It Must Be Heaven

June 20, 2021

20 JUNE 2021

Palestinian Comedy

It Must Be Heaven

Elia Suleiman’s whimsical feature in cinemas NOW!

Dir: Elia Suleiman

Elia Sulieman escapes from Palestine seeking an alternative homeland, only to find that Palestine is trailing behind him. The promise of a new life turns into a comedy of errors: however far he travels, from Paris to New York, something always reminds him of home.

Cast: Elia Suleiman, Tarik Kopty, Kareem Ghneim
2019 | France, Canada, Palestine, Turkey | 97 mins | English and French with English subtitles.

Special mention: Cannes Film Festival (2019).

Reviews

“Stylishly made with a distinctive signature.”
“For Suleiman, comedy is a kind of rhetorical non-violence…it points you in the direction of a political situation…”
The Guardian

Watch the trailer on YouTube

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Mandabi

June 12, 2021

FROM 12 JUNE 2021

New release to hit UK cinemas this week

Hitting the big screen this weekend is the 4K restoration of Ousmane Sembène’s 1968 feature film, Mandabi.

The first feature film to be made in an African language, Mandabi fulfilled Sembène’s dream “to restore Africa’s stories to Africans”. Set in Dakar, it tells the story of Ibrahima (Makhouredia Gueye) and the transformative effect that a 25,000 Franc money order from his nephew in Paris has on his fortunes.

Winner of the Grand Jury prize at the Venice Film Festival, Mandabi is screening in selected cinemas across the UK. We hope you enjoy the film.

Mandabi

Screening now in selected cinemas across the UK

Dir Ousmane Sembène

Synopsis

A money order from his nephew in Paris throws the head of a family in Dakar into disarray. News spreads quickly and he magnanimously responds to pleas for hand-outs from neighbours, family members, fraudsters and artists. But to cash in the actual money order he needs an identity card and to get it he needs a birth certificate and for that he needs another document….

What the critics say

“Rich in detail, a feast for the eyes and ears.“
The New York Times

Watch the trailer on YouTube

Credits

Dir Ousmane Sembène
Cast Ynousse N’diaye, Mouss Diouf, Makhouredia Gueye, Moustapha Toure
1968 | Senegal, France | 90 mins | Wolof and French with English subtitles.

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4 June New Releases

June 5, 2021

FROM 5 JUNE 2021

New releases to hit UK cinemas

With cinemas opening up across the UK, we wanted to let you know about two new releases that have just hit the big screen.

First up is Aleem Khan’s immensely moving debut feature, After Love, with a compelling lead performance from Joanna Scanlan. She plays a widow who discovers a secret from her husband’s past, leading her to cross the English Channel to Calais. The film received its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival.

Festival favourite, Isabelle Huppert, stars in the second of this week’s films, Frankie. Drama unfolds as the family and friends of a celebrated actress (Huppert) gather together in the stunningly beautiful town of Sintra. She starred in one of the hits of the 2020 French Film Festival, Jean-Paul Salomé’s comedy Mama Weed.

Both films are screening in cinemas across the UK – we hope you enjoy them.

After Love / After Love

Screening now in cinemas across the UK

Synopsis

Mary Hussain (Joanna Scanlan), who converted to Islam when she married and is now in her early 60s, lives quietly with her husband Ahmed. Following his unexpected death, she suddenly finds herself a widow. A day after the burial, she discovers that Ahmed had a secret life just 21 miles away from their Dover home, across the Channel in Calais.

Watch an introduction to the trailer by FFF Director Richard Mowe

What the critics say

“Joanna Scanlan delivers a powerhouse performance in this pensive debut by Aleem Khan”
Screen Daily

Credits

Dir Aleem Khan
Cast Joanna Scanlan, Nathalie Richard, Talid Ariss
2020 | UK, France | 89 mins | English and French with English subtitles.

