Date & Time: Sunday 12th at 11:00am

Location & Tickets: The Gate Cinema

Details: Michel Ocelot / France / 2018 / 97 mins / Animation

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Synopsis: Dilili arrives in turn-of-the-century Paris as a stowaway on a ship. She is immediately taken under the wings of Orel, a kind-hearted delivery boy who seems to know every major figure in French science, art, music, and literature. Among those they visit are Marie Curie, Louis Pasteur, Emma Calvé, Sarah Bernhart, Toulouse-Lautrec, Claude Debussy, Auguste Renoir, Claude Monet, Colette, and others.

With the help of her friend, she investigates a spate of mysterious happening that is plaguing Belle Époque Paris. In the course of her investigation she encounters a series of extraordinary characters, each of which provides her with clues that will help her in her quest… After Kirikou and Azur & Asmar, Michel Ocelot returns with an enchanting new tale of brave young heroes, mysteries and discoveries, extraordinary places and magical encounters, in which good must challenge dark forces and triumph.

“An adventure tale with an empowering message, this delightful family film is also an ode to The City of Light and to French culture and history.” – Alliance of Women Film Journalists.

César Award for Best Animated Film (2018).

Date & Time: Sunday 12th at 1:30pm

Location & Tickets: The Gate Cinema

Details: Stéphane Lafleur / Canada / 2022 / 104 mins

Starring: Steve Laplante, Larissa Corriveau, Fabiola N. Aladin, Hamza Haq

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Synopsis: The Viking Society is recruiting volunteers for the first crewed mission to Mars. The goal is to form a B-team that will mirror the mission here on Earth to find solutions to the interpersonal problems that the Mars-bound crew is experiencing. David is a high school gym teacher who seizes this opportunity to revive his dream of becoming an astronaut and making a difference. Viking balances deadpan humour with profound poignancy in its story about a longing for a sense of purpose. It’s that rare kind of science fiction where gadgets and fantasy are overshadowed by the mysteries of the human psyche.

“Lafleur tries his hand at the unusual category of science-fiction comedy, pulling off an insightful, hilarious film that is part science spoof, part character study.” – Far Out Magazine.

Best French Language Film, Cinéfest Sudbury International Film Festival, 2022.

Date & Time: Sunday 12th at 3:30pm

Location & Tickets: The Gate Cinema

Details: Martin Bourboulon / France / 2021 / 108 mins

Starring: Romain Duris, Emma Mackey, Pierre Deladonchamps

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Synopsis: Eiffel is a handsomely mounted drama of Gustave Eiffel’s quest to build the iconic tower that bears his name. The film shows how Eiffel was an unpopular figure in late 19th century Paris when his plans for the 10,100-tonne iron tower, intended to be a symbol of French industrial savoir-faire for the 1889 Universal Exhibition, were unveiled.

As Eiffel combats negative public opinion and surmounts adverse building conditions with his genius for steelwork, the film gives equal weight to a doomed love affair, set over the course of 20 years, as Gustave and Adrienne (Emma Mackey in her French debut), now married to a prominent journalist, rekindle their youthful flame.

Eiffel isn’t so much a biopic of Gustave Eiffel but a story “freely inspired” by the historical facts. It posits why Eiffel had a sudden change of heart in becoming involved with the metal tower project after initially declining.

The stunning production won César nominations for Costume Design, Production Design and Visual Effects.

Date & Time: Sunday 12th at 6:15pm

Location & Tickets: The Gate Cinema

Details: Moussa Sène Absa / Senegal, Ivory Coast / 2022 / 101 mins

Starring: Nguissaly Barry, Rokhaya Niang, Ibrahima Mbaye Tché

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Synopsis: Awa and Adama are 15-year-old siblings living in a neighbourhood on the outskirts of Dakar. Awa, bright and intelligent, excels at school. Adama prefers to sell trinkets on the street and has his eyes set upon the precarious journey across water to France. Following the death of their grandmother, the children stay with their uncle Atoumane, who is arranged to be married to their cousin Fatou. But she has no feelings for Atoumane and her rejection of him catalyses an act of violence that tears the family apart. Ten years later, Atoumane returns to the village, where there is a sense of trepidation, particularly felt by Awa, whose life was irrevocably altered by him.

“The latest film from the veteran Senegalese director blends narrative styles and traditions, from local folklore to Western-style soap opera, to make its tale of female subjugation and self-liberation as universal as possible.” – Variety.

Official Selection, BFI London Film Festival 2022.

Date & Time: Sunday 12th at 8:30pm

Location & Tickets: The Gate Cinema

Details: Cédric Klapisch / France /2022 / 117 mins

Starring: Marion Barbeau, Hofesh Shechter, Denis Podalydes, Muriel Robin

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Synopsis: Rise begins with a beautifully shot sequence that takes place backstage and onstage during a performance of the ballet La Bayadère. With no dialogue, the stage is immediately set for the movie’s plot. The prima ballerina, Élise (brilliantly played by Marion Barbeau, a real ballerina from the Paris Opera Ballet in her first film role) takes a bad fall and breaks her ankle. The film follows her through her attempts to recover and find a new path in life. while staying at an artists’ residency in Brittany as an extra pair of hands in the kitchen, Elise finds her way to healing – both physically and mentally – through mixing with a contemporary dance group.

“There is a life-affirming quality in how the film captures the recovery process: it is not a solitary act but a communal one, as the healing of Elise’s body is made possible only by being among the collective of other creative souls.” – The Guardian.

Nominated for ten César Awards, 2023, including Best Film, Best Director.