Ciné Lumière at the Institut Francais in Kensington has teamed up with the Curzon in Soho for ‘Rendez-Vous with French Cinema’– four days packed with French films and exclusive interviews. There will be a screening of Populaire alongside a Q&A with the actors Romain Duris and Déborah François, as well as an interview with Oscar-nominee Kristin Scott Thomas. Also showing are the films Renoir and Cycling with Moliere, followed by interviews with directors Gilles Bourdos, Régis Roinsard and Philippe Le Guay.
Here’s a description of the films:
Populaire, dir. Régis Roinsard, with Romain Duris, Déborah François, Bérénice Bejo
Set in 1950s France, Populaire is the tale of Rose, a shopkeeper’s daughter who dreams of escaping the trappings of her small village and a lifetime of drudgery as a housewife. Rose travels to Normandy to try out for a job as a secretary and is interviewed by the charming Louis Echard (Duris). Rose’s interview is a disaster but at the last minute she reveals a special gift for typewriting. Seeing an opportunity to re-live his glory days as a competitor, Louis employs Rose and begins an intensive training regime to get her ready to compete in the country’s typing contests.
Cycling with Moliere, dir. Philippe Le Guay, with Fabrice Luchini, Lambert Wilson, Maya Sansa, Camille Japy
A once great actor, Serge Tanneur (Fabrice Luchini), has retired from the limelight to Île de Ré. Fellow actor Gauthier Valence (Lambert Wilson) is planning a production of Molière’s play The Misanthrope and wants to offer Serge the title role. Gauthier is convinced he will accept, but Serge plays hard to get.
Renoir, dir. Gilles Bourdos, with Michel Bouquet, Vincent Rottiers, Christa Theret
In his later years, painter Pierre-Auguste Renoir is tormented by the loss of his wife, the pains of arthritic old age and the terrible news that his son Jean has been wounded in the war. But when a young girl called Andree miraculously enters his world, the old painter is filled with a new energy. His son Jean also falls for the charms of the redheaded star.
