A Mermaid in Paris

A crooner with a broken heart, Gaspard had sworn never to fall in love again. As for Lula, a pretty mermaid, she has only her singing to defend herself from men, making their hearts race until they explode.

When the Seine floods and deposits Lula at the foot of the Flowerburger, the barge-cabaret where Gaspard sings, it is a mini-tsunami that will upset and change their lives. He, the man who has suffered from having loved too much, and she, the creature who has never known love, will get to know each other. And to sing with the same voice...

★★★★½ "A beauiful crowdpleasing blend of Amelie and The Shape of Water" - James Croot, Stuff.co.nz

★★★★½ "A gorgerous storybook fantasy" - Nerdist 

"A Mermaid in Paris is a refreshingly original film about what it means to believe in the things you love, and in doing that, makes a strong argument of why you should love the film itself." - Film Inquiry

Another World

- OFFICIAL SELECTION (IN COMPETITION) – 2021 VENICE INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL -

The remarkable Vincent Lindon reunites with acclaimed writer/director Stéphane Brizé for the stunning Another World, delivering a powerhouse turn as a driven white-collar manager torn between duty to his job, his family and his principles.

Lindon plays Philippe Lemesle, an executive who oversees the regional factory of an industrial multi-national. He has dedicated his life to the company, balancing relations with his employees while placating his bosses and their American overlords. But it’s come at a high personal cost - he and partner Anne (the amazing Sandrine Kiberlain, Lindon’s ex-wife in real life) are separating, and his relationship with troubled son Lucas (In The Name Of The Land’s Anthony Bajon) is also collapsing. So when the already-frayed Philippe is tasked by management with a downsizing operation, he faces a major crisis of conscience…

Harnessing the humanist spirit of Ken Loach, Brizé’s intimate and emotionally engaging film is a clear-eyed look at the pressures of modern society. Lindon is truly astounding, finding empathy and pathos as a man backed into a corner, but who decides to fight back. He - and the film - is a knockout.

Between Two Worlds

OFFICIAL SELECTION - CANNES 2021 DIRECTOR'S FORTNIGHT

Marianne Winckler (Juliette Binoche), a well-known author, goes to live in northern France to research for her new book on the subject of job insecurity. Without revealing her true identity, she gets hired as a cleaner, working with a group of other women. In this new role, she experiences financial instability and social invisibility first-hand. But she also discovers mutual assistance and solidarity, strong bonds shared by these behind-the-scenes working women.

Employee of the Month

The hilarious smash-hit French comedy written and directed by, and starring Jérôme Commandeur (Welcome to the Sticks, Ma famille t’adore déjà). Vincent, a long-time civil servant, refuses to move on from his cushy job for life. When the new local mayor demands cuts to the budget, disgruntled inspector Isabelle (Pascale Arbillot) orchestrates a series of undesirable transfers for Vincent, from the worst corners of France to the North Pole… but will it be enough to finally force him to quit the bureaucratic system that he’s become so accustomed to?

Everything Went Fine

- OFFICIAL SELECTION - CANNES 2021 -

When André, 85, has a stroke, Emmanuèle hurries to her father’s bedside. Sick and half-paralysed in his hospital bed, he asks Emmanuèle to help him end his life. But how can you honour such a request when it’s your own father?

★★★★ "The performances from Dussollier and Marceau are quietly outstanding." - The Guardian

Farewell, Mr. Haffmann

- WINNER – 2021 SARLAT FILM FESTIVAL – Audience Prize (Best Film) & Best Actress -

The legendary Daniel Auteuil gives one of his most superlative screen performances in the gripping new historical drama from writer/director Fred Cavayé, based on Jean-Philippe Daguerre’s celebrated, multi Molière Award-winning play.

Occupied Paris, 1941: the Jewish community is instructed to identify themselves by wearing a yellow star. Dedicated jeweller Joseph Haffmann (Auteuil), fearing the worst, arranges for his family to flee the city and offers his employee François Mercier (Gilles Lellouche) the chance to take over his store until the conflict subsides. But his own attempts to escape are thwarted, and Haffmann is forced to seek his assistant’s protection.

