The American French Film Festival Announces Documentary Line Up

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Category: Entertainment News
Published on Wednesday, 30 August 2023 12:08
Written by A&E Contributing Editor

The American French Film Festival, is announcing another eclectic mix of films and series in this year’s documentary lineup. Produced by The Franco-American Cultural Fund, the 27th annual event takes place at the DGA Theater Complex October 18-22.

The four documentary titles, which range from women’s rights to creative ways to address adult mental illness to a landmark case addressing rights and ethics of euthanasia to a profile of powerful but forgotten figure in African American history, will be screened during the Festival will also be eligible for the 2023 American French Film Festival Documentary Award.

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The film documentaries chosen for exhibition at THE AMERICAN FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL include:

King of Kings: Chasing Edward Jones (Written and directed by Harriet Marin Jones, co-written by Giles Gardner and Michel Fessler. Produced by Harriet Marin Jones, Debbie Allen, Quincy Jones, Séverine Cappa, and Stéphane Sperry). - Director Harriet Marin Jones takes an in-depth look at the life and legacy of her grandfather, Edward Jones, a charismatic African-American who rose to the heights of financial and political prominence in Depression-era Chicago, to become one of the richest men in America, before falling into complete oblivion. Building a multi-million-dollar empire as the brains and brawn behind "Policy" — the illegal numbers racket and precursor of today's state lottery — the "Policy King" went head-to-head with Al Capone's "Outfit", while hobnobbing with celebrated artists like Josephine Baker, Frida Kahlo and Duke Ellington. Edward Jones shaped the destiny of a city, yet could not escape the color of his skin in racist America. In exploring her own family roots with many Chicagoans who knew him (including composer Quincy Jones, the film's executive producer), the filmmaker uncovers yet another dazzling forgotten episode in Black American History.

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Seven Winters in Tehran / Sept Hivers à Teheran (Written and directed by Steffi Niederzoll and co-written by Sina Ataeian Dena – Coproduction Germany/France - West Coast Premiere) - In July 2007, 19-year-old Iranian university student Reyhaneh Jabarri stabs a man in self-defense when he tries to rape her, and is charged with murder. Using secretly-filmed images and letters from prison, Seven Winters in Tehran follows one family's battle to save their daughter, taking us into the heart of a corrupt criminal justice system and a culture where women are routinely silenced, and the enormous risks faced by those who defend them. Through her courage, dignity and commitment, Reyhaneh grew to become a powerful international symbol of resistance and the struggle for women's rights.

On the Adamant / Sur L’Adamant (Written and directed by Nicolas Philibert - West Coast Premiere) - Master documentarian Nicolas Philibert trains his compassionate eye, skilled powers of observation and detached perspective on the Adamant, a floating daycare center for adults with mental disorders. A barge moored on the Seine River, in the center of Paris, the facility offers counseling and art therapy through music, painting, craft, literature and cinema, and even hosts an annual film festival organized by the patients themselves. But it's the creativity, wit and sincerity of those same troubled patients who ignite the screen with their genuine talent, passion, and as the filmmaker himself indicates, perpetuate "the poetic function of mankind."  On the Adamant was awarded the Golden Bear at this year's Berlin International Film Festival.

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Lambert vs Lambert: Over His Dead Body / Lambert Contre Lambert, Au Nom de Vincent (4 x 52 min. Created by Élodie Buzuel and directed by Élodie Buzuel and Vincent Trisolini.) - This series follows the case of Vincent Lambert, a 32-year-old nurse who was left in a vegetative state after an automobile accident. The protracted legal battle between the man's wife and other members of his family, who used the courts to block any medically-assisted end-of-life resolution, became headline news in France, a Catholic country where euthanasia remains an extremely sensitive issue. How did the debate over one man's life upend an entire society's relationship to the question of life and death? 

This program is presented in association with Cercamon, Disney+, Hulu and Kino Lorber.

"It is our goal to provide an exhibition space for films that are representative of a wide variety of subject matters, as well as by both established and new filmmakers. This year is no exception, says François Truffart, Executive Producer and Programmer, TAFFF. "Documentaries have grown in popularity over the years due to the access people have to many brilliant films and series available through streaming platforms. But seeing these films on the big screen is even more impactful, especially when the subject matter is so relevant to the topics and cultural issues we are dealing with today."

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The American French Film Festival

The American French Film Festival (formerly known as COLCOA French Film Festival) was created and is produced by the Franco-American Cultural Fund, a unique collaboration between the Directors Guild of America (DGA), the Motion Picture Association (MPA), France’s Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (SACEM) and the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW). The American French Film Festival is also supported by Unifrance; the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs; France’s Society of Authors, Directors and Producers (l’ARP); TVFI; Air Tahiti Nui; ELMA; Fleur de Miraval Champagne; L’Oréal; TV5 Monde; and Variety. The American French Film Festival Education Program is supported by ELMA. 

The American French Film Festival offers a unique platform to promote French films and series at the beginning of the Awards Season in Hollywood. Annually, the festival brings the highest-caliber French filmmakers and talent to Los Angeles for red carpet premieres, numerous panels and screenings, as well as the opportunity for high-profile collaborations between French and American professionals. In addition, more than 20,000 audience members - including journalists, industry professionals, the general public and students - attend the festival annually. 

The full Festival line-up will be announced on September 27. 

Being a unique collaboration between the DGA, WGA, MPA, and Sacem, The Franco American Cultural Fund will continue to be supportive and sensitive to the needs of guild members currently in negotiations. The American French Film Festival will be held in accordance with those organizations’ collective sentiments this Fall.

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