Find out where it’s screening

Frankie / Frankie

Screening now in cinemas across the UK

Synopsis

Unfolding over the course of a late summer’s day in the stunningly beautiful Portuguese town of Sintra, the wonderful new film from acclaimed director Ira Sachs follows a family that has gathered for a holiday organised by family matriarch Frankie (Isabelle Huppert).

Watch the trailer

What the critics say

“Made with immaculate craftsmanship”
Variety

Credits

Dir Ira Sachs
Cast Isabelle Huppert, Brendan Gleeson, Marisa Tomei
2019 | France, Portugal | 98 mins | English and French with English subtitles.

Find out where it’s screening

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Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival Is Back

June 2, 2021

FROM 2 JUNE 2021

Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival is back this weekend

The Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival returns this weekend with a varied programme of films – their first physical screenings of 2021.

Included in the line-up is Victor García León’s Award nominee, The Europeans. Starring French actress Stéphane Caillard, it’s a romantic comedy set in Spain in the 1950s. The film will be introduced by ESFF curator Marian A. Aréchaga.

The screenings take place at the Odeon Cinema on Lothian Road with all tickets bookable through the Edinburgh Spanish Film Festival website.

We hope you enjoy the films.

CHECK OUT THE FULL PROGRAMME

Rosa’s Wedding / La Boda de Rosa

Screening on Friday 4 June (18:00)

+ Q&A with the director Icíar Bollaín

Synopsis

When Rosa decides to take charge of her own life, she will realize that her plans collide with the interests of her entire family. Getting married, even with herself, is going to be the hardest thing she’s ever done.

Watch the trailer

Festivals & Awards

Goya Awards (2020)
Best Supporting Actress (Nathalie Poza)
Best Song

Málaga Film Festival (2020)
Special Jury Award
Best Supporting Actress (Nathalie Poza)

Feroz Awards (2020)
Best Comedy

Credits

Dir Icíar Bollaín
Cast Candela Peña, Sergi López, Nathalie Poza, Paula Usero
2020 | Spain | 97 mins | Spanish with English subtitles.

BOOK YOUR TICKETS

Memories of my Father / Memorias de mi padre

Screening on Saturday 5 June (18:00)

Introduction by the Spanish General Consul
D. Ignacio Cartagena Núñez

Synopsis

The story is about a Colombian writer’s father, Héctor Abad Gómez, a doctor who promoted tolerance and human rights in his country. The writer exposes his feelings about his beloved father as he relates his family story and all the drama around the killing of his father. A moving film based on a book with the same title, it unfolds against the background of the violence related to political events in Colombia over the last three decades.

Watch the trailer

Festivals & Awards

Goya Awards (2020)
Best Iberoamerican Film

Credits

Dir Fernando Trueba
Cast Javier Cámara, Nicolás Reyes Cano, Juan Pablo Urrego
2020 | Spain | 136 mins | Spanish, Italian and English with English subtitles.

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The Europeans / Los Europeos

Screening on Sunday 6 June (16:00)

Introduction by ESFF Curator Marian A. Aréchaga

Synopsis

Spain at the end of the 50s. Miguel and Antonio, both single and in their early 30s, go on a trip to Ibiza, lured by the European sexual myth and the illusion of freedom. But on the island, nothing will be as they expected.

Watch the trailer

Festivals & Awards

Goya Awards (2020)
Nominee: Best Film

Feroz Awards (2020)
Best Supporting Actor (Juan Diego Botto)

Credits

Dir Víctor García León
Cast Juan Diego Botto, Raúl Arévalo, Stéphane Caillard
2020 | Spain | 89 mins | Spanish with English subtitles.

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June Cinema Selection from TV5MONDE

May 29, 2021

FROM 29 MAY 2021

June Cinema Selection from TV5MONDE

This June, TV5MONDE will be screening a selection of films by award-winning director Fabienne Godet. Here are some of the highlights.

Festival favourite Olivier Gourmet stars in Burnt Out on Sunday 6 June. He has appeared in several Festival films over the years, including De Gaulle and Cyrano My Love last year and Conviction in 2019.