It’s a risky proposition for both men, and one that Mercier’s wife Blanche (a wonderful Sara Giraudeau) is sceptical of. As the couple move in to the Haffmann home, the agreement turns into a Faustian bargain, one that will forever change the fate of all…

Superbly directed by Cavayé, Farewell, Mr. Haffmann masterfully guides the viewer through the world of Vichy France, where lives are irrevocably shaped by the twin scourges of war and the black market. Rich in moral complexity and empathy, with several twists too good to spoil, this is one of the festival’s major highlights. It’s a must-see.

Happy 50

In this irreverent and feel-good comedy, a group of long-time friends get together for a hilarious and eventful vacation, in which nothing will go as planned and their friendship will be put to the test.

To celebrate Yves’ 50th birthday, his friends plan to take him to the sunny paradise of Paros in Greece. But due to a cancelled flight, the holiday will take place in a far less glamorous and much rainier destination: Yves’ family home in Brittany. During the vacation, their bonds are challenged by Antoine’s constant complaining, Yves’ pride, Baptiste’s superstition and Laurent’s jealousy of Jean-Mich’s perfect life and family. On top of that, Antoine’s supposedly harmless joke – offering Yves a DNA ancestry test – has unforeseen consequences…

Hear Me Out

Antoine, a history teacher in his early 50s, learns that he has become very hard of hearing. Unable to own up to his handicap, he resigns himself to living in his bubble, even though his entourage finds his behavior increasingly odd. His encounter with Claire, widow and mother of a young girl who has stopped speaking, will lead him to open up to the world. 

The well-rounded cast of Hear Me Out delivers a touching exploration of the risks and rewards of revealing our vulnerabilities and that shows there’s no shame in asking for help.

Kompromat

Based on incredible true events, Jérôme Salle’s gripping new political thriller depicts the remarkable story of a French public servant who unwittingly found himself in conflict with one of the modern era’s most powerful and dangerous forces: Russia’s FSB. 

Gilles Lellouche stars as Mathieu, a gregarious and dedicated diplomat who accepts a posting to Irkutsk as the head of Siberia’s Alliance Française. He hopes the change will be good for his family and struggling marriage, but before long Mathieu’s staging of cultural events and support of artistic expression sees him fall afoul of local authorities. Accused of a terrible crime, he soon realises someone has fabricated a case with Russia’s Federal Security Service; he has been framed.

Arrested, imprisoned and isolated, Mathieu has nowhere to turn. Defending himself is impossible, the French authorities are helpless… it seems he has no choice: to try and escape.

With top-notch direction and excellent performances by its entire cast (including Cold War’s fabulous Joanna Kulig) and featuring several pulse-pounding setpieces to rival the best of Bourne, Kompromat is high-octane French cinema at its most compelling and entertaining. See it before the inevitable and likely inferior Hollywood remake!

La Traviata, My Brothers and I

- OFFICIAL SELECTION - CANNES 2021 UN CERTAIN REGARD -

Nour, a 14-year-old boy, is enjoying the beginning of the summer holidays in the South of France. He is the youngest of four brothers. They live together in a council estate, taking turns caring for their mother who is in a coma. She used to love Italian Opera, so Nour plays it for her, and develops a passion for that music. Between community work and rising tensions at home, Nour dreams of escaping to a faraway place. When he crosses paths with Sarah, an Opera singer teaching summer classes, he finally finds the opportunity to come out of his shell and explore new horizons.

Little Nicholas' Treasure

From writer/director Julien Rappeneau (Rosalie Blum and Of Love & Lies), the charming and hilarious comedy Little Nicholas' Treasure is a lavish big-screen adventure featuring the beloved children’s character created by Rene Goscinny (Astérix) and illustrator Jean-Jacques Sempé, a young boy with a limitless sense of curiosity and a dangerously overactive imagination.

France, early 1960s. In the idyllic world of 9-year-old Nicholas (adorable newcomer Ilan Debrabant), there is Papa (Jean-Paul Rouve), Mom (Audrey Lamy), his school and - most importantly - his ragtag group of friends. Cheeky, inseparable and mischievous, they call themselves ‘The Invincibles’ and life couldn’t be better.

But when his father receives a sought-after promotion and announces that the family must move to the south of France, it’s the worst news imaginable. Nicholas simply can’t fathom life without his pals, and neither can they. Before long a plan is afoot to prevent this terrible relocation…

As fun-loving as its namesake, Little Nicholas' Treasure captures the magic of childhood and the values of both family and true friendship. With an all-star ensemble cast including Grégory Gadebois (Delicious), Jean-Pierre Darroussin and Noémie Lvovsky, this wildly entertaining film will strike a chord with audiences young and old.

