After two cancellations, the Rencontres du Cinéma return to the Vosges, where Clovis Cornillac, Claude Lelouch, Audrey Dana... and Anne Le Ny for their film shot in the region, "Le Torrent", will be received (from April 5 to 8 ). ).
Gérardmer, with its lake and forests, has long left its mark on the French cinephile with two events: the Fantastic Film Festival in winter and the Rencontres du Cinéma in spring. Due to the pandemic, the traditional Rencontres du Cinéma had to be canceled in 2020 and 2021; but now that people can once again take off their masks in cinemas, the 24 Rencontres du Cinéma will take place in the Vosges, from April 5 to 8. A spring meeting that film lovers will be delighted to see again, since in two decades, 44,200 viewers have discovered nearly 400 films in preview, seen and heard many celebrities of French cinema (filmmakers, actresses, actors, screenwriters…) who have gone through Lorraine.
Organized by the Association des Cinémas Indépendants de l'Est and the Office du Tourisme de Gérardmer, the Rencontres are intended for film professionals, in particular exhibitors (around a hundred from eastern France and elsewhere), to which dealers flock to discover works from their catalogues. , so that later they can program them in their rooms. But what makes the Rencontres de Gérardmer special is that the screenings are open to the general public, who have a unique opportunity to "eat a movie" and preview 19 films in four days, at a preferential rate (6€ per screening, 15 € per day pass).
Art and essay and general public
The public is used to discovering films that will be released in other theaters in France in the coming weeks or months. “We always try to use the same recipe”, confesses Denis Blum, programmer of the event, who is in charge of composing a beautiful poster. On the program, therefore, art films and commercials, comedies, dramas, animation, surprises, both French and foreign cinema, including three Japanese films this year ("The Asada Family", "Lady Nikuko's Luck", "Junk Head " ), a Chinese thriller (“Fires in the Plain”), a Spanish comedy (“El Buen Patrón”), a German drama (“The Collini Affair”)…
In addition to showing films that exhibitors may like, we have a clear objective to recover young people between 15 and 25 years old and try to attract a new audience”, adds Denis Blum, thinking of all those young people who now avoid cinemas. to devour series on platforms. Thus, adolescents and young people will be able to be conquered by "Junk Head", an animated science fiction film already presented in Gérardmer at the Fantastic Film Festival, "Karnawal", "a very nice Argentine film", says Denis Blum, or the Norwegian comedy “Ninja Baby”, about a young woman's lack of desire to have children.
A dozen teams present
Loyal spectators have seen a lot of people come to Gérardmer, where a dozen teams will return this year to present their films. Clovis Cornillac will arrive with “C'est magnifique”, a story that he himself directed and in which he plays the main role. The filmmaker Claude Lelouch will accompany Philippe Azoulay in the documentary that he dedicated to the director of some fifty films, “Tourner pour vivre”. Actress and director Audrey Dana will present her film “Men on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown”, a comedy with a prestigious cast (Thierry Lhermitte, Ramzy Bedia, François-Xavier Demaison…) about male group therapy; She will be joined by some of these men, including two Lorraine actors, Laurent Stocker and Michael Gregorio.
Canadian actress and filmmaker Monia Chokri will present her film “Babysitter”. Philippe Guillard will arrive with his comedy "J'adore ce que vous faites", and Artus, who plays the stickiest of Gérard Lanvin fans. For his film “Ténor”, the director Claude Zidi Jr will come with his actor and singer MB 14, who plays a young rapper gifted for lyrical singing. Finally, the Rencontres de Gérardmer will close with a film shot in and around Gérardmer: “Le Torrent”, a film by Anne Le Ny, with José García and André Dussolier. “A film that was shot 90% in the Gérardmer region”, explains Denis Blum proudly. Actress and director Anne Le Ny will be present at this first public screening of her film, which will not be released in French cinemas until the fall.
patrick deluge
24th Gérardmer Cinema Meeting, April 5-8, Cinema du Casino. Full program: www.rencontres-du-cinema.com
