#COLCOA French Film Festival *** 6 New French films to watch in U.S. theaters during Thanksgiving break (Check you local calendar):
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1 - "ATLANTICS", a drama co-written and directed by Abdou Mbow, Ibrahima Traore, Mama Sane - Official Competition Cannes IFF 2019. Winner Grand Prix. A Netflix release. Also on Netflix Platform starting November 29. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vhcXyK8s-io
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(After a group of unpaid construction workers disappears at sea one night in search of a better life abroad, the women they have left behind in Dakar are overwhelmed with a mysterious fever. Ada, 17, secretly grieves for her love Souleiman, one of the departed workers, but she has been promised to another man. After a fire breaks out on her wedding night, a young policeman is sent to investigate the crime. Little does he know that the aggrieved workers have come back as haunting, possessive spirits.
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2 - "I LOST MY BODY", a animated drama written and directed by Jeremy Klapin. Winner COLCOA 2019 Audience & Critics Awards. A Netflix release. Also on NETFLIX platform starting November 29. Trailer:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EotTxCNtsA&t=25s
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( In a Parisian laboratory, a severed hand escapes its unhappy fate and sets out to reconnect with its body in this Cannes Critics’ Week selection. During a hair-raising escapade across the city, the extremity fends off pigeons and rats alike to reunite with pizza boy Naoufel. Its memories of Naoufel and his love for librarian Gabrielle may provide answers about what caused the hand's separation, and a poetic backdrop for a possible reunion between the three. Based on the novel Happy Hand by Academy Award nominee Guillaume Laurant ("AMELIE).)
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3 - "VARDA BY AGNES", a documentary co-written and directed by Agnes Varda. Official Selection Berlin IFF 2019. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n37iq8cCDH0
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(An unpredictable documentary from a fascinating storyteller, Agnès Varda’s last feature documentary sheds light on her experience as a director, bringing a personal insight to what she calls “cine-writing”.)
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4 - "BY THE GRACE OF GOD", a drama written and directed by Francois Ozon. A Music Box Film release. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qFXLmhbJfXw
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("BY THE GRACE OF GOD" tells the story of three adult men—Alexandre (Melvil Poupaud), François (Denis Ménochet), and Emmanuel (Swann Arlaud)—who band together to expose the code of silence that continues to enable a priest who abused them as boys. Their experiences powerfully illustrate the varying effects that the trauma of abuse causes on individuals and their families for years. The true story upon which the film is based is an ongoing scandal in France, with Philippe Barbarin, Cardinal of Lyon, convicted in March 2019 for concealing the conduct of Father Preynat.)
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5 - "SYNONYMS", a drama co-written and directed by Nadav Lapid. 2019 Berlin International Film Festival’s Golden Bear and FIPRESCI Prize. A Kino Lorber Films release. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9u1HtImIb6s
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(In Paris, things do not exactly get off to a good start for the newly arrived Yoav. He knocks on the door of the flat where he's supposed to stay, only to discover the place is empty. While he is taking a bath there, his belongings are stolen. Yet this young Israeli, who has arrived with such great expectations, will not be dissuaded that easily. Desperate to erase his origins, Yoav sees becoming French as his only hope for salvation. Step one is to replace his language. From now on, he will not utter a single word of Hebrew and his dictionary becomes his constant companion. His work at the Israeli embassy is a burden, but studying for his naturalization test also has its pitfalls. And the young French couple he befriends has some rather strange ideas about how to help him. Based on writer-director Nadav Lapid's own experiences, Synonyms explores the challenges of putting down roots in a new place. Yoav's attempts to find himself awaken past demons and open up an existential abyss in this tragicomic puzzle that wisely knows how to keep its secrets).
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6 - "FRANKIE", a drama written and directed by Ira Sachs, film starring Isabelle Huppert. Official Competition Cannes IFF 2019. a Sony PIctures Classics release. Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0DiHtZ3wtA.
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(Unfolding over the course of a late summer's day in the fabled resort town of Sintra, Portugal, FRANKIE follows three generations who have gathered for a vacation organized by the family matriarch (Isabelle Huppert). In this fairy tale setting, husbands and wives, parents and children, friends and lovers - stirred by their romantic impulses - discover the cracks between them, as well as unexpected depth of feeling.) ... See more

#COLCOA French Film Festival *** 16 years on the COLCOA Red Carpet ! visit: https://colcoa.org/galleries/colcoa-portraits-gallery/

#COLCOA French Film Festival *** Coming soon to U.S. theatres: "PORTRAIT OF A LADY ON FIRE", a historical drama written and directed by Celine Sciamma, starring
Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel. Official Selection Cannes IFF 2019, New York IFF 2019, AFI IFF 2019. A Neon Release. Opening in New York & Los Angeles on December 6, 2019.
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* Trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R-fQPTwma9o
* More info: https://www.portraitmovie.com/
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(At the end of the eighteenth century, Marianne, a young painter, is teaching painting lessons. One of her students asks her about a painting of hers, which Marianne calls "Portrait of a Lady on Fire". Years prior, Marianne arrives on an isolated island in Brittany. She had been commissioned to paint a portrait of a young woman named Héloïse before Héloïse is married off to her dead sister's ex-fiancé. Her sister threw herself off of a cliffside before Marianne's arrival. Marianne is informed that Héloïse has previously refused to sit for portraits as she does not want to be married. Marianne acts as Héloïse's hired companion to be able to paint her in secret, and accompanies her on daily walks to memorize Héloïse's features.)
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