25/01/2019 - The very best of young European talent will be showcased at the 31st edition of the Angers film festival, which is due to take place from 25 January to 3 February

Countless filmmakers owe their success, in part, to Premiers Plans Film Festival, including Paolo Sorentino, Nuri Bilge Ceylan, François Ozon, Fatih Akin, Arnaud Desplechin, Matteo Garrone, Abdellatif Kechiche, Kornél Mundruczó, Jessica Hausner, Cristi Puiu, Miguel Gomes, Joachim Trier, Laurent Cantet, Joachim Lafosse, Rúnar Rúnarsson, and more recently the likes of Lukas Dhont, László Nemes, Guillaume Senez and Carla Simón. And with 100 films due to be showcased, the 31^st edition (25 January to 3 February), directed by Claude-Eric Poiroux (read the interview here) has no intention of deviating from its excellent editorial line, which focuses on emerging European talent.

The nine feature films competing in the international competition will be decided by a jury chaired by the French director Cédric Kahn and comprised of the Danish actress Sidse Babett Knudsen, the filmmaker and screenwriter Léa Mysius, the producer Sylvie Pialat and the composer Amine Bouhafa. Three films discovered at Locarno are in the running: All Good [+see also:
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film profile] by the German director Eva Trobisch (Winner of Best Film at the Swiss Festival), Ray & Liz [+see also:
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interview: Richard Billingham
film profile] by the British director Richard Billingham (special mention in international competition) and Those Who Work [+see also:
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interview: Antoine Russbach
film profile] by the Swiss director Antoine Russbach (unveiled in the Filmmakers of the Present section). They will be up against Lemonade [+see also:
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interview: Ioana Uricaru
film profile] by the Romanian director Ioana Uricaru (screened in the Panorama section at the Berlinale), Blossom Valley [+see also:
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interview: László Csuja
film profile] by the Hungarian director László Csuja (Special Jury Prize in the East of the West competition at Karlovy Vary), the harrowing Cutterhead [+see also:
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interview: Rasmus Kloster Bro
film profile] by the Danish director Rasmus Kloster Bro and three films that premiered at Toronto: Light as Feathers [+see also:
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interview: Rosanne Pel
film profile] by the Dutch director Rosanne Pel, Saf [+see also:
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interview: Ali Vatansever
film profile] by the Turkish director Ali Vatansever and Core of the World [+see also:
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film profile] by the Russian director Natalia Meshchaninova (selected in the New Directors section at San Sebastian Festival).

The French first feature section includes five films: Daniel [+see also:
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film profile] by Marine Atlan (which will also be competing at Berlin in the Generation section), Truk [+see also:
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interview: Sarah Marx
film profile] by Sarah Marx (a great discovery in the Horizons section at Venice), the documentary Young and Alive [+see also:
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interview: Matthieu Bareyre
film profile] by Matthieu Bareyre (special mention in the Filmmakers of the Present section at Locarno), Paper Flags [+see also:
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film profile] by the very young Nathan Ambrosioni and Father and Sons [+see also:
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film profile] by Félix Moati.

In addition to the four other competitions (including the European First Short competition, the French School competition, and the Animated Short competition), the Angers festival, which is due to be opened by Claire Burger’sReal Love [+see also:
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interview: Claire Burger
film profile], will also be screening Renault 12 by Mohamed El Khatib and I See Red People [+see also:
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film profile] by Bojina Panayotova in the Figures Libres section.

Festival premieres include the Venetian title Pearl [+see also:
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interview: Elsa Amiel
film profile]by Elsa Amiel, the Toronto features Teret [+see also:
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interview: Ognjen Glavonić
film profile] by the Serbian Ognjen Glavonić and Arctic [+see also:
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film profile] by the Brazilian director Joe Penna and the animated films Wardi [+see also:
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interview: Mats Grorud
film profile] by the Norwegian director Mats Grorud and Funan [+see also:
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interview: Denis Do
film profile] by Denis Do. 

Finally, the programme is due to include a number of tributes and retrospectives to the likes of Costa-Gavras, the Romanian director Corneliu Porumboiu, the Romanian Institute of UNATC, the German directors Maren Ade (who won’t be in attendance) and Valeska Grisebach, and the Dutch animation director Michael Dudok de Wit (who is due to chair the short film jury). And that’s not without forgetting a screenplay lecture on Amore mio, due to be directed by Guillaume Gouix, Les Versants by Guillaume Renusson and Gagarine [+see also:
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interview: Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Tr…
film profile] by the director duo Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh.

(Translated from French)