All films will be available to watch on TV5MONDE live via their website, or via the new TV5MONDE Smart TV App for Samsung / Android / Amazon Fire TVs at their scheduled time, just like in the cinema – tune in at the scheduled time and sit back and enjoy the film. Catch up is also available via the TV5MONDE Smart TV App – just search in your TV App Store to find it.

In the meantime why not take a look at some of the other great content available for free from TV5MONDE, including news, TV drama and programmes aimed at younger audiences? We hope you enjoy the films.

WATCH TV5MONDE LIVE

Burnt Out / Sauf le respect que je vous dois

Screening on Sunday 6 June (20:00)

Synopsis

Aged 40, François has everything one could wish for; a family, a job, friends… But a tragic event at work will call into question the principles that govern his life. Will François be able to stir himself and refuse what he now regards as intolerable?

Watch the trailer

Credits

Dir Fabienne Godet
Cast Olivier Gourmet, Dominique Blanc, Julie Depardieu, Marion Cotillard
2005 | France | 90 mins | French with English subtitles.

My Greatest Escape / Ne me libérez pas, je m’en charge

Screening on Sunday 13 June (20:00)

Synopsis

A former hold-up man, Michel Vaujour has spent 27 years behind bars, 17 of them in solitary confinement. Longing for freedom, he has made five spectacular escapes. While this tumultuous lifestyle has often exposed him to the worst situations, it has also put him face to face with himself…

Watch the trailer

Awards

César Awards (2010)
Nominated: Best Documentary

Credits

Dir Fabienne Godet
2008 | France | 107 mins | French with English subtitles.

Our Wonderful Lives / Nos vies formidables

Screening on Sunday 20 June (20:00)

Synopsis

Thirty-two-year-old Margot has just arrived in a rehab centre where she meets Jérémy, Salomé, César, Sonia… They have nothing in common except an urgency to rebuild their lives and recreate the connection with others destroyed by addiction. Because there’s always a greater chance of recovering with others, than alone.

Watch the trailer

Credits

Dir Fabienne Godet
Cast Julie Moulier, Zoé Héran, Bruno Lochet, Françoise Pinkwasser
2017 | France | 117 mins | French with English subtitles.

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Films to watch on MUBI in June

May 27, 2021

French documentaries screening on MUBI

This week we take a look at some of the great documentaries which are coming up in June on MUBI – all by female directors. To give you some ideas we’ve picked our top four.

Included in the line-up, and screening from 12 June, is Callisto McNulty’s Delphine and Carole, which we showed during the 2019 Festival. It charts the creative collaboration between Delphine Seyrig and Carole Roussopoulos looking at the history of women’s rights and feminist filmmaking.

To watch, just log in to your MUBI account. If you don’t have one, sign up today and get MUBI free for the next three months.

We hope you enjoy the films.

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Letters Home / Letters Home

Available 6 June

Dir Chantal Akerman

Synopsis

Keeping the original theatrical mise-en-scene, the film features Delphine Seyrig and her niece Coralie Seyrig reciting poet Sylvia Plath’s letters to her mother directly to the audience as though we were the recipients of these private missives.

Watch the trailer

Credits

Director Chantal Akerman
1986 | Belgium, France | 104 mins | French with English subtitles.

WATCH IT FROM 6 JUNE

Delphine and Carole / Delphine et Carole, insoumuses

Available 12 June

Dir Callisto McNulty

Synopsis

The portrait of 1970s enchanted feminism, the film retraces the encounter between actress Delphine Seyrig and director Carole Roussopoulos in 1974, their creative and disruptive use of video, their radical actions and incisive humour.

Watch the trailer

Credits

Director Callisto McNulty
2018 | France, Switzerland | 70 mins | French with English subtitles.

WATCH IT FROM 12 JUNE

Be Pretty and Shut Up! / Sois belle et tais-toi!

