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ARRAS 2020

The Arras Film Festival reinvents itself

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- With its usual format cancelled, the 21st edition of the event will now unfold from 7 to 15 December in Paris and in the cinemas of the Hauts-de-France region

The Arras Film Festival reinvents itself
Quo Vadis, Aida by Jasmila Zbanic

UPDATE (7 November 2020): Arras Film Festival revisited (7 November – 15 December) had to be cancelled once again due to the second lockdown. Nevertheless the Festival team has decided to show the European competition in private “physical” screenings to the Jury in order to support selected films and to give 2 prizes which one is a distribution aid. The team also decided to hold the 9th ArrasDays session which is an industry platform to pitch new projects currently in development from European producers and directors selected.

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Initially forced to give up on its 2020 edition by a municipal by-law from 17 October closing the venues that would have been essential to the festival taking place in its usual format, the Arras Film Festival has quickly gotten back on its feet, reinventing the event to take place in other locations and at a different time.

The European competition and the pitching sessions of the development grant of the Arras Days will take place in Paris, in the cinema L’Entrepôt, from 13 to 15 November.

Eight feature films playing for the first time in France will be competing for the 2020 Golden Atlas: Wildland [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jeanette Nordahl
film profile
]
from Danish director Jeanette Nordahl, Quo Vadis, Aida [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Jasmila Žbanić
film profile
]
from Bosnian filmmaker Jasmila Zbanic, Spiral [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
from Hungarian director Cecilia Felméri, Rounds [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Stephan Komandarev
film profile
]
from Bulgarian filmmaker Stephan Komandarev, Tereza37 from Croatian director Danilo Serbedzija, Shadow Country [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
from Czech filmmaker Bohdan Slama, I Never Cry [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Piotr Domalewski
film profile
]
from Polish director Piotr Domalewski and The Campaign [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Marian Crişan
film profile
]
from Romanian filmmaker Marian Crisan. It is worth noting that the films will play again in the Mégarama cinema in Arras from 20 to 22 November.

A Focus on Ukrainian cinema will also be screened in Paris, featuring Antonio Lukich’s My Thoughts Are Silent [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, Daria Onyshchenko’s The Forgotten and Taras Dron’s Blindfold.

From 2 to 8 December, European Cinema Week will be playing in the cinemas of the Hauts-de-France region. Standing out among these European discoveries are The Castle [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
from Lithuanian director Lina Luzyte, Charlatan [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Agnieszka Holland
film profile
]
from Polish director Agnieszka Holland, La boda de Rosa [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
from Spanish filmmaker Icíar Bollaín, Servants [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ivan Ostrochovský
film profile
]
from Slovakian director Ivan Ostrochovsky, Bad Tales [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Fabio and Damiano D’Innocenzo
film profile
]
from Italian directors Fabio and Damiano D’Innocenzo, The Best Years [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
from their fellow countryman Gabriele Muccino as well as the British film After Love [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Aleem Khan
film profile
]
by Aleem Khan. Also screening are Father [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Srdan Golubović
film profile
]
from Serbian director Srdan Golubovic, Akelarre [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Pablo Agüero
film profile
]
by Pablo Agüero, Curveball [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Johannes Naber
film profile
]
from German filmmaker Johannes Naber and the documentary Hambi from his fellow countryman Lukas Reiter, as well as 2019 Golden Atlas winner The Father [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: GoCritic! Interview: Kristi…
interview: Kristina Grozeva, Petar Val…
film profile
]
by Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov.

A selection of 21 previews with talent present will also be shown in the cinemas of the Hauts-de-France region, from 7 to 15 November. Standing out from the selection are Cannes 2020 label recipients The Big Hit [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
by Emmanuel Courcol, Elie Wajeman’s A Night Doctor [+see also:
trailer
interview: Elie Wajeman
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]
, Samir Guesmi’s Ibrahim [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, Farid Bentoumi’s Rouge [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, Bruno PodalydèsFrench Tech [+see also:
trailer
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]
, Nora Martirosyan’s Should the Wind Drop [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nora Martirosyan
film profile
]
and Naël Marandin’s Beasts [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
.

Also in this very rich programme are preview screenings of Yann Gozlan’s Black Box [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, Fabienne Godet’s What If Tomorrow [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
,  Nicole Garcia’s Lovers [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Nicole Garcia
film profile
]
, Hélier Cisterne’s Faithful [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, Kaouther Ben Hania’s The Man Who Sold His Skin [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kaouther Ben Hania
film profile
]
, Jean-Pierre AmérisProfession du père [+see also:
trailer
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]
, Quentin Reynaud’s 5ème set [+see also:
trailer
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]
, Douglas Attal’s How I Became a Super Hero [+see also:
trailer
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]
, Cédric Jimenez’s Bac Nord [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile
]
, Baptiste Drapeau’s The Lodger [+see also:
trailer
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]
, Denis Imbert’s Vicky and Her Mystery [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, Eric Besnard’s Délicieux [+see also:
trailer
film profile
]
, Guillaume Brac’s À l'abordage [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Guillaume Brac
film profile
]
, and Venice Golden Lion winner Nomadland by Chloé Zhao.

This huge reorganisation, executed rapidly by the festival team and which also includes a Family and Children Week ( 25 November – 1 December) and a World Cinema Week ( 9 – 15 December) was possible thanks to the exceptional involvement of around 30 cinemas and other events (in particular the Amiens International Film Festival which will unfold from 13 to 21 November).

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(Translated from French)

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