A sweeping period drama, Jeanne du Barry covers the rise and fall of the eponymous mistress to a former French king. The real Jeanne du Barry was born Jeanne Bécu in 1743; the illegitimate daughter of a monk and a cook, brought up by her mother. In the film, Jeanne’s (Maïwenn) road to the king’s…
– The Taste of Things – Only in cinemas from 2 May 2024 We have 5 double in-season passes thanks to Rialto Distribution. *(Tickets valid in Australia only)* Watch the trailer HERE Eugenie, an esteemed cook, has been working for over the last 20 years for Dodin, a fine gourmet. Growing fonder of one another,…
Wim Wenders’ (Paris, Texas) new film Perfect Days is a gently paced minimalist drama from the revered German filmmaker. Set in Japan, it reveals his great appreciation for Japan, its culture and traditions. A German/Japanese co-production Perfect Days was nominated for an Oscar, becoming the first Japanese-language film not directed by a Japanese filmmaker to…
Two teenage boys from Dakar in Senegal dream of moving to Europe to pursue a music career in Io Capitano. This harrowing drama is from Italian filmmaker Matteo Garrone, who in 2008 gave us the hard-hitting Mafia drama Gomorrah. Written by Garrone, Massimo Gaudiosio, Massimo Checcherini and Andrea Tagliaferri, the film has been largely inspired…
– Io Capitano – Only in cinemas from 28 March 2024 We have 5 double in-season passes thanks to Rialto Distribution. *(Tickets valid in Australia only)* Watch the trailer HERE IO CAPITANO (ME CAPTAIN) tells the adventurous journey of two young men, Seydou and Moussa, who leave Dakar to reach Europe. A contemporary Odyssey through…
The Alliance Française French Film Festival feels like a cultural institution in Australia. But it might be somewhat surprising to learn this is the largest celebration of French cinema outside of France. And even more impressively, this year marks 35 years of the festival bringing the best in French film Down Under. The 2024 edition,…
Birds chirp on a summer’s day. Families enjoy a picnic by a stream. A woman tends to beautiful flowers in her garden… Welcome to the most disturbing film of the year. British filmmaker Jonathan Glazer (probably best known for Under the Skin starring Scarlett Johansson) goes where few have dared to tread in The Zone…
The latest film from Finnish auteur Aki Kaurismaki is Fallen Leaves, a deceptively simple and quirky rom-com about two-star crossed lovers in Helsinki. Two lonely down-on-their-luck, working class people meet at a karaoke bar. But they find the path to making a connection and maybe finding happiness is not smooth sailing. Holappa (Jussi Vatanen) is…
Opposites attract, repel, and attract again in the French comedy Two Tickets to Greece. In 1989, brash teenager Magalie and conservative Blandine were besties at school. An argument over a boy saw an end to that and Magalie moved away. Now, three decades on and two years after her husband left her, radiology technician Blandine…
Although out of favour in the US, Woody Allen is still a revered filmmaker in France. So fittingly enough, his fiftieth film as a director is actually set and shot in France. And, surprisingly enough, the dialogue is in French, with subtitles. Coup de Chance (Stroke of Luck) also turns out to be one of…
