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LA ROCHE-SUR-YON 2020

Auteur cinema alive and kicking in La Roche-sur-Yon

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- The 11th edition of the French festival will unspool 12 – 18 October, showcasing almost 65 feature films, with 35 of which set to enjoy their French premieres

Auteur cinema alive and kicking in La Roche-sur-Yon
Louloute by Hubert Viel

Due to be opened and closed by two films awarded the Cannes Film Festival’s Official Selection label (The Origin of the World [+see also:
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interview: Laurent Lafitte
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]
by Laurent Lafitte and French Tech [+see also:
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by Bruno Podalydès), the 11th La Roche-sur-Yon International Film Festival will unfold between 12 – 18 October. Showcasing in the cinemas signed up to the Vendean event - whose artistic direction is now helmed by Charlotte Serrand – we find almost 65 feature films, 33 of which are scheduled to enjoy their French premieres and a further two are gearing up to be screened in world premieres.

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In terms of the international competition, the jury (composed of Agathe Bonitzer, Lucie Borleteau and Guillaume Brac) will have to choose between eight titles, including one world premiere, one international premiere and four French premieres. Notably in the running are The Macaluso Sisters [+see also:
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]
by Italy’s Emma Dante (unveiled in competition in Venice), Louloute [+see also:
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by France’s Hubert Viel (in a world premiere), two titles hailing from Sundance (the Egyptian-British co-production Luxor [+see also:
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interview: Zeina Durra
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]
by Zeina Durra and Wendy by US director Benh Zeitlin), as well as four from Berlin: Curveball [+see also:
film review
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interview: Johannes Naber
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]
by Germany’s Johannes Naber, The Roads Not Taken [+see also:
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by English filmmaker Sally Potter, Gunda [+see also:
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by Russia’s Victor Kossakovsky (a production which sees Norway and the US join forces) and the Irish-Canadian feature film My Salinger Year [+see also:
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]
by Philippe Falardeau.

Among the eight full-length films in the New Waves competition, we should mention the Dutch-Greek production Kala azar [+see also:
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interview: Janis Rafa
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]
by Janis Rafa (discovered in competition in Rotterdam), Bait [+see also:
film review
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interview: Mark Jenkin
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]
by Mark Jenkin (Best First Film Bafta 2020) and the Italian co-production This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection [+see also:
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by Lemohang Jeremiah Mosese (a product of the Venice Film Festival’s Biennale College Cinema programme, rewarded at the Sundance Film Festival).

Stealing particular focus among the Special Screenings on the agenda are 5ème set [+see also:
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by France’s Quentin Reynaud, the documentary Notturno [+see also:
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interview: Gianfranco Rosi
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]
by Italy’s Gianfranco Rosi (unveiled in competition in Venice), Hidden Away [+see also:
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interview: Giorgio Diritti
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]
by his compatriot Giorgio Diritti (rewarded in Berlin), the Finnish-French co-production This Train I Ride [+see also:
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by Arno Bitschy and the Irish-British-Canadian title The Nest [+see also:
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by Sean Durkin.

Dedicated to singular and accessible outlooks, the Perspectives section will put forward a selection of works including the French production Under the Concrete [+see also:
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by Roy Arida (in a world premiere), British title Mogul Mowgli [+see also:
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interview: Bassam Tariq
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by Bassam Tariq, Sow the Wind [+see also:
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interview: Danilo Caputo
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by Italy’s Danilo Caputo, The Mole Agent [+see also:
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interview: Maite Alberdi
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]
by Maite Alberdi (San Sebastián’s Audience Award for Best European Film) and the documentaries The Earth is Blue as an Orange [+see also:
film review
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interview: Iryna Tsilyk
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]
by Iryna Tsilyk and The Truffle Hunters [+see also:
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interview: Gregory Kershaw and Michael…
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by Michael Dweck (awarded Cannes’ Official Selection label). Also well worth a mention, in the Variety section, is French filmmaker Quentin Dupieux’s Mandibles [+see also:
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interview: Quentin Dupieux
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]
which won over audiences Out of Competition in Venice.

Last but not least, this year’s edition will likewise shine a light on the highly original French actor-director Éric Judor, as well as featuring retrospectives dedicated to British directors Sally Potter and Joanna Hogg, tributes to Michael Lonsdale, Tonie Marshall, Ennio Morricone, Irrfan Khan and Jóhann Jóhannsson, and a line-up for younger audiences, comprising the animated films Wolfwalkers [+see also:
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]
, by the Irish duo Tomm Moore and Ross Stewart, and Calamity: A Childhood of Martha Jane Cannary [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Henri Magalon
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]
, by France’s Rémi Chayé.

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(Translated from French)

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