Available 21 June

Dir Delphine Seyrig

Synopsis

In 1976, Delphine Seyrig asked 24 French and US actresses about their professional experiences as women, their roles and their relationships with directors. A sobering assessment of an industry that only awards parts based on clichés and stereotypes. Includes interviews with Jane Fonda, Jenny Agutter, Luce Guilbeault and Marie Dubois.

Watch the trailer

Credits

Director Delphine Seyrig
1981 | France | 111 mins | French with English subtitles.

WATCH IT FROM 21 JUNE

F.H.A.R / Le F.H.A.R (Front Homosexuel d’Action Révolutionnaire)

Available 21 June

Dir Carole Roussopoulos

Synopsis

First meetings and then participation of the FHAR (Front Homosexuel d’Action Révolutionnaire) in a public demonstration.

Watch the trailer

Credits

Director Carole Roussopoulos
1971 | France | 26 mins | French with English subtitles.

WATCH IT FROM 21 JUNE

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IFcinéma movie offering to discover online

May 22, 2021

FROM 8 MAY 2021

An IFcinéma movie offering to discover online

With the Cannes Film Festival taking place in July rather than in its traditional slot this month, IFcinéma à la carte are screening a selection of films from previous years. Here are some of the highlights.

Included in the line up is Mathieu Amalric’s tribute to the “dame en noir”, Barbara. Screening during the French Film Festival (as well as Cannes) in 2018, Jeanne Balibar takes on the double role of the celebrated singer and an actor playing her.

Also screening is Laurent Cantent’s The Workshop, which we screened at the 2017 Festival. Starring Marina Foïs, it deals with the topical subject of radicalism. It was shown at Cannes the same year.

They’re all available to watch for free until Thursday 10 June.

We hope you enjoy the films.

Barbara / Barbara

Dir Mathieu Amalric

Synopsis

Brigitte is preparing for the role of the famous French singer Barbara. The actress carefully studies the character, gestures, manners, and intonations. She learns the music scores, mimics her facial expression, but, as Brigitte does more and more of it, she gradually merges with the character.

Awards & Festivals

Cannes Film Festival (2017)
Official Selection

Credits

Dir Mathieu Amalric
Cast Jeanne Balibar, Mathieu Amalric
2017 | France | 107 mins | French with English subtitles.

WATCH IT NOW

Bird People / Bird People

Dir Pascale Ferran

Synopsis

In an airport hotel on the outskirts of Paris, a Silicon Valley engineer abruptly chucks his job, breaks things off with his wife, and holes up in his room. As fate draws him and a young French maid together, an audacious second-act surprise suddenly transforms César Award-winning director Pascale Ferran’s dark-tinged fairy-tale into something altogether richer, more beguiling, and utterly astonishing.

Awards & Festivals

Cannes Film Festival (2014)
Official Selection

Credits

Dir Pascale Ferran
Cast Josh Charles, Anaïs Demoustier
2014 | France | 128 mins | French with English subtitles.

WATCH IT NOW

Run / Run

Dir Philippe Lacote

Synopsis

Run is a runaway who has just killed the Prime Minister of his homeland. Disguised as a lunatic, he begins wandering across the city. He remembers his past through flashbacks: his childhood with Master Tourou when he was dreaming of becoming a rain-maker, his adventures with Gladys the eating champion and finally as a soldier at the heart of a political and military conflict in the Ivory Coast.

Awards & Festivals

Cannes Film Festival (2014)
Official Selection

Credits

Dir Philippe Lacote
Cast Abdoul Karim Konaté, Isaach De Bankolé, Reine Sali Coulibaly
2014 | France, Ivory Coast | 100 mins | French with English subtitles.

WATCH IT NOW

The Workshop / L’Atelier

Dir Laurent Cantet

Synopsis

Olivia, a well-known Parisian novelist, is running a creative writing workshop to help a group of seven young people integrate into the world of work. The backdrop is La Ciotat in the South of France, a coastal town hugely impacted by the shipyard closure 25 years earlier. Olivia is particularly intrigued with Antoine, a taciturn and not very sociable young man. Antoine makes writing suggestions the others consider shocking and becomes the “black sheep” of the group.

