Date & Time: Saturday September 4th / 1.00pm

Location: The Gate Cinema

Details: Nicole Védrès / France / 1947 / 71 mins

Premiere: Irish Premiere

Synopsis: This charming and authentic documentary shows Paris through unique archival footage, immersing us in a range of politic, social and artistic stories from 1900 to 1914. A city of artists in La Belle Epoque is unspooled, with unique and little seen footage of key figures in the cultural life of the city and international figures. Often held up as a key example of how to edit film, Alain Resnais worked on the film as assistant director. A classic example of the historical montage film, Paris 1900 is both a visual chronicle of a great city and a meditative essay about the passing of time.

“Nicole Vedrès and her little unit have achieved something immensely beautiful that shatters the visual conventions of cinema as profoundly as Marcel Proust’s oeuvre succeeded in transforming the novel.” – André Bazin.

“I owe everything to Nicole Vedrès.” – Chris Marker.

Presented with the support of the French Embassy in Ireland and Institut Français.

Date & Time: Saturday September 4th / 3.30pm

Location: The Gate Cinema

Details: Eric Barbier / France, Belgium / 2020 / 113 mins

Starring: Jean-Paul Rouve, Djibril Vancoppenolle, Dayla De Medina

Awards: Nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay – César awards 2021

Synopsis: This memoir of childhood is adapted from the bestselling book by Gaël Faye and narrated by Gabriel aged 10, a joyful child living in a nice neighbourhood in Burundi. Set in 1993, the tensions in neighbouring Rwanda spill over, made doubly complicated by the fact that his mother is Rwandan and his father is French. Gabriel (newcomer Djibril Vancoppenolle) is a happy young boy who enjoys his carefree existence of going to school and playing with his friends. Such days are not to last as the conflict between the Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups starts to spill over into Burundi. A powerful story of conflict viewed through a child’s eyes.

“Small Country is probably the best cinematographic adaptation possible made about this wonderful novel from the rappeur, composer and author Gaël Faye” – Le Monde.

Presented with the support of the French Embassy in Ireland and Institut Français.

Date & Time: Saturday September 4th / 8.30pm

Location: The Gate Cinema

Details: Fabienne Berthaud / France, Belgium / 2019 / 100 mins

Starring: Cécile de France, Narantsetseg Dash, Ludivine Sagnier

Premiere: Irish Premiere

Synopsis: Cécile de France gives a breathtaking performance based on the true story of a musicologist who travels to Mongolia and discovers her shamanic powers. To overcome the death of Paul, the love of her life, Corine leaves Paris for a few weeks to work in Mongolia. But her meeting with the shaman Oyun upends her plans, as Oyun proclaims that Corine has received a rare gift. Back in France, she cannot refuse what is now seems her destiny. She must go back to Mongolia to begin her initiation, and discover a bigger world. Beautifully shot in both Paris and the Mongolian Steppes the film is based on the book by Corine Sombrun, Mon Initiation Chez les Chamanes.

“Carried by an excellent performance from Cécile de France, the film fully leverages the spectacular landscapes of Mongolia and the fascinating trance sequences, shrouding its story in a well-balanced cover between ethnographic immersion and classical cinematic narrative.” – Cineuropa.

Date & Time: Saturday September 4th / 6.00pm

Location: The Gate Cinema

Details: We present this quite brilliant animated short film programme from Paris based producer Autour de Minuit as they celebrate their 25th anniversary.

Obras

Hendrick Dusollier / France / 2004 / 12 mins

In one single shot, Obras is a poetic and graphic journey through time and space, exploring Barcelona’s wild irreversible destruction and reconstruction. In a virtual 3D space, Obras offers a plastic interpretation of urban mutations.

Flesh

Edouard Salier / France / 2005 / 10 mins

The Empire unveils everything but sees nothing. Its enemies idealize everything but tolerate nothing. What if it all came down to flesh?
Selected at over 60 international festivals and winner of Best Short film at Gijon and Best Animated short film at Sonar.

Logorama

François Alaux, Hervé de Crécy, Ludovic Houplain / France / 2009 / 16 mins

Spectacular car chases, an intense hostage crisis, wild animals rampaging through the city, and even more in Logorama! Winner of numerous awards including a César and Academy Award .

Reruns

Rosto / France, Belgium / 2018 / 14mins

Everything is different, but nothing has changed. A trip in a submerged labyrinth, made of dreams and memories.

Scenery (Decorado)

Alberto Vázquez / Spain, France / 2016 / 11 mins

The world is a wonderful stage, but its characters are disgraceful.

Bavure

Donato Sansone / France / 2018 / 4 mins

In the beginning was the Stain. A paintbrush reveals a being of gouache, opens him, transforms him, twists him, completes him. From this accelerated evolution arises a conquering being…

Peripheria

David Coquard-Dassault / France / 2015 / 12 mins

A journey into the heart of a large and abandoned council estate. Peripheria portrays an urban environment becoming wild: a modern Pompeii where the wind blows and dogs roam, tailing the remains of human life.