French Film Festival

The annual joint cultural event by the French speaking countries represeted in Sri Lanka - the consulate of Belgium, the High Commission of Canada, The Embassy of France, the Embassy of Romania, the Embassy of Switzerland in collaboration with the National Film corporation and Sri Lanka Tourist Board will take place at BMICH from March 16 to 20 daily at 4.00 p.m. and 7.00 p.m.

Sri Lankan film fans will get the opportunity to see the richness and the diversity of the cinema industries of the French speaking countries. In addition 5 selected short films by Sri Lankan film Directors were scheduled to be screened on each evening at 7 p.m.

The best short film out of 65 entries were selected by a jury comprising international and local professionals will be presented with an award. It will be an occasion for Sri Lankan Film Makers to meet and discuss and exchange new trends and techniques in short film production.

The film festival begins at 4 p.m. with Les Soeurs fachees (Me and My Sister) the entry from France showing Louise, a small town beautician comes to spend three days with her sister Martine who lives in Paris. Martine has everything except who really matters. She has it in three days time. Louise and her happiness drive Martine crazy and cause her life to fly to pieces.

Les Soeurs fachees is a stylish comedy by writer-director Alexandra Leclare packed with plenty of verbal fireworks by a cast including Isabelle Huppert, Catherine Frot and Francois Berleand.

Henry Dunant - Red on the cross directed by Dominique Otheninn Girard with Thomas Jonannet, Emillie Dequenne, Normie Kocher and Michel Galabru in the cast relates how an idealist, a romantic, humourist and visionary Swiss born Henry Dunant led an insane battle to convince nature states to allow a relief society to take care of soldiers who fell on the battle field regardless of their nationality. The fierce will of this man who dared the impossible winning the first Nobel Peace prize.

This led to the founding of the Red Cross Society. The story is based on the life of Henry Dunant acclaimed as the modern hero of the 20th Century.

Crazy is the entry of Canada relates the story of Zachary Beanlieu from his birth to his adulthood. Tinged with comedy and fantasy offers a portrait of a family as it traces the life of a young man's journey through life. It is a charming, moving and funny story showing the beanty, poetry and madness of the human spirit in all its contradictions.

Le Conperet with Jose Garcia, Karin Viard, Ulrich Tukur shows Bruno Davert an engineer worker in a paper making industry who becomes a victim of the relocation of his company. He was on a dole for almost two years alternating between moments of self-awareness and depression and confronting the humiliation of job interviews.

One day he has a somewhat drastic idea to treat the labour market like any other market in others wards to do everything possible to eliminate all competition. The film in directed by Costa Gravas.