France

Synopsis:
Born in a decade of political turmoil, La Chinoise has become a cinematic marker for the significant historical events that surrounded its creation. Five Parisian students, their political awareness aroused by Chairman Mao’s Little Red Book and the Chinese Cultural Revolution, envision an overthrow of Western governmental systems – which they aim to bring about through acts of terrorism. One of Godard’s most brilliant films of the 60s, its success lies in the rejection of traditional narrative techniques: it is a dialectical charade which is as disturbing as it is comical. Though criticised in its day as a political manipulation, La Chinoise has proven alarmingly prophetic and its impact on audiences during the late 60s is echoed amongst viewers today.Read More »

A group of young Nigerians leave the savannah to work in the Ivory Coast. They end up in Treichville, a poor quarter of Abidjan, lost and rootless in modern civilisation. The hero, who narrates his own story, calls himself Edward J. Robinson in homage to the American actor. Like him, his friends have adopted pseudonyms intended to create, symbolically, an ideal personality.Read More »

IMDB:
When a boy is the victim of his over-protective mother, he leaves his home at night in search of female victims. When he meets a young girl who is a petty thief, he mistreats her and she falls in love with him.Read More »

This ultimate masterpiece is set in the far future where a young man, bored by his surroundings, blasts off into space with only his cat and some robots for company. On a distant planet he discovers a serene, tranquil culture and falls in love with a girl. The story follows his problems adjusting to their sociological standards and customs where family units are comprised of sexual groups of eight people.Read More »

Synopsis:
‘Recently appointed a magistrate, Jacques Arnaud arrives in Lancourt, a small provincial town which is under the control of Boussard, an scrupulous businessman. Arnaud’s first client is Dutoit, who rears German sheep dogs for a living. Dutoit reports that someone has been poisoning his dogs. Could it be the same person who has recently broken into his house to steal a black file drawn up by his friend Le Guen just before he died, a file that implicates Boussard in fraudulent speculation? Suspicious, Arnaud begins by exhuming le Guen’s body; the autopsy reveals the presence of arsenic…
-James Travers’Read More »

Quote:
An American film-star and an unknown British actress meet on set in Rome. She is angry when he refuses to speak to her journalist father, but later they have a passionate relationship. Written by Michael Crew

Quote:
This film examines relationships at all levels, mother/daughter, father/daughter, man/wife, lovers, friends. (Jane Steiner) has learned through her mother (Julia) how to go after what you want in life, to ‘live’. (Michael) is the best friend who honors friendship at any price. Living in three worlds: Imaginary, Family Man, and Desire, (Steve Elliot) doesn’t seem to know which one he really belongs to. Self examination and Discovery are for the taking with each character. Written by D.B.SteinsheimRead More »

Plot: Lost in the land of dreams after following a white rabbit, Alice knows extraordinary adventures with talking animals and plays cards with the terrible Queen of Heart.

Comments: five years after UBU, Jean -Christophe AVERTY proposed an adaptation of the novel by CARROLL LEWIS, in a frenzy of electronic tricks mixing inlays, collages of images and cartoons, and insisting on the absurd side of this classic children’s literature. “ALICE IN WONDERLAND” explained Jean- CHRISTOPHE AVERTY, “is a masterpiece of nonsense and pre-surrealism.”Read More »

IMDB:
After studying medicine in France ,David comes back to his native Gabon to treat his compatriots.He meets Oyana ,his former sweetheart ,and both laugh at the old-fashioned traditions .The young physician is sent to the bush where he is to vaccinate the somewhat reluctant population.He meets Rispal, a white man who tells him there are things he ignores in his own country where legends ,witches and superstitions abound.Most amazing thing,this embittered man has a wife,Isabelle ,a beautiful woman who wanders through the bush.Read More »

experimentalconversations.com wrote:
Like Godard, Francois-Jacques Ossang seems beached by the outgoing tide of that century, creating works variously engaged with sifting and evaluating its legacy. The Festival’s guest of honour, Ossang is a fascinating figure deserving of far wider international recognition than he currently receives. A child of the punk generation, he is also a poet and novelist, as well as lead singer of the band Mesagero Killers Boys. The Different Directions mini-retrospective included one of his three features, Docteur Chance (1997), and three more recent shorts, all projected in 35mm at the Town Hall Theatre. Read More »