Je ne sais quoi: the Alliance Française French Film Festival returns to satisfy our Euro-cravings
Everything that French people are a part of seems to be shrouded in a sense of effortless cool – their whole culture exudes it. It’s no wonder then that the Alliance Française French Film Festival continues to be a highlight on the Brisbane cultural calendar, taking pride of place as Australia’s largest film festival. From March 16 to April 9, both the Palace Barracks and Palace Centro Cinemas will be brimming with the finest selections of French cinema – with a program featuring Cannes award winners, stunning true stories and feel-good flicks about bovines, nothing is off limits.
One of the biggest secrets to the Alliance Française French Film Festival’s recipe for success is its diversity – even those who aren’t French cinema fanatics can appreciate the genre-bending program that spans 45 films (and 300 screenings). The festival is pulling out all of the stops for its 28th edition, featuring a number of premieres and special tie-in events. The Opening Night Gala on Thursday March 16 at Palace Barracks promises to stun with a glamorous after-party following the screening of The Odyssey, a film exploring the life and work of celebrity oceanographer Jacques Cousteau that stars Audrey Tautou and Lambert Wilson.
Another festival highlight is a special Ladies Night that includes a chic pre-screening party before a viewing of Stephanie Di Giusto’s The Dancer, starring Soko and Lily Rose Depp. This is a powerful biopic inspired by the life of Belle Époque dancer Loïe Fuller. Other top picks include the multi-award winning Things to Come, Xavier Dolan’s 2016 Cannes Film Festival Grand Jury Prize winner It’s Only the End of the World, feel-good flick One Man & His Cow and the box-office smash Monsieur Chocolat, as well as the world premiere powerful drama The Midwife.
If you feel like you could use a dose of chic in your life, you can check out the Alliance Française French Film Festival program and pick up tickets to the films here.
To find out more about what’s on in Brisbane, head to our Event Guide.
