From June 21 to 28, the 11me edition of the Champs-Elysées Film Festival, with a good vintage that reveals the crème de la crème of independent cinema at the moment. The selection is clear and of great quality, but, among the films that we have been able to see, five have stood out. Five that deserve your full attention over the coming weeks and months.
#1. after yang
The CEFF opening film is a little gem of minimalist sci-fi that will have everyone agreeing. Production A24 by director Kogonada tells the daily life of a family made up of Colin Farrell, Jodie Turner-Smith, his adopted daughter and the android nanny Yang. It had already thrilled attendees at the 2021 Cannes festival and delighted those at the Champs-Elysées Film Festival again.
after yang hits theaters July 6.
#two. atlantic bar
Fanny Molins’ documentary was first shown at ACID at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival. atlantic bar is one of the most beautiful films you will see in the coming months. Chronicling the life of a bar in Arles, and especially that of its boss Nathalie, who learns that her establishment will have to close its doors, this documentary is of rare beauty and reveals a fresco of portraits.
atlantic bar It doesn’t have a release date yet.
#3. everything everywhere at once
It is the most anticipated film of the year, the one whose hype He is bigger. For many reasons: the return of the Daniels (swiss army man), the casting (Michelle Yeoh, Jamie Lee Curtis), and the pitch mixing science fiction, multiverse and many cinematographic references. Reviews are rave, and word of mouth has made it the biggest box office A24 film across the Atlantic. Does the film live up to our expectations? Beyond. A slap in the face that risks sneaking into our year-end tops without too much difficulty. You are warned.
everything everywhere at once hits theaters August 31.
#4. Our ceremonies
French genre cinema has been trying for some time to approach fantastic-horror themes from a French-French point of view, to exploit this register with the codes of a cinema as we know how to do here. This gave the agricultural horror drama. Cloudor the grotesque comedy with a werewolf Teddy bear. Along the same lines, the new film by Simon Rieth tells the story of two brothers (played by two novice actors who are actually brothers) who discover at a very young age that they have a power, which then affects their lives. An unprecedented proposal, a real success, which will have to be closely followed.
Our ceremonies It will hit theaters on March 23, 2023.
#5. Rodeo
Lola Quivoron’s debut feature made a lot of noise when it was presented at Cannes. In addition to the controversies, unjustified, the feature film is an unmissable nugget. By telling the story of Julia, the photographer and director reveals a little-known world, that of “urban rodeos”, cross-country. She shows behind the scenes, what lies behind motorcycle stunts, with a refined aesthetic. An important first film.
Rodeo It will be released on September 7.