochefort/#respond Mon, 29 Jul 2024 18:58:19 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=17437

THE YOUNG GIRLS OF ROCHEFORT

| 1967 – 125′ – Music & Dance, Classic, Romance.
Written by: Jacques Demy.
Directed by: Jacques Demy.
Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Françoise Dorléac, Danielle Darrieux, Gene Kelly, George Chakiris, Michel Piccoli, Jacques Perrin, Henri Crémieux.
In French with English subtitles.
A The Criterion Collection release. |

After The Umbrellas of Cherbourg, writer/director Jacques Demy followed up his collaboration with composer Michel Legrand with another musical about missed connections and second chances, this one a more effervescent confection. Twins Delphine and Solange, a dance instructor and a music teacher (played by real-life sisters Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac), dream of big-city life; when a fair comes through their quiet port town, so does the possibility of escape.

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]]> https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/the-young-girls-of-rochefort/feed/ 0 THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/the-umbrellas-of-cherbourg/ https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/the-umbrellas-of-cherbourg/#comments Sat, 27 Jul 2024 00:17:37 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=17412

THE UMBRELLAS OF CHERBOURG

| 1964 – 91′ – Music & Dance, Classic, Romance.
Written by: Jacques Demy.
Directed by: Jacques Demy.
Starring: Catherine Deneuve, Nino Castelnuovo, Anne Vernon, Mireille Perret, Marc Michel, Ellen Farner, Jean Champion, Pierre Caden.
Four Oscar Nominations (1966).
In French with English subtitles.
A The Criterion Collection release. |

Geneviève, a beautiful young French woman who works at a small-town boutique selling umbrellas, falls for dashing mechanic Guy (Nino Castelnuovo). Their brief romance is interrupted when Guy is drafted to serve in the Algerian War. Though pregnant by Guy, Geneviève marries an older businessman, Roland (Marc Michel), and begins to move on with her life. Throughout the musical film, all the characters’ dialogue is conveyed through song. An angelically beautiful Catherine Deneuve was launched to stardom by this dazzling musical heart-tugger from Jacques Demy. Exquisitely designed in a kaleidoscope of colors, and told entirely through the lilting songs of the great composer Michel Legrand, The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is one of the most revered and unorthodox movie musicals of all time.

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]]> https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/the-umbrellas-of-cherbourg/feed/ 1 THE CONCERT https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/the-concert/ https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/the-concert/#comments Fri, 26 Jul 2024 16:05:36 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=17403

THE CONCERT

| 2010 – 120′ – Comedy Drama, Music & Dance.
Written by: Radu Mihaileanu, Alain-Michel Blanc, Thierry Degrandi, Héctor Cabello Reyes.
Directed by: Radu Mihaileanu.
Starring: Aleksei Guskov, Mélanie Laurent, Dimitry Nazarov, François Berléand, Valeri Barinov, Miou-Miou, Lionel Abelanski, Alexander
Komissarov, Guillaume Gallienne.
Five César Awards Nomination including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay. Golden Globes Nomination for Best International Feature 2011.
Official Competition COLCOA 2010.
In French with English subtitles.
A Lionsgate release. |

During the Brezhnev era, Andrei Filipov was the greatest conductor in the Soviet Union and he directed the famous Bolshoi Orchestra. But after refusing to abandon his Jewish musicians, including his best friend Sacha, he was fired at the height of his glory. Thirty years later, he is still working at the Bolshoi, but… as a cleaner. One evening, when Andrei has stayed late to polish the director’s desk, he comes across a fax addressed to the Bolshoi management: it is an invitation from the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris for the orchestra to come and perform there. Suddenly, Andrei has a crazy idea: why not bring together his old musician friends, who now get by doing menial work, and take them to Paris, passing them off as the Bolshoi Orchestra? It is the long-awaited occasion for them to at last get their revenge.

