Published on 29/10/2024
7 DAYS UNTIL THE 30TH EDITION !
Next week, we are thrilled to kick off the 30th edition of CINEMANIA and celebrate the best in Francophone cinema over 12 days. Featuring 120 premiere films, 4 galas, around 20 events including CINEMANIA Pro, exhibitions showcasing the Country of Honor, and over 150 guests from around the world... In short, the best of Francophone cinema gathered for two weeks in Montreal.
CINEMANIA has selected ten must-see films from the Official Selection of its 30th edition to help you navigate and make the most of our rich cinematic lineup, featuring 120 films !
By Max Mauroux (North American Premiere)
Synopsis: Two friends enjoying life in the Arcachon Bay area decide to reinvent themselves as entrepreneurs and take over a local grocery store, turning it into a headquarters for nighttime dealings—until the police get involved. The director brings in comedy queen Marie-Anne Chazel (from Les Bronzés) for his ensemble cast, a playful nod to his own close-knit group of friends featured in the film. This comedy also serves as a window into a dystopian vision of ultra-connected and ultra-stylish Gen Z, throwing a cheeky jab at ageism and blending the humor of Splendid and Fifi troupes.
Starring Marley Duboscq, Joseph Pierre
France · 2024 · 1h22 · French with English subtitles
By Gaël Morel (North American Premiere)
Synopsis: France, 1990. A trendy photographer immersed in Paris’s queer underground scene (Victor Belmondo), known for his casual flings, meets his new neighbor (Théo Christine) and falls deeply in love. Gaël Morel reinvents the love triangle in a style reminiscent of François Truffaut, with Lou Lampros as the Jeanne Moreau figure, anchoring two passionate relationships. This film serves as a poignant tribute to the pre-antiretroviral AIDS generation, to which the director himself belongs, and celebrates love—every form of love—free from the struggle for the right to live it.
Starring Victor Belmondo, Lou Lampros, Théo Christine
France · 2024 · 1h49 · French with English subtitles
By Frédéric Farrucci (North American Premiere)
Synopsis: Joseph, one of the last coastal shepherds in Corsica, finds his land targeted by the mob for a real estate project. He refuses to yield. When he kills the man sent to intimidate him, who happens to be the mob boss’s son, he becomes the target of a ruthless manhunt in the heat of summer. As days pass, Joseph’s legend—symbolizing a seemingly impossible resistance—spreads. Director of La Nuit venue (2020), Frédéric Farrucci presents the struggle of a shepherd against the mafia, using a political lens to powerfully address Corsica’s societal conflicts. Shot in Cinemascope, the classic format of most Westerns since the 1950s.
Starring Alexis Manenti, Mara Taquin, Théo Frimigacci
France (Corsica) · 2024 · 1h27 · French with original French version (VOF)
By Jorge Cebrián
Synopsis: This is the little-known story of an extraordinary, highly charismatic adventurer born in 1900 in Tsarist Russia. A member of the nobility, Boris Skossyreff was a Nazi collaborator, an 'assistant' to the Queen of the Netherlands, but above all, the self-proclaimed king of the Principality of Andorra in 1934, soon expelled by French and Spanish authorities. Involved in major 20th-century conflicts from which he always emerged unscathed, this enigmatic man was, in reality, a professional con artist and forger, as well as a gigolo and organizer of orgies. This unique documentary is based on a fascinating investigation conducted over more than a decade, in collaboration with an international team of historians and consultants.
Andorra · 2024 · Documentary · 1h40 · Original French Version (VOF)
By Eric Lamhène
Synopsis: A victim of domestic violence, Emma finds herself needing to join a women’s shelter where, after a few difficult days of adjustment, she begins forming friendships. The strength of the group gradually helps her move beyond her status as a victim, offering a glimpse of a better future... A powerful debut film addressing violence against women, and especially the vital role of support facilities for those in vulnerable situations. Eric Lamhène (co-creator of the Luxembourgish series Capitani) draws on real testimonies, approaching the subject with a delicate and respectful distance. Produced by Claude Waringo (Les Dernières Cendres, Superjhemp Retörns, Une liaison pornographique).
