COLCOA French Film & Series Festival Announces Television and Shorts Contenders

The Franco-American Cultural Fund is announcing the COLCOA Film Festival will celebrate its 25th anniversary, on November 1-7, live at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles, as part of the Awards Season in Hollywood. 

The 2021 COLCOA French Film festival also announced the Television section, films and shorts, that will at the 2021 COLCOA French Film & Series Festival.

The Television section features 12 selections - seven series, four TV movies and one documentary - and includes nine North American Premieres and one international Premiere.  The section is presented in association with TITRAFILM, with the support of the following studios: Banijay Rights, Federation, Film & Picture, Gaumont Television, Netflix, Newen Connect, StudioCanal and Zelig Films. The section of 19 Shorts is presented with the support of Unifrance. All programs, including the Television and Shorts sections, will compete for the 2021 COLCOA Awards.


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"Since 2015 - when we were the first to include TV programs  in a North American film festival -, COLCOA has introduced several popular series to the American audience, such as Call My Agent, Le Bureau and Spiral," says Francois Truffart, Executive Producer and Programmer of the festival. "Today, cinephiles are now paying equal attention to series and films and, among our audience of industry members, a  majority work for television. With the COLCOA Television selection Hollywood has discovered another aspect of the French industry and how the French touch can also make a series truly original and, at the same time, very universal."

Television Selection (in association with TITRAFILM):

In Competition for the 2021 COLCOA Best Series Award: 

GERMINAL (TV Series) – North American Premiere. Drama. A highly ambitious, beautifully produced adaptation of Emile Zola's great masterpiece, which takes us to a mining town in Northern France in the late 19th century and depicts the harsh working conditions, dire poverty, and life-and-death dangers the coal miners face. This new reinterpretation of Zola's monumental novel also gives prominence to several characters omitted from previous film adaptations, with a pointed emphasis on the position of women in society. Created by Julien Lilty. Written by Julien Lilty, Loïc Barrère, Chérif Saïs, Samir Oubechou, Maud Garnier, Clémence Lebatteux, Mélusine Laura Raynaud, Cheikna Sankare. Directed by David Hourrègue. Produced by Banijay Studio. With Louis Peres, Thierry Godard, Alix Poisson, Guillaume de Tonquédec, Natacha Lindinger, Sami Bouajila. Broadcast on Salto and France 2 in France. Sold by Banijay Sales.

HIGH INTELLECTUAL POTENTIAL (H.I.P) (TV Series – Season 1) – North American Premiere. Comedy. Actor Audrey Fleurot (Spiral) stars as Morgane Alvaro, an intractable cleaning lady and single mother of three small kids, who happens to have an IQ of 160.  After accidentally knocking over a stack of evidence while cleaning police offices — and outsmarting the entire detective unit — Morgane is recruited to join them. Created by Nicolas Jean, Alice Chegaray-Breugnot, Stéphane Carrié. Written by Alice Chegaray-Breugnot, Stéphane Carrié, Nicolas Jean, Julien Anscutter, Soiliho Bodin, Marion Carnel, Nicolas Clément, Charlene Gadan, Julie-Anna Grignon, Alexandra Julhiet, Laurent Vignon. Directed by Vincent Jamain, Laurent Tuel. Produced by Septembre Productions, Itineraire Productions. With Audrey Fleurot, Mehdi Nebbou, Bruno Sanchez, Marie Denarnaud, Bérangère McNeese. Broadcast on TF1 in France. Sold by Newen Connect. 

IN TREATMENT / En thérapie (TV Series – Season 1) – North American Premiere. Drama. COLCOA regulars Eric Toledano & Olivier Nakache have created a loose adaptation of the original Israeli series, BeTipul, and its American HBO counterpart, also entitled In Treatment.  Once again, a psychotherapist holds weekly sessions with five regular patients, along with a session with his own clinical supervisor.  What makes this version noteworthy is the clever idea of setting it to begin two days after the devastating November 13, 2015, terrorist attacks in Paris, where 130 people were killed, 90 of them at the Bataclan concert hall — an event that has shaken the worlds of more than one of those patients. A veritable roster of Gallic movie stars brings those sessions to life in often riveting ways. Created by Yaël Fogiel, Laetitia Gonzalez, Hagai Levi, Olivier Nakache, Éric Toledano. Written by David Elkaïm, Vincent Poymiro, Pauline Guéna, Alexandre Manneville, Nacim Mehtar, Olivier Nakache, Éric Toledano. Directed by Olivier Nakache, Éric Toledano, Mathieu Vadepied, Pierre Salvadori, Nicolas Pariser. Produced by Ten Films, Les Films du Poisson, Federation Entertainment. With Frédéric Pierrot, Elsa Lepoivre, Mélanie Thierry, Reda Kateb, Céleste Brunnquell.  Broadcast on Arte in France. Sold by Federation Entertainment. 