Awards & Festivals

Cannes Film Festival (2017)
Official Selection

Credits

Dir Laurent Cantet
Cast Marina Foïs, Matthieu Lucci
2017 | France | 114 mins | French with English subtitles.

WATCH IT NOW

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House of Cardin

May 14, 2021

FROM 14 MAY 2021

A fun, glamorous portrait
of the fashion designer

Blue Finch Films have just released House of Cardin, a documentary about iconic French fashion designer Pierre Cardin, who died in December 2020.

Directed by P. David Ebersole and Todd Hughes, it’s a rare peek into the mind of a genius, and documents how one man became a fashion empire. It features contributions from well known faces in the fashion world like Naomi Campbell and Jean-Paul Gaultier.

It’s available to rent online now. We hope you enjoy the film.

House of Cardin / House of Cardin

Dirs P. David Ebersole and Todd Hughes

Synopsis

Documentary. A rare peek into the mind of the design and business icon, Pierre Cardin. With exclusive access to archives and unprecedented interviews with fashion’s elite, House Of Cardin documents how one man became a fashion empire. Featuring contributions from Naomi Campbell, Sharon Stone, Alice Cooper, Dionne Warwick and Jean-Paul Gaultier.

What the critics say

“A deliciously entertaining and perceptive take on Cardin’s life.“
The Hollywood Reporter

Watch the trailer on YouTube

Credits

Dirs P. David Ebersole, Todd Hughes
Cast Pierre Cardin, Jean-Paul Gaultier, Philippe Starck
2019 | USA, France | 95 mins | English and French with English subtitles.

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May Cinema Selection from TV5MONDE

May 8, 2021

FROM 8 MAY 2021

May Cinema Selection from TV5MONDE

With the Cannes Film Festival now due to take place this July rather than in its traditional slot in May, TV5MONDE will be screening a selection of award-winning films from previous years. Here are some of the highlights.

Festival favourite Christophe Honoré’s Sorry Angel shows on Thursday 20 May. We first screened this foray into love and friendship during the 2018 Festival and Honoré himself was a guest with Beloved in 2011. The line-up also includes two films by Canadian director Xavier Dolan, who featured in the 2012 Festival with Laurence Anyways.

WATCH TV5MONDE LIVE

I Killed My Mother / J’ai tué ma mère

Screening on Sunday 16 May (20:00)

Dir Xavier Dolan

Synopsis

The conflicting love-hate relationship between a mother and her son.
In the prodigy director’s first film, a teenager loves his mother but can’t stand being her son. Her tastes and personality horrify him, as does her crass ignorance.

Awards

Cannes Film Festival (2009)
Directors’ Fortnight

Credits

Dir Xavier Dolan
Cast Xavier Dolan, Anne Dorval, Suzanne Clément
2009 | Canada | 96 mins | French with English subtitles.

Sorry Angel / Plaire, aimer et courir vite

Screening on Thursday 20 May (20:00)

Dir Christophe Honoré

Synopsis

By the time you learn to love yourself, it’s already too late.
In Paris in the 1990s, 22-year-old Arthur meets Jacques, a gay writer. This marks the beginning of a passionate relationship. But time is short because Jacques is dying of AIDS so a lifetime of love will have to be lived in the time they have…

Awards

Cannes Film Festival (2018)
Official Selection
Winner Louis-Delluc Prize

Credits

Dir Christophe Honoré
Cast Vincent Lacoste, Pierre Deladonchamps, Denis Podalydès
2018 | France | 132 mins | French with English subtitles.

Heartbeats / Les Amours imaginaires

Screening on Sunday 23 May (20:00)

Dir Xavier Dolan

Synopsis

Three is obviously one too many to be a couple.
Two friends in love with the same person engage in an unhealthy duel to win the object of their desires. Each obsessively interprets the ambiguous and destructive behaviours of the object of their desire.

