Posted by Larry Gleeson

LOS ANGELES, CA – April 4, 2017 – The Franco-American Cultural Fund announced today the program for the 21st COLCOA FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL, which will run April 24-May 2 at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles. The event will showcase a record 82 films, television series and, for the first time, web series. 70 of these will be in competition for the COLCOA Awards, including several World, International, North American, and U.S. Premieres. COLCOA is now considered the largest festival dedicated to French films and series worldwide.

“COLCOA will reach a new level in 2017 with two new categories – a virtual reality program and web series competition – added to the Cinema, Television, and Shorts competitions,” stated François Truffart, COLCOA Executive Producer and Artistic Director. “These two new popular formats offer more opportunities to showcase the creativity of French producers and filmmakers as well as the diversity of French production. While entertainment is still the key word for the program, with a balanced mix of comedies and dramas, several topical issues will cover the program this year, including the environment, discrimination, racism, terrorism, and the role of the artist in society. More than ever, COLCOA will offer a unique opportunity to see these universal topics from different angles.”

COLCOA CINEMA

In addition to the Classic Series, which includes the previously announced Carte Blanche to Academy Award® winner Writer/Director Damien Chazelle and an homage to the legendary filmmaker Jean-Pierre Melville, an exclusive lineup of 34 new features and documentaries will compete for the COLCOA CINEMA AWARDS, starting on April 24 with the North American Premiere of Academy Award®-winning Writer/Director Claude Lelouch’s Everyone’s Life. Celebrating 50 years of cinema, this ensemblefilm offers a high profile cast of 50 French actors, including Johnny Hallyday and Academy Award® winner Jean-Dujardin.

The cinema competition will close on Tuesday, May 2, with the North American Premiere of Eric Lavaine’s new romantic comedy, You Choose, starring Alexandra Lamy.

The line-up mixes new features from established Writer/Directors, including: Marco Bellocchio (Sweet Dreams), Nicolas Boukhrief (The Confession), Stephane Brizet (A Woman’s Life), Bruno Dumont (Slack Bay), Lisa Azuelos (Dalida), Philippe Lioret (A Kid) Edouard Baer (Open at Night), Marie-Camille Mansion-Chaar (Heaven Will Wait), Hugo Gelin (Two is a Family), Philippe Lachaud (Alibi.com), and Dany Boon (R.A.I.D. Special Unit).

The festival will also present the work of newcomers such asWriter/Director Nicolas Bedos (Mr. & Mrs. Adelman), Writer/Director Grand Corps Malade and Director Mehdi Idir (Step by Step), Writer/Director Morgan Simon (Taste the Ink), Writer/Director Anne-Gaëlle Daval (Ladies), Writer/Director Emmanuel Courcol (Ceasefire), as well as Writer/Directors Ludovic and Zoran Boukherman (Willy 1).

Actors Patrick Bruel (A Bag of Marbles), Lambert Wilson (The Odyssey, Corporate), Alexandra Lamy (You Choose), Dora Tillier (Mr. & Mrs. Adelman), and Sveva Alviti (Dalida) will also be in attendance at the festival.

The popular COLCOA High School screening program will run for five days during the festival. More than 3,000 Southern California students and teachers are invited to attend free screenings and conversations, as well as participate in a student film critic contest. Celebrating its 10 year, this program is produced in partnership with ELMA (European Languages and Movies in America), with the support of AATF-SC (American Association of Teachers of French – Southern California).

Other exciting programs offered throughout the festival include: After 10 Series (April 25~29); COLCOA Classics (April 25~29); COLCOA.Doc(April 25~30); World Cinema Produced by France, including two French-Italian co-productions (April 26); Focus on a Filmmaker, dedicated to Writer/Director Stephane Brizé(April 27); Film Noir Series (April 28); French NeWave 2.0, exploring the work of a new generation of filmmakers (April 29); and the Happy Hour Talks, a series of panels presented in association with Variety (April 25~29) that is free to the general public. The final panel will be dedicated to the famous French film composer, Jean-Claude Petit, who will meet the audience on April 29.

