Louisiana has always been known for its deep connection to the French language and francophone countries, and for the past 28 years, the New Orleans Film Society has been celebrating that with the French Film Festival.
The films
Bringing films from all over the world and across time, the French Film Festival is a big moment for Louisiana film fans to party, learn and watch great movies. The festival started on Thursday with the patron party and the showing of the first film, “La venue de l’avenir,” or “Colors of Time.”
The festival highlighted new films to the French-speaking world, like “Amour Apocalypse” and “L’Étranger.” Other films were much older.
Starting Saturday off with a poetic swing, the film “Orpheus” by Jean Cocteau was shown. The black-and-white classic wasn’t chosen at random; the New Orleans Film Society worked with a Cocteau scholar to help curate the films and to bring her knowledge to the attendees.
Chloë Cassens is a writer named by The New York Times as “The ‘Little Scorpion’ of the French Riviera.” Though she is based in Paris and Los Angeles, she made her way down to New Orleans to talk about a director so dear to her.
“I thrive on seeing other people react to [Cocteau’s] work — whether it’s for the first time or the first time in a while. It makes me optimistic that Cocteau’s name and legacy won’t die in the dark,” Cassens said.
Cocteau’s “Orpheus” is a retelling of the famous Greek myth in which Orpheus is a national hero and a poet haunted by death. A beautifully shot film, it had the audience hooked.
Cocteau’s work is not what the average film-watcher would be used to, as he has a very unique style and, as Cassens described it, a somewhat autobiographical way of telling his stories.
“There are so many things that make him and his work special,” Cassens said. “Cocteau was totally and uniquely himself — to the point that he was often maligned for it. He was always in tune with what I like to call the texture of humanity, and put it in his work. I think that humanity is what people connect with so many decades later.”
Throughout the film festival, Cassens spoke to many of the film-goers about “Orpheus” and its creator. She also presented Cocteau’s “Beauty and the Beast” Sunday morning, and on Monday, Cassens gave a lecture at Loyola University about the filmmaker.
Loyola students presented an exhibition called “Cocteau Reimagined,” taking Cocteau’s poetry and films and creating their own art inspired by his work. There was also a Cocteau pop-up where guests could step into a recreation of what it would’ve been like to be on one of the great director’s filming sets.
Talking about the experience of attending and presenting at the French Film Festival, Cassens said, “The film festival has been great. I wish I could have caught more screenings, but meeting everyone at the ‘Orpheus’ and ‘Beauty and the Beast’ showings was fabulous.”
On Tuesday, Cassens hosted another panel about Cocteau and her work surrounding his legacy. Cassens has a project called “Sacred Monster” where she writes about the French filmmaker.
The event was held partly at the Prytania, and the one-screen theater was packed throughout the festival, especially for a new Polish-French film called “Chopin, Chopin!” This film follows real-life Polish composer and pianist Frédéric François Chopin through his time battling tuberculosis and fighting through an unbeatable writer’s block.
French short films like the Oscar-award winning short film “Two People Exchanging Saliva” were also featured at the festival. The film was a big moment in Oscar history, as it was only the 6th tie in Oscars history. “Two People Exchanging Saliva” was also monumental in respects to queer representation and representation behind the camera.
Directed by married couple Natalie Musteata and Alexandre Singh, they created the film with a majority of women from all around the world. “Two People Exchanging Saliva” is a dystopian short film set in a time where it is illegal for people to kiss. The film follows Angine and Malaise as they fall in love and deal with the deadly consequences.
The Swiss Consulate party
A long day of sitting in a theater can make one restless. Luckily for the festival attendees, there was fun to be had right around the corner.
The New Orleans Film Society partnered with the Swiss Consulate General to bring guests to the CinéSuisse Salon. This party was a celebration of not only French culture and cinema, but Swiss as well.
Switzerland marks the French Film Festival’s very first guest country. Being so close to France, the mountainous country has long had a place in French cinema history. One of the films in attendance, “Silent Rebellion,” is a collaboration between French and Swiss film studios.
The party itself was held in a beautiful Fontainebleau home in New Orleans, where attendees could appreciate the architecture while mingling with each other. Big draws for guests included the complimentary wine and cheese tastings.
As soon as guests walked through the leaf-covered fence, they were presented with a table full of wine glasses. After grabbing one, they could treat themselves to four unique wines from across the Alps. Bryant York of Stone Pigman Law Firm in New Orleans graciously introduced each wine and what to expect from them.
Following the party inside, guests were able to help themselves to a selection of cheeses courtesy of St. James Cheese Company. These cheeses were all specially chosen to pair with the wines being presented, providing a breadth of flavors.
Above all else, the highlight of the party was the amount of local filmmakers and film lovers involved in compelling conversation. People from all walks of life and different film associations came together for a night of getting to know each other, networking and celebrating unique films and cultures.
To stay up to date for the next New Orleans Film Society French Film Festival, check out the section on the group’s website.