NONA AND HER DAUGHTERS / Nona et ses filles (TV Series – Season 1) – International Premiere. Comedy. A delightful 30-minute dramedy series on the theme of motherhood.  Nona, brought to life by the enchanting Miou-Miou is a 70-year-old feminist. She's madly in love with André and finally free of taking care of her 40-year-old triplet daughters. But she adores her family, life is beautiful and she's living it to the fullest...  Until the day she discovers that she's pregnant. Written by Valérie Donzelli, Clémence Madeleine-Perdrillat. Directed by Valérie Donzelli. Produced by Rectangle Productions, Gaumont Television. With Miou-Miou, Valérie Donzelli, Clotilde Hesme, Virginie Ledoyen, Barnaby Metschurat, Michel Vuillermoz, Rüdiger Vogler. Broadcast on Arte in France. Sold by Gaumont Television.

ON THE VERGE (TV Series – Season 1) – Special Presentation COLCOA Awards. Comedy, Drama. Buoyant new slice-of-life comedy series follows four women "on the verge" of something brand new, about to leap into the void and discover the next exciting chapter of their lives... at 50-ish!  It's about confronting that "cultural blind spot" of middle age — between child-bearing years and grandmotherhood, when society loses all interest in women — with honesty, intelligence, and humor. Created by Julie Delpy. Written by Julie Delpy, Alexia Landeau, Emily Ryan Lerner. Directed by Julie Delpy, Mathieu Demy, David Petrarca. Produced by: The Film TV, Netflix, Canal+, StudioCanal. With Julie Delpy, Elisabeth Shue, Sarah Jones, Alexia Landeau, Mathieu Demy, Troy Gariti, Timm Sharp. Broadcast in France on Canal+ and worldwide on Netflix. A Netflix special Presentation. 

PARIS POLICE 1900 (TV Series – Season 1) – North American Premiere. Drama, Thriller. Paris, 1899.  On the heels of the Dreyfus Affair and the scandalous death of President Félix Faure, the French Republic is reeling from rampant anarchy and the violent rise of extreme-right and anti-Semitic movements.  Former police chief Louis Lepine is called out of retirement to restore order... just as a suitcase filled with female body parts is found floating down the Seine and an ambitious young detective leaps into action, in an attempt to right a few societal wrongs.  This elegant, gripping, high-end Canal+ thriller, inspired by historical figures and true events, has been called "the new Spiral."  Murder, blackmail, conspiracies, coups — welcome to the Belle Epoque! Created by Fabien Nury. Written by Fabien Nury, Benjamin Adam, Alain Ayroles, Thibault Valetoux. Directed by Fabien Nury, Julien Despaux, Frédéric Balekdjian. Produced by Tetra Media Studio, AFPI. With Jérémie Laheurte, Evelyne Brochu, Thibaut Evrard, Marc Barbé, Eugenie Derouand. Broadcast in France on Canal+. Sold by StudioCanal.

THE OPERA / L'Opéra (TV Series – Season 1) – North American Premiere. Drama. The Opera plunges us into the ultra-romantic universe of the Opéra de Paris, that mythic temple of classical dance ensconced in the glittering Palais Garnier.  But this behind-the-scenes intrigue goes far beyond tutus and stardust, to reveal the dark underbelly of that monolithic icon, as we follow the paths of three of its protagonists — Zoé, an aging prima ballerina with a decadent lifestyle, who is suddenly threatened with expulsion; Flora, an aspiring young Black dancer eager to break into that venerable, often-impenetrable, universe; and Sébastien, the company's ruthlessly ambitious new Dance Director, desperate to prove himself. Created by Cécile Ducrocq, Benjamin Adams. Written by Cécile Ducrocq, Benjamin Adams, Simon Jablonka. Directed by: Stéphane Demoustier, Cécile Ducrocq, Inti Calfat, Dirk Verheye, Laïla Marrakchi. Produced by Victoria Productions, Telfrance. With Ariane Labed, Suzy Bemba, Raphaël Personnaz, Damien Chapelle, Loris Freeman, Audrey Gorlenko, Maud Jurez, Sarah Le Picard. Broadcast in France on OCS. Sold by Newen Connect. 

