AFTER 10 SERIES
From Tuesday, April 21 to Saturday, April 25, there is a good reason to stay late at COLCOA and discover new horizons with an eclectic and exclusive program of French productions scheduled after 10 pm. All films are screened in the Truffaut Theater.
(Please note: After 10 schedule is not compatible with screenings in RENOIR theater at 8:30 pm. Please buy or reserve tickets accordingly)
Tuesday, April 21 – 10:00 pm
Los Angeles Premiere
Spanning thirty years this story of finding humanity in the face of extreme inhumanity is set against the backdrop of the Cambodian Civil war. In 1971, François, a French ethnologist working in the Angkor temples, is captured by the Khmer Rouge. Suspected of working for the CIA, he is taken to a brutal prison camp hidden in the heart in the jungle. The young head of the camp, Comrade Duch, is intrigued by François’ candor and impetuousness – conspicuous behavior for a spy. As the two men discuss literature, politics and philosophy, a kind of Stockholm Syndrome in reverse occurs, and Duch begins to doubt that François is guilty of espionage. Though torture and execution are routine in the camp, François’ growing bond gives him hope that he might escape that fate. But he will come to understand that his friendly captor is capable of great evil. Phoeung mesmerizes as the intellectually complex Duch, and Raphaël Personnaz’s transformation into the malnourished François is almost too convincing. Written and directed by Academy Award winner Regis Wargnier.
Wednesday, April 22 – 10:00 pm
US Premiere • World Cinema Produced by France series.
This 2014 Palme d’Or nominee, from writer-director Naomi Kawase, is a lyrical and visually arresting rumination on the meaning of love life and death set in the exotically verdant Japanese island of Amami. The quiet story centers on Kaito and Kyoko, 16 year-old classmates whose nascent sexual awakening is put on hold by a heavily tattooed corpse that washes up after a typhoon. The sudden intrusion of death reinforces Kaito’s fear of the sea but the more adventurous Kyoko sees the body as a mystery to be solved. Both have troubled home lives. Kaito’s divorced mother is too busy earning a living to give him the attention he needs, while Kyoko struggles to accept her mother’s terminal illness, especially since her mother is a revered shaman. When Kaito discovers his connection the dead body, he is forced to re-examine everything that he has taken for granted in his life. Still The Water is an intensely personal yet universal glimpse into Japan’s folkloric traditions, where coming-of-age means coming to terms with the unity of nature.
Thursday, April 23 – 10:00 pm
CARTOONISTS, FOOT SOLDIERS OF DEMOCRACY (Caricaturistes, fantassins de la démocratie)
Los Angeles Premiere • COLCOA.doc series • Special I am Charlie
In the hunt for this year’s Best Documentary César, Cartoonists, co-written and directed by Stéphanie Valloatto, crosses the globe exploring the surprising importance political cartoons have in the defense of democracy. This timely look at the personal stories of twelve endearing and eccentric satirists from countries as far flung as Russia, China, the United States, Palestine and Burkina Faso clearly illustrates that for some world leaders humor is no laughing matter. At the center of this comedic cabal is Le Monde newspaper cartoonist Plantu, who tellingly reveals that even in a country like France, he receives direct calls from the president whenever he disapproves of the day’s offering. Censored, marginalized, in some cases imprisoned or worse, many of these artists pay a steep price for daring to draw attention to the foibles of power.
Friday, April 24 – 10:00 pm
West Coast Premiere • Film Noir Series
Franck is an eager rookie homicide squad inspector. When a woman is found with her throat cut, he shrewdly unearths parallels between previously unrelated cases. Before he knows it, Franck is caught up in an eight-year obsessive hunt for SK1 – Serial Killer 1 – a man whose very existence is questioned by others. Loosely based on the investigation into real-life murderer Guy Georges, aka the Beast Of The Bastille (whose lurking disorder is deftly captured by Adama Niane), the story milks suspense from the procedural aspects of the manhunt, the false leads, dead ends, and the stifling bureaucracy of a police force hindered by dwindling budgets and a knee-jerk insistence on outdated, traditional methods. Raphaël Personnaz, Marius in Marius and Fanny (COLCOA 2014), is the perfect channel for Franck’s perseverance and anger, while Nathalie Baye checks in with a memorable turn as a public defender convinced the police don’t have a case. Co-written and directed by Frédéric Tellier.
Saturday, April 25 – 10:00 pm
HIPPOCRATES, DIARY OF A FRENCH DOCTOR (Hippocrate)
Los Angeles Premiere • French NewWave 2.0 Series
In this sobering, darkly comedic exposé of the French public medical system, Jacky In The Kingdom Of Women (COLCOA 2014) star Vincent Lacoste plays Benjamin, a cocksure medical intern learning to cope with grueling 48-hour shifts, mollifying terminal and elderly patients, and crippling budget cuts and supply shortages, all the while carousing like a frat-house party hound. It’s soon apparent that upholding his Hippocratic oath is going to be a tough ask, and when he loses a patient through negligence, the hospital staff closes ranks to avoid liability. Abdel, an experienced Algerian physician obliged to complete an internship because of his immigrant status, is the only one whose conscience is bothered by all of this, and his concern for the patients sets him on a collision course with hospital authorities. Reda Kateb’s performance as Abdel was rewarded with a 2015 Best Supporting Actor César. He is known for his terrific turns in Zero Dark Thirty and The Prophet, and can be seen in Ryan Gosling’s upcoming directorial debut Lost River. Co-written and directed by Thomas Lilti.
