By April MacIntyre Mar 19, 2010, 3:52 GMT
This month TV5MONDE premieres an array of critically acclaimed films including a collection of family-themed films ranging from a story that playfully shows the relationship between a father and son in the summer of 1969, to another mad tale that reflects the irony that takes place when an heiress becomes the unwitting instrument of the fatal demise of several family members.
Virginie Ledoyen - Paris Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2010 - Chanel - Grand Palais - Paris, France © Pixplanete / PR Photos
Here’s a glimpse at some of the films playing in April:
Thursday, April 1, 2010
8:30 pm ET / 5:30 pm PT
Ce Jour-La (aka That Day)
“Unfolding with the atmospheric and drolly sinister tone of a seemingly conventional murder mystery, Ce jour-là is a mischievously imaginative, deliriously hypnotic, and whimsical exposition on compulsion, personal will, greed, and destiny.” Strictly Film School
Livia (Elsa Zylberstein) is the scattered heiress left alone in the remote family mansion and convinced that everything is about to change and it's the best day of her life. Little does she know that her family, particularly her father Harald (Michel Piccoli), has plotted against her by hiring Emil (Bernard Giraudeau), a fugitive from an insane asylum, to kill her as a way of resolving his business debts. Although Emil was sent to kill her, he ends up smitten with the heiress and ironically he instead kills the family members which meant to harm her. The Hollywood Reporter calls it a “rarified cinema for lovers of the cerebral and surreal,” and raves about Director, Raoul Ruiz’s cast, “Ruiz's actors deliver delectable performances, full of wit and subtle irony.”
Sunday, April 4, 2010
1:30 am ET / 10:30 pm PT
Un Eté Sans Point Ni Coup Sur (aka A No-Hit No-Run Summer)
"A No-Hit, No-Run Summer" gets to first base with its modest tale of B-team squirts who play in old hockey jerseys but eventually hold their own against the well-named Aristocrats. – Daily Variety
The scene is Montréal in the summer of 1969, where a wave of optimism engulfs the Western world. When the famous "Expos" team makes its debut in Montréal, young Martin, an avid baseball fan, dreams of one day joining the team. When he doesn't make the cut, his father steps in and organizes a B team, despite the fact that he knows nothing about the sport. Unexpectedly thrown together, father and son spend a summer full of hope and disappointment, surprises and foul balls. A summer to remember--for both of them and not only because man took his first steps on the moon. Directed by Francis Leclerc, the film was part of the official selection for the 11th Jutra Prize Ceremony in 2009.
Tuesday, April 6, 2010
Tout Un Hiver Sans Feu (aka One Long Winter Without Fire)
Variety calls it, “A tasteful study in neutral shades, "All Winter Without Fire" is a promising if cautious feature debut for Polish-born, Swiss-based helmer Greg Zglinski.
Once prosperous Swiss Jura region farmer Jean (Recoing) and his wife Laure (Marie Matheron) lost their 5-year-old daughter Marie and most of their livestock to a fire which swept through the stable. After Laure has a breakdown and is checked into a clinic, Jean takes up a new job at a factory where he befriends Kastriot (Blerim Gjoci), a Kosovar refugee, and his sister Labinota (Gabriela Muskala). Jean and Laure grow more estranged after she checks out of the clinic, all the while, he grows closer to Labinota, with the last reel reflecting a sustained steady tension over which woman and life he will end up with. This film took home the 'CinemAvvenire' Award and the SIGNIS Award at the Venice Film Festival in 2004; as well as, awarded the Swiss Film Prize for Best Film in 2005.
Thursday, April 8, 2010
En Plein Coleur (aka In All Innocence)
A very successful 40-something year old lawyer, Michel Farnese (Gerard Lanvin), enjoys his life of luxury spent with his wife Viviane (Carole Bouquet) until a case presents itself which will change everything. One day, a young delinquent Cecile (Virginie Ledoyen) arrives at his home, asking for his help, unaware that she has already obtained his personal information.
Michel agrees to help Cecile despite his wife’s suspicions that he might not be entirely immune to the young woman's charms. Viviane is proven correct when Michel ultimately leaves her to be with Cecile when she is acquitted of her charges. Director Pierre Jolivet’s film is described by Variety as “An extremely traditional but pleasingly rendered tale of passion and dignity, roots and expediency, this well-paced, emotionally resonant pic is noteworthy for its spot-on perfs and fine portrait of contrasting milieus.”
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Premieres 8:30 pm ET / 5:30 PM PT
La Traductrice (aka The Interpreter)
Ira (Julia Batanova), a Genevan student haunted by the spectre of the father that she and her mother left behind in Russia. When a family friend (a charismatic Sergei Garmash) offers her a job as a translator for incapacitated mobster Tashkov, Ira is drawn back into a dangerous, unfamiliar world and finds herself trapped between Tashkov and his lawyer, the brilliant and charming but ambiguous Mayard. The film was presented at the 2006 Locarno International Film Festival in the 'Filmmakers of the Present' section.
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Premieres 8:30 pm / 5:30 pm PT
Edy
“...Stylish, sardonic and darkly entertaining first pic by thesp-turned-writer/director Stephan Guerin-Tillie features a compelling opening reel en route to a suspenseful tale with a satisfying share of surprises.” –Variety
Edy (Francois Berleand) is an insurance salesman who becomes depressed and increasingly bothersome to his neighbors, employees and those around him, and plans to kill himself. Fate, however, steps in during his suicide attempt and causes him to survive while taking another’s life. Edy turns to his previous mentor from his days in the insurance business, Louis (Philippe Noiret), but the solution he proposes might be worse than the situation.
Here’s a glimpse at one of the many documentaries airing in April:
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
8:30 pm / 5:30 pm PT
Retour a Goree (aka Return to Goree)
“The serious undertones of the film are very real and played out with rapture…Helmer Pierre-Yves Borgeaud holds his own and portrays the singer in vulnerable spots so often that one must applaud him for having the guts to keep them in the final cut. Moreover, the work is sensual and timeless. There will be many who will learn about how beauty can be rendered out of the most hideous of histories.” Box Office Magazine
This documentary tells of African singer Youssou N'Dour's epic journey following the trail left by slaves and by the jazz music they invented. Youssou N'Dour's challenge is to bring back to Africa a jazz repertoire and to sing those tunes in Goree, the island that today symbolizes the slave trade and stands to commemorate its victims. Guided in his quest by the Tunisian-born Swiss pianist Moncef Genoud, Youssou N'Dour travels across the United States and Europe.
Accompanied by exceptional musicians, they meet many key personalities and through these meetings generate discussions, agreements and music which transcends cultural boundaries. However, the day of their return to Africa is fast approaching and much remains to be done to be ready for the final concert. The film was nominated for a Swiss Film Prize for Best Documentary in 2008. Film Journal International exclaims that “Borgeaud films the musical, interview and dialogue scenes with a crisp, inventive professionalism…those open to an alternative to the usual documentary approach will be pleased and surprised.
TV5MONDE sponsors many US events including upcoming Film Festivals such as the San Francisco International Film Festival, City of Lights City of Angeles Film Festival, Seattle International Film Festival, Greenwich Film Festival and more.
TV5MONDE is the only digital, global French-language network, broadcasting 24 hours a day, and is seen throughout the nation on cable systems belonging to Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner, Cox and more, and on satellite via DISH Network. The channel’s U.S. headquarters are based in Los Angeles.
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