COLCOA TELEVISION

In its third year, the TV competition expands with a very exclusive program of 11 World, North American, and U.S. Premieres, in association with TV France International and TITRAFILM. After the success of Call My Agent (Season 1) at COLCOA 2016 (winner of the Best TV Series Award and TV Series Audience Special Prize), the popular series about a talent agency in Paris will be back at the festival with the World Premiere of Season 2, presented in association with France TV Distribution, before its French broadcast.

This year’s lineup offers several other high profile TV Series, including: the fantasy thriller Transfer (Season 1); thriller The Frozen Dead (Glacé) (Season 1); political thriller Baron Noir (Season 1); drama Manon 20 Years (mini series); comedy Beautiful Loser (Season 1); and thriller Midnight Sun (Season 1).

To round out COLCOA TELEVISION, the category will also include four recently awarded TV Dramas: Box 27, Plessis’Girls, Nadia, and Marion Forever 13.

COLCOA WEB SERIES

As a symbol of the globalization of production and the venue of a new generation of producers and filmmakers, the web series has become a format in its own right for the industry, involving both independent and studio creators. COLCOA is proud to introduce, in association with TITRAFILM, its first competition of six programs to close the festival on May 2, including documentaries, fantasies, dramas, and comedies. Similar to the Short Film Competition, audience members will have access to free screenings of the competing web series and will vote for the COLCOA BEST WEB SERIES AWARDS. (See attached program.)

COLCOA VIRTUAL REALITY

For the first time at COLCOA, audience members will have the opportunity to attend the VR Corner at the festival during the weekend (April 29 from 11am-5 pm and April 30 from 12-6 pm), presented in association with SAMSUNG and the French Embassy in the U.S. Five films will be available to watch, offering a very eclectic program for all ages. (See attached program.)

The complete recipient list of the 2017 Awards for the four competitions (Cinema, Television, Shorts, and Web series) will be announced on May 3, 2017 by the Franco-American Cultural Fund. For the tenth year, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) will partner with COLCOA Cinema for the Critics Awards.

This year, for the first time, a student jury will vote for the COLCOA AMERICAN STUDENTS AWARD, including Cinema and TV programs.

The COLCOA AWARDS are presented in association with KPCC-89.3, TITRAFILM, TV5 Monde USA, and AIR TAHITI NUI.

COLCOA FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL is funded by the Franco-American Cultural Fund, a partnership of the Directors Guild of America, the Motion Picture Association, France’s Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music, and the Writers Guild of America, West with the vital support of L’ARP (France’s Association of Authors, Directors, and Producers), the CNC, the Los Angeles Film and TV Office of the French Embassy, TV France International, and Unifrance.

COLCOA FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL is sponsored by Air Tahiti Nui,Dailymotion.com, TV5MONDE, Variety (Official Sponsors); Airstar,KPCC 89.3,Barnstormer, Los Angeles Times (Premier Sponsors); Barnes International Realty,Club Culinaire of Southern California, ELMA,Gaumont, Indiewire, LA Weekly, Sunset Marquis,TITRAFILM (MajorSponsors); Alliance Française de Los Angeles,Champagne de L’Argentaine, Cinando, Gayot.com, Laemmle Theatres, Les Macarons Duverger, Marché du Film, Miraval Provence Wines, Office de Tourisme Epernay, Vineyard Brands (Platinum Sponsors); and, Cinelife, La Chouquette, Gitane Rhapsody, La Grenouille, J. Lohr, La Vieille Ferme, Lycée International Los Angeles, Famille Perrin, Rosenthal The Malibu Estate, Stem & Wine, Tix (Supporting Sponsors).

All screenings are in French with English subtitles or in English. Tickets are available for advance purchase online at www.colcoa.org until April 20 and during the festival at the COLCOA Box Office at the Directors Guild of America, 7920 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles, CA 90046. Please visit colcoa.org for box office hours. Ticket prices are $14 for adults (ages 22+); $11 tickets for seniors (62+), disabled, and members of American Cinematheque, ASC, ICG, Film Independent, SAG, and Women in Film; $5 for students and ages 21 and under. Tickets are complimentary for DGA and WGAW guild members. Several screenings and events are free on a first-come, first-served basis, with no reservation needed. Visit colcoa.org for details.

(Source: Press release provided by Tiffany Bair Wagner/Big Time PR)