RendezVous With French Cinema 2025

 A Classic Film Festival of New French Films
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If you can’t have springtime in Paris- as in actual Paris- Film Lincoln Center’s (FLC) Annual French film festival can give you the next best thing. Rendez-Vous With French Cinema, co-sponsored by Unifrance, is a welcome breath of fresh air showcasing a wide variety contemporary movies of French filmmakers, both new and emerging as well as established and revered. The 23 movie lineup over 10 days (March 6-16), covers multiple genres, but has a particular focus on drama, comedy and thrillers.

Some of the featured highlights include festival opener, “This Amies”/ “Three Friends” by Emmanuel Mouret. The film explores the complexities of friendship and romantic relationships through the perspectives of three close friends (played by Hair, Camille Cottin, and Sara Forestier). Each friend is experiencing specific life and romance milestone and enlists one another’s advice and support. On the surface and certainly through this film’s trailer, it appears to be almost a light hearted romp, but in actuality, “Three Friends” is a tender and poignant drama that both surprises and delights. In more of the thriller category and a personal favorite is “Les Fantomes”/ “Ghost Trail” directed by Jonathan Millet and featuring a quiet and powerful performance by Adam Bessa. Recently released from Syrian jail, Hamid (Bessa) is seemingly just going through the motions of life, working in construction in Strasbourg, but haunted by his taunted by his past in prison and obsessed by the man who tortured him. As a result, he strikes out to find him and exact revenge by joining a small unofficial network of like-minded people looking for justice for war crimes. Making its U.S. premiere is the six-episode documentary miniseries “DJ Mehdi: Made in France,” an in-depth and pulsating examination of the legacy of this huge talent and star. “DJ Mehdi” is directed by one of Mehdi’s closest friends, Thibaut de Longeville who, not surprisingly, got incredible access and footage.

In the category of quietly arresting is “Hiver à Sokcho”/ “Winter in Sokcho”. Twenty-something Son-ha (Bella Kim) works in a rustic hotel in a small Korean town.Having never met her French father, new emotions arise in her when artist Yan Kerrand (Roschdy Zem) arrives to stay at the hotel. The half-Korean literature student and the French outsider strike up a rapport, but Son-ha thinks she wants more and knows she needs answers regarding her father. This is an intimate and utterly alluring drama set against the rugged and wintry  background of this quiet sea-side town.

Also in the lineup is “Hors du temps”/ “Suspended Hours,” a new release and partially autobiographical movie from seasoned director Olivier Assayas (“Summer Hours”). Taking place during Covid lockdown of 2020, filmmaker Paul Berger (Vincent Macaigne) retreats to a family house in the country, along with his music critic brother and their romantic partners. The brothers endure the stress of a global pandemic while navigating their current relationships and family memories and the arts. This seemingly has all the elements of a meaty family drama similar to Assayas’s masterpiece, “Summer Hours,” but unfortunately it falls short of that. Although at times charming and delightful, and other times a bit dramatic, the somewhat bland writing and one-dimensional characterizations make it difficult for the film to find its footing or its way to strike the right tone.

Other films directed by Rendez-Vous returning favorites that are sure not to disappoint, include the U.S. premiere of In “His Own Image” by Thierry de Peretti, a film where politics and romance meet at the intersection of a noble fight for justice and independence; “When Fall Is Coming” is the latest from legendary filmmaker François Ozon. It is a dark thriller about a retiree whose simple life in the country is not reflective of her complicated past. Just as welcome as returning directors to the festival are festival and French film favorite actors such as the great Vincent Lindon in not just one festival entry, but three: “Le Croix”/ “Cross Away,”“Jouer avec le feu”/ “The Quiet Son” and “The Second Act” / “Le Deuxième Acte” Also participating in the Rendezvous is Isabelle Huppert- small in stature but a giant of French cinema. She stars along with Hafsia Herzi, (“The Secret of the Grain), a relatively new actress with an already big appeal and acclaim. The two are paired up in “La Prisonniere de Bordeaux”/ “Visiting Hours”. This is a moving drama from Patricia Mazuy. Alma (Huppert) is an affluent housewife who meets working-class single mom, Mina (Herzi) during their visits to a prison where both of their husbands are serving time. Despite their different backgrounds, the two forge a bond, with Alma inviting Mina to move her family temporarily with her. It doesn’t take long before their friendship and trust are put to the test. This cinematic pairing is worth the price of admission.

With this being the festival’s 30th season, there seems to be no love lost between New York film goers and French cinema. Likewise, FLC has no plans to stop this annual showcase of beloved filmmakers and their art. Florence Almozini, Vice President of Programming at Film at Lincoln Center, said, “French cinema remains as inspiring as ever, with the strength, vitality, and depth of the films featured in the 30th edition of Rendez-Vous with French Cinema serving as a testament to its enduring power… Film at Lincoln Center is proud to mark 30 years of presenting new French films to New York audiences, in collaboration with our long-standing partners at Unifrance.”

As with all the FLC festivals throughout the year, the directors and/or cast members will be in attendance and on hand for Q & A sessions after most screenings. There are also some festival talks that are free to the public and available online. For more festival information and tickets, go to https://www.filmlinc.org/festivals/rendez-vous-with-french-cinema/#films