AFTER 10 SERIES
Every night, from Tuesday, April 25 to Saturday, April 29, explore new horizons with an exclusive program of French cinema 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. Buy or reserve tickets accordingly)
Tuesday, April 25 – 10:20 pm – Truffaut Theater
STRUGGLE FOR LIFE (La Loi de la jungle)
Crazy comedy • West Coast Premiere
Comic auteur Antonin Peretjatko takes his signature blend of absurdity and lyricism to the next level in this inventive satire inspired by globalization run amok. Snakes and tarantulas beware, there’s a true beast afoot in the jungle. “Guyaneige,” the first tropical indoor ski resort, is under construction in Guyana. Marc, a by-the-book trainee from the French Ministry of Standards, is dispatched to ensure that the building is up to code. Marc’s driver is an attractive young intern from the National Forestry Service who goes by the name of Tarzan, of course. On the way to the site, well, let’s just say mistakes are made, and the hapless pair find themselves getting back to nature, tropical rainforest style. As Marc and Tarzan encounter religious sects and mercenaries, sleep on tree branches above the forest canopy, dine on larvae, and ingest powerful aphrodisiacs, the spark of romance seems inevitable. Mathieu Almaric takes a screwball spin as a cigar-puffing neo-colonialist rogue.
Wednesday, April 26 – 10:20 pm – Truffaut Theater
HEDI (Hedi, un vent de liberté)
Drama • Tunisia, France • Los Angeles Premiere • World Cinema Produced by France series.
Winner of the Best First Feature at 2016’s Berlinale, this sensitive, absorbing drama is set in the historic Islamic city of Kairouan, in contemporary Tunisia. Hedi is a dutiful young man working as a car salesman. Apart from his passion for drawing and comics, Hedi is passively going through the motions of a life that his domineering mother Baya has laid out for him. This includes an impending arranged marriage to the docile, incurious Khedija. Then, on a business trip he meets Rim, an activities coordinator for a resort hotel. Rim is everything Khedija is not: independent, ambitious, worldly, free-spirited. For the first time in his life, Hedi sees a possibility to escape the suffocating dictates of his mother, and to pursue his passions on his own terms. But can he turn his back on deep-seated tradition and family obligation? Like an entire generation of post-revolution Tunisians, Hedi is torn between the old forces of social convention and the heady, seductive pull of liberation. Majd Mastoura won Berlinale’s Silver Bear for his portrayal of the conflicted Hedi. Written and directed by Mohamed Ben Attia.
Thursday, April 27 – 10:20 pm – Truffaut Theater
TOUR DE FRANCE
Drama • West Coast Premiere
In his first film role, French rapper Sadek takes to the road alongside veteran Gérard Depardieu on a tour of the seaports of France. When Far'Hook, an angry but sensitive young Muslim rap artist, crosses a violent rap rival known as Sphynx, he needs to leave Paris until the heat dies down. His producer Bilal sends him south to act as a driver for Bilal’s crotchety old man Serge. A retired stone mason turned Sunday painter, Serge needs someone to drive him around as he fulfills a promise he made to his deceased wife to recreate the works of 18th century maritime painter Claude-Joseph Vernet. What Far’Hook doesn’t know, is that Serge is a racist, and a reactionary who despises rap music. Their culture clash squares off for battle, Serge’s cheeses and oil paints versus Far’Hook’s apps and bling. But the more this odd couple learns about one another, the more they like. An exuberant cry for tolerance and diversity in the face of a changing nation. Written and directed by Rachid Djaïdani.
Friday, April 28 – 10:30 pm – Truffaut Theater
ARÈS
Fantasy, thriller • North American Premiere • Film Noir Series
This testosterone-fueled dystopian thriller is set in a demi-apocalyptic Paris of 2035. Disillusioned masses huddle in polluted shantytowns at the feet of monuments. Multi-national conglomerates control the government, including the police. As a diversion from the misery and poverty, much of the population turns to the Arena, a televised spectacle of ultraviolent gladiatorial contests. Competing pharmaceutical companies openly dope Arena fighters as a means of advertising their performance enhancing products. Ares, played by hunky Swede Ola Rapace (Skyfall), is a former contender long past his prime, but when his sister is arrested on trumped up charges, this badass with a heart of gold agrees to be a guinea pig for the latest wonder drug. If it works, he might win enough fights to buy her freedom. Only trouble is, no one has ever taken the drug and lived. Co-written and directed by Jean-Patrick Benes.
Saturday, April 29 – 10:20 pm- Truffaut Theater
OPEN AT NIGHT (Ouvert le nuit)
Comedy • West Coast Premiere • French NeWave 2.0 Series
Taking flight where Martin Scorcese’s After Hours touched down, this jubilant comic vehicle for Édouard Baer doubles as an affectionate homage to the timeless allure of the City of Light. Baer’s swaggering buffoon persona is unleashed as Luigi: theater impresario by trade, irresistible charmer by aspiration, and inexhaustible scoundrel by nature. Over the next 24 hours, he’ll need to call on his most dubious qualities. On the eve of opening night, Luigi’s new play is teetering on financial collapse. His cast and crew threaten a walkout if they don’t get paid, and his temperamental Japanese director demands a live chimpanzee for the performance. Even his faithful assistant Nawal (Tautou) has deserted him, leaving Luigi to set off into the Parisian night with his no-nonsense intern Faeza. Their quest for a chimp and a chump takes them on a delirious tour of the city’s most absurdly charming offerings, from Bollywood shoots to African communes. When Luigi’s deeper fragilities surface, his recklessness escalates into a quixotic high wire act. But who will be there to catch him when he falls?
