French Film Festival Aotearoa 2023: The movies you need to see

New Zealand’s annual celebration of Gallic cinema is back.

The 2023 edition of the French Film Festival Aotearoa will unspool in 17 different towns and cities across the nation over the next six weeks.

Festival director Fergus Grady says the 23 fabulous flicks have all been thoughtfully hand-picked and curated, aiming to “fully immerse audiences in a culture that is known for its passion, style, sophistication and of course cuisine, through a selection of dramas, thrillers and comedies”.

The line-up includes critically acclaimed Riviera-set mystery Masquerade, box-office busting crime drama November, feel-good festive film A Good Doctor, Kristin Scott Thomas-starring comedy Two Tickets to Greece, Simone Veil-biopic Woman of the Century and the latest instalment in one of France’s most beloved family franchises – Belle & Sebastian: Next Generation.

However, after looking through the schedules and having the opportunity to preview some of the titles, Stuff to Watch has come up with a list of eight great watches that we urge you to go and seek out.

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A Great Friend (PG)

Mrs Harris Goes to Paris’ Lambert Wilson stars opposite Delicious’ Gregory Gadebois in this delightful mismatched buddy comedy.

Vincent (Wilson) is the urbane founder of Europe’s largest dating site and a man once voted the continent’s sexist entrepreneur. Pierre (Gadebois) is a marine biologist who has retreated to the woods in order to keep an eye on his widowed sister-in-law. When the former’s car breaks down, the latter comes to his rescue, but as Pierre struggles to get rid of his talkative guest, he begins to wonder if he made a mistake.

The Innocent (M)

Both a terrific black comedy and tension-filled crime caper, Louis Garrel directed, co-wrote and stars in this engrossing tale about an aquarium worker who suspects that his impetuous mother’s latest beau may not have made a complete break with his shady past.

Despite Michel (Roschdy Zem) having been released from prison, Abel (Garrel) enlists the help of his best friend Clemence (Noemie Merlant) to help keep a close eye on his activities. However, it isn’t long before their hapless surveillance attempts are rumbled.

Jack Mimoun & The Secrets of Val Verde (M)

A Gallic cross between Romancing the Stone, Tropic Thunder and The Lost City, this sees the eponymous “survivor of hell” (Malik Bentalha) tricked into heading back to the island that was apparently his prison for three months by Aurélie Diaz (Josephine Japy), a woman determined to finish her adventurer father’s quest for the diamond-encrusted sword of a legendary pirate.

Joining them on their journey are Mimoun’s manager Bruno (Jerome Commandeur) and the decidedly unpredictable mercenary pilot Jean-Marc Bastos (Francois Damiens).

Notre-Dame On Fire (M)

Seven Years in Tibet, The Name of the Rose and Quest For Fire’s Jean-Jacques Annaud takes the Hollywood blockbuster disaster approach to the events of April 15, 2019, when the iconic Paris cathedral was threatened by the biggest blaze since its initial building was completed in 1345.

With a swagger and style reminiscent of Roland Emmerich, Irwin Allen or Michael Bay, we follow the fortunes of various visitors, employees and first responders, as they battle to stay alive and save some of the irreplaceable treasures housed on-site.

The Origin of Evil (TBC)

Fans of Succession and Knives Out should definitely check out this twisty-turny thriller about a young woman whose long-desired meeting with her birth father sees her unexpectedly drawn into a power game with his eccentric current wife, ambitious daughter, rebellious granddaughter and a conniving maid. However, as it quickly becomes clear, there are more lies than truths being told.

Helping sell the sizzling premise are a terrific ensemble who include Call My Agent and Full Time’s Laure Calamy and La Belle Epoque’s Doria Tillier.

Other People’s Children (M)

Having wowed the world with her turn as the eponymous nun in Paul Verhoeven’s Benedetta, Virginie Efira delivers another fabulous performance in this compelling drama about a 40-year-old high school teacher who embarks on an emotional relationship with not only the recently-separated Ali (Roschdy Zem), but also his four-year-old daughter Leila (Callie Ferreira-Goncalves).

The growing, heartrending tension in writer-director Rebecca Zlotowski’s (Planetarium) tale comes from the fact that Leila already has a mother (Chiara Mastroianni).

Ride Above (PG)

The Aviator and Children of Men star Danny Huston joins Melanie Laurent, Pio Marmai and Carmen Kassovitz for this moody and gripping drama about a girl whose dreams of becoming a jockey are seemingly shattered by an awful accident.

As she struggles to come to terms with her new normal, her family’s financial future is also increasingly reliant on her equine companions overcoming their own demons.

Sugar and Stars (M)

With a procession of stylised slo-motion images of sumptuous dessert creations, debutant feature director Sebastien Tulard’s culinary dramedy most definitely comes with a warning that it should not be viewed on an empty stomach.

Riadh Belaiche is Yazid, a troubled teen whose dream of becoming a pastry chef comes up against an industry full of prejudice and rivals out to advance their own careers at the expense of his. He, though, is determined not to give up his sworn vocation without a fight.

The L’Or 2023 French Film Festival Aotearoa will visit Whitianga (June 1 to 7), Kerikeri (June 1 to 7), Auckland (May 31 to June 21), Tauranga (June 1 to 14), Masterton (June 1 to 7), Palmerston North (June 1 to 14), Hamilton (June 8 to 28), Wellington (June 8 to 28), Matakana (June 15 to 28), Napier (May 25 to June 7), Havelock North (May 25 to June 7), New Plymouth (June 22 to July 5), Nelson (June 1 to 14), Dunedin (June 15 to June 28), Christchurch (May 5 to June 11), Arrowtown (June 2 to 11) and Wānaka (June 1 to 14).

For more information, venues and session times, see frenchfilmfestival.co.nz