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]]> https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/the-concert/feed/ 4 CLIMAX https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/climax/ https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/climax/#respond Fri, 21 Jun 2024 15:12:17 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=17072

CLIMAX

| 2019 – 95′ – Drama, Horror, Music & Dance.
Written by: Gaspar Noé.
Directed by: Gaspar Noé.
Starring: Sofia Boutella, Romain Guillermic, Souheila Yacoub, Kiddy Smile, Claude-Emmanuelle Gajan Maull, Giselle Palmer, Taylor Kastle,Thea Carla Schøtt.
Official Selections: Director’s Fortnight Cannes 2018 (Winner Art Cinema Award), Toronto International Film Festival 2018.
In French with English subtitles. 17+.
An A24 release. |

 

When members of a dance troupe are lured to an empty school, drug-laced sangria causes their jubilant rehearsal to descend into a dark and explosive nightmare as they try to survive the night — and find out who’s responsible — before it’s too late.

 

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]]> https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/climax/feed/ 0 DJANGO https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/django/ https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/django/#respond Fri, 07 Jun 2024 17:17:45 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=16863

DJANGO

| 2018 – 115′ – Biopic, Drama, War, Music & Dance.
Written by: Alexis Salatko, Etienne Comar.
Directed by: Etienne Comar.
Starring: Reda Kateb, Cécile de France, Bea Palya, Bimbam Merstein, Gabriel Mirété, Patrick Mille, Alex Brendemühl, Jan Henrik Stahlberg.
Official Selections: Berlin International Film Festival 2017 (Opening Film), Rendez-Vous With French Cinema in New York 2017. Nomination César Award 2018 for Best Actor (Reda Kateb).
In French with English subtitles.
An Under The Milky Way release. |

Paris, 1943. During the German Occupation, gypsy Django Reinhardt, a true hero of the guitar, is at the peak of his career. Every night he has Paris reeling to his swing music at the Folies Bergères, while his gypsy brethren are hunted down and massacred throughout Europe. When the German propaganda ministry wants to send him to Berlin for a series of concerts, he senses imminent danger and decides to flee to Switzerland with the help of one of his admirers, Louise de Klerk. He travels to Thonon-les-Bains, on the bank of Lake Geneva, with his pregnant wife Naguine and his mother Negros. But their escape is more complicated than anticipated. The three of them end up plunged into the turmoil of World War 2. During these difficult times, Django Reinhardt remained an exceptional performer and composer, who resisted with his art and his sense of humor, constantly seeking a form of musical perfection.

]]> https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/django/feed/ 0 EMILIA PEREZ https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/emilia-perez-2/ https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/emilia-perez-2/#comments Mon, 27 May 2024 00:46:07 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=16674

EMILIA PEREZ

| 2024 – 132′ – Drama, Thriller, Comedy, Musical, Music & Dance.
Written by: Jacques Audiard.
Directed by: Jacques Audiard.
Starring: Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldana, Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, Édgar Ramírez, Mark Ivanir.
Winner 4 Golden Globes 2025. French Official Selection for the 97th Academy Awards. 13 Oscar Nominations including Best Film, Best Director, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Score. Official Competition Cannes International Film Festival 2024 (Winner Jury Prize, Best Actress Prize for female ensemble).
Official Competition TAFFF 2024 (Opening Film).
In Spanish with English subtitles.
A Netflix release. |

From renegade auteur Jacques Audiard comes Emilia Pérez, an audacious fever dream that defies genres and expectations. Through liberating song and dance and bold visuals, this odyssey follows the journey of four remarkable women in Mexico, each pursuing their own happiness. The fearsome cartel leader Emilia (Karla Sofía Gascón) enlists Rita (Zoe Saldaña), an unappreciated lawyer stuck in a dead-end job, to help fake her death so that Emilia can finally live authentically as her true self. Written and directed by Audiard (Rust and Bone, A Prophet), the double Cannes-winning film also stars Selena Gomez, Adriana Paz, and Edgar Ramírez.

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