Awards

Cannes Film Festival (2010)
Official selection – Un certain regard

Credits

Dir Xavier Dolan
Cast Monia Chokri, Niels Schneider, Xavier Dolan
2010 | Canada | 101 mins | English and French with English subtitles.

Sofia / Sofia

Screening on Sunday 30 May (20:00)

Dir Meryem Benm’Barek

Synopsis

When the victim is guilty.
After denying her pregnancy, a young Moroccan woman finds herself in the illegal situation of giving birth to a child out of wedlock. She has 24 hours to find a solution before the hospital alerts the authorities…

Awards

Cannes Film Festival (2018)
Winner Screenplay Award

Credits

Dir Meryem Benm’Barek
Cast Maha Alemi, Sarah Perles, Hamza Khafif
2018 | Belgium | 80 mins | French with English subtitles.

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Films to watch on MUBI in May

April 29, 2021

FROM 29 April 2021

Watch Award-winning French films from MUBI

This week we take a look at some of the great titles which are coming up in May on MUBI. To give you some ideas we’ve picked our top four, which are a mixture of documentaries, feature films, and shorts.

Included in the line-up is The Things of Life, based on a novel by Paul Guimard. Directed by previous Festival guest Claude Sautet, it circles around a car accident experienced by Pierre (Piccoli) and the events leading up to and after it.

To watch, just log in to your MUBI account. If you don’t have one, sign up today and get MUBI free for the next three months.

We hope you enjoy the films.

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Personal Shopper / Personal Shopper

Available 2 May

Dir Olivier Assayas

Synopsis

Maureen, mid-20s, is a personal shopper for a media celebrity. The job pays for her stay in Paris, a city she refuses to leave until she makes contact with the spirit of her twin brother who died there. Her life becomes more complicated when strange anonymous text messages start appearing on her phone.

Awards

Cannes Film Festival (2016)
Winner: Best Director

Watch the trailer

Credits

Director Olivier Assayas
Cast Kristen Stewart, Lars Eidinger, Sigrid Bouaziz, Anders Danielsen Lie
2016 | France, Germany | English | 106 mins

WATCH IT FROM 2 MAY

Henri-Georges Clouzot’s Inferno / L’enfer d’Henri-Georges Clouzot

Available 3 May

Dirs Serge Bromberg & Ruxandra Medreau

Synopsis

Documentary. In 1964, Henri-Georges Clouzot’s production of L’Enfer starring Romy Schneider came to a sudden halt after only three weeks. The initial footage was forgotten about for over fifty years till film archivist Serge Bromberg uncovered a treasure trove of breathtaking imagery, and from it tells us of what would have been a unique film.

Watch the trailer

Credits

Directors Serge Bromberg & Ruxandra Medrea
2009 | France | French with English subtitles | 100 mins.

WATCH IT FROM 3 MAY

The Things of Life / Les Choses de la vie

Available 17 May

Dir Claude Sautet

Synopsis

In the aftermath of a violent car crash, as Pierre lies semi-conscious beside the burning wreckage of his car, his life flashes before his eyes – specifically, his complex entanglement with two very different women: his dutiful, long-suffering wife and his adoring, free-spirited mistress.

Watch the trailer

Credits

Director Claude Sautet
Cast Michel Piccoli, Romy Schneider
1970 | France, Italy | French with English subtitles | 81 mins.

WATCH IT FROM 17 MAY

Tender / Tendre

Available 26 May

Dir Isabel Pagliai

Synopsis

Documentary. On a hot summer day by a small lake, 11-year-old Mia asks Hugo, 15, to tell her about his love story with Chaïnes. Despite his reluctance, memories of evenings spend with her at the edge of the lake a few months earlier come flooding back.

Awards

IndieLisboa International Independent Film Festival (2020)
Winner, Short Film Grand Prize

Watch the trailer

Credits

Director Isabel Pagliai
2020 | France | French with English subtitles | 43 mins.

WATCH IT FROM 26 MAY

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