Starring Carla Juri, Véronique Tshanda Beya
Luxembourg, Belgium · 2024 · 1h41 · French with English subtitles
by Zabou Breitman and Florent Vassault
Actor-director Zabou Breitman (The Swallows of Kabul, Remember the Beautiful Things) embarks on an unusual adventure: imagining the life of a boy found in an old photo within an album bought at a flea market. These are the images and memories of an unknown family, yet one that feels strangely familiar. At the center: this boy, with a gaze so gentle, sad, and joyful all at once. Who is he? What is his real story, the one read between the lines? What if every person was also the unwitting hero of a tale? A dizzying family investigation where reality and fiction intertwine until they sometimes become indistinguishable. Crafted alongside editor Florent Vassault.
Starring Damien Sobieraff, Nicolas Avinée, Isabelle Nanty, François Berléand
France · 2024 · 1h38 · Original French Version (VOF)
by Julien Colonna
Synopsis: Corsica, 1995. Lesia is a teenager whose father is a central figure among Corsican independence fighters. As war breaks out, the net tightens around their clan. Thus begins a journey on the run, where father and daughter will learn to see, understand, and love each other. When asked about the meaning of the title of his debut feature, Julien Colonna replies: 'The Kingdom as the territory for which one fights—whether against people of the same nation or others. The Kingdom because fathers are seen as kings by their children, until they die and are replaced. The imaginary Kingdom, made of memories, feelings, the one for which we alone hold the keys…'
Starring Ghjuvanna Benedetti, Saveriu Santucci
France (Corsica) · 2024 · 1h51 · French with English subtitles
by Antoine Chevrollier
Synopsis: A chronicle of the friendship between Jojo and Willy in the rural landscapes of Maine-et-Loire. Jojo, under the control of an authoritarian father, is training for a motocross championship, while Willy prepares for his exams, trying to overcome a reserved adolescence and the grief of his father's passing. A heavy secret revealed will put their friendship to the test. Antoine Chevrollier captures adolescence so authentically it sometimes feels like a vérité documentary, driven by a story that avoids clichés and surprises, both in character development and in its portrayal of unbreakable friendship. A contemporary Dead Poets Society that captivated the latest Cannes Critics’ Week.
Starring Sayyid El Alami, Damien Bonnard, Amaury Foucher
France · 2024 · 1h45 · French with English subtitles
by Leila Albayaty
Synopsis: After an accident-induced amnesia, Leila, an artist of Iraqi descent, begins reconstructing her history by delving into her roots. She learns Arabic, interprets her exiled Iraqi father’s poetry, and immerses herself in stories of the Gulf War. It’s the odyssey of a woman who sings her story to reinvent herself. A poetic work, distinctive in its use of music and its blend of intimacy and geopolitical scope. Leila Albayaty (Berlin Telegram) invites viewers to understand Iraq, this 'other world' where she found her family's love, but also the violence of a society ravaged by years of dictatorship, war, and sanctions.
by Thierry De Peretti
Synopsis: Chronicles the passionate love affair between Antonia, a press photographer, and a Corsican independence activist in a romantic, political, and historical epic set during one of the island's most turbulent periods in the late 20th century. Thierry de Peretti continues to delve into political thrillers, this time weaving in the complexities of a love affair and an exploration of field journalism, based on a work by writer Jérôme Ferrari. The sensitive Corsican subject matter is rarely addressed in Francophone cinema, but the lack of bias allows Ferrari’s story, visualized by de Peretti, to become an apolitical symbol of a disenchanted generation.
Starring Clara-Maria Laredo, Marc’Antonu Mozziconacci, Thierry de Peretti
France (Corsica) · 2024 · 1h53 · Original French Version (VOF)