In Competition for the 2021 COLCOA Best TV Movie Award: 

CLAIRE ANDRIEUX (TV Movie) – North American Premiere. Drama. Director Olivier Jahan weaves a delicate, tender, finely-etched portrait of Claire Andrieux, an ever-in-control, stoic-yet-fragile real estate agent with a sunny disposition. Claire's life is thrown into a tailspin when she meets Bruno. The spark that's ignited between them awakens a dark secret that Claire has long managed to conceal. Written by Olivier Jahan and Diastème. Directed by Olivier Jahan. Produced by Léonis Productions. With Jeanne Rosa, Thomas Vandenbergh, Emma de Caunes, Yannick Renier, Michel Vuillermoz. Broadcast on Arte in France. Sold by Newen Connect. 

OWNING IT / Les Heritières (TV Movie) – North American Premiere. Drama. Sanou, a 15-year-old girl from the projects, is about to begin 10th grade at the prestigious Henry IV High School in Paris.  Thanks to an equal opportunity program, the promising student from the wrong side of the périphérique has been offered a golden opportunity to attain her dream of one day becoming a renewable energy engineer. Written by Johanna Goldschmidt, Laure-Elisabeth Bourdaud. Directed by Nolwenn Lemesle. Produced by Incognita, Arte France. With Tracy Gotoas, Fanta Kebe, Lucie Fagedet, Déborah François. Broadcast in France on Arte. Sold by Film & Picture. 

RAINING CATS AND DOGS / Temps de chien (TV Movie) – Special Presentation COLCOA Awards. Comedy, Romance. Jean, the captain of a bateau-mouche tour boat, has a tendency toward tippling, who's going through a seriously bad patch!  Struggling to make ends meet, evicted from his apartment, then laid-off from his job, Jean risks losing joint custody of his three beloved children.  Then he meets Victor, a similarly hapless, itinerant musician... and the unlikely duo joins forces in an attempt to stay afloat. Written by Edouard Deluc, Chloé Larouchi, Laura Piani. Directed by Edouard Deluc. Produced by The Film. With Philippe Rebot, Pablo Pauly, Elodie Bouchez, Laurence Calami, Jean-Luc Bideau, Brigitte Fossey, Solène Rigot. Broadcast in France on Arte. Sold by Film & Picture. 

WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT JACQUES? / Qu'est-ce qu'on va faire de Jacques?  (TV Movie) – North American Premiere. Drama. Jacques is schizophrenic. A grown man, he lives alone with his elderly father in a ramshackle house in the countryside and spends his days chain-smoking cigarettes, watching old American movies on TV, and getting wasted on beer. When the old man suddenly dies, Jacques' siblings — Louise, Estelle and Fabien — are confronted with the burdensome question of what to do with their brother.  A hard look at the dark reality of living with a psychotic disorder...  for both the sufferer and their loved ones. Written by Pierre Chosson, Hedi Sassi, Marie Garel-Weiss. Directed by Marie Garel-Weiss. Produced by 24 Mai Productions, Arte France. With Vincent Deniard, Maud Wyler, Claude Perron, Pascal Reneric, Samir Guesmi. Broadcast in France on Arte. Sold by Film & Picture. 

Also, part of the COLCOA Television selection in competition for the COLCOA Best Documentary Award: 

ALL ABOUT YVES MONTAND / Montand est a nous (Documentary) - North American Premiere. Celebrating the centenary of iconic singer-actor-public figure Yves Montand, the film is a touching homage by writer/director Yves Jeuland full of restored and unpublished archives, concerts and film extracts. It plunges us into a 50-year career of probably the most popular after-war French artist in the world. The film was part of the Official Selection of the last Cannes Film Festival. Written and directed by Yves Jeuland. Produced by Zelig Films. Broadcast in France on France3. 

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