Love Songs for Tough Guys

- OFFICIAL SELECTION - CANNES 2021 -

Featuring a delicious ensemble cast led by François Damiens and Vanessa Paradis, the hilarious new romantic comedy from Samuel Benchetrit is a charmingly-affectionate fable of a disparate group of ordinary people finding love and fulfillment through an unexpected source: the arts.

In the port city of Dunkirk, weary crime boss Jeff (The Belier Family’s wonderful Damiens) has a big problem: young punks are muscling in on his turf. But Jeff is distracted: he’s fallen for Roxane, a supermarket cashier he adores from afar. Taking a leaf from the Cyrano playbook, he tries to win her heart by writing love poems, but doesn’t have the courage to deliver them. Meanwhile, Jeff's grizzled and near-mute enforcer is sent to shake down local suburban widow Suzanne (a never-better Paradis), who is preparing to portray Simone de Beauvoir in the community theatre’s annual musical, but instead finds himself drawn into the actual production…

With an exquisitely layered script that slowly reveals genuine pathos for all its characters, Love Songs for Tough Guys is a deadpan but giddly romantic fable of imperfect people with complex and passionate interior lives. Huge-hearted and funny, it’s one of the most entertaining and intelligent comedies of this year’s selection.

Madeleine Collins

In this psychological thriller in the Hitchcockian tradition, Virginie Efira (Bye Bye Morons) deftly embodies the troubled personality of Madeleine Collins, a woman living a double life, whose identity cracks under the weight of her own lies.

The film tells the parallel stories of a woman who seems to be the perfect wife and a loving mother living between France and Switzerland. Sophisticated and elegant with a touch of suspense, Madeleine Collins sits somewhere between Vertigo and Kramer vs. Kramer, the story of a woman at the centre of two worlds that are starting to collide.

Maigret

The legendary Gerard Depardieu brings to remarkable life one of the most beloved characters from 20^th century crime fiction in Maigret, the masterfully directed and hugely entertaining new film from multi award-winning writer/director Patrice Leconte (Monsieur Hire, Ridicule, The Girl On The Bridge), based on Georges Simenon’s internationally best-selling novels.

Paris, 1953. The body of a beautiful young woman is discovered at Place Ventimille, dressed in an elegant evening gown. There is nothing to identify her, and no witnesses. Pensive and world-weary inspector Jules Maigret (Depardieu) endeavours to piece together her story, and in doing so uncovers details about her past and character. In his enquiries, he encounters Betty (Jade Labeste), a woman who bears an uncanny resemblance to the victim, but who also reminds him of one even closer to his own life…

Simenon (and Leconte’s) formidable protagonist - a French counterpart to Agatha Christie’s Poirot and P.D. James’ Dalgiesh - has been brought to the screen before, but Depardieu leaves an indelible stamp on the character, bringing tenderness and dignity to a man prepared to listen before he speaks, and to stand up for those without a voice. It’s an absolute pleasure to join him, as Maigret irascibly and ingeniously follows the clues.

Men on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown

Seven men, all city-dwellers aged between 17 and 70, with nothing in common apart from the fact that they are all on the verge of a nervous breakdown, meet up at a lonely station for an unusual course in the wild that is supposed to get them back on their feet.

Each step in this boot camp, designed by an eccentric and feisty female coach, aims to reveal them to themselves. The task seems to be a tough one, especially as nothing goes as planned between these men.

Murder Party

Sink your teeth into this juicy murder comedy!

Was it Colonel Mustard in the kitchen with the candlestick? Or was it Mrs Peacock in the conservatory with the lead pipe? Murder Party follows Jeanne (Alice Pol), a brilliant architect on a new job, renovating a beautiful mansion owned by an eccentric family who head a board game empire. Jeanne turns from architect to investigator when the landlord and patriarch is found dead and suddenly everybody is a suspect.

Director Nicolas Pleskof (Simiocratie and Zoo) has brought the family favourite board game, Cluedo, to life with his first full-length feature film.

All-star cast Alice Pol, French superstar Eddy Mitchell (True Friends) and actress and director Zabou Breitman (The Swallows of Kabul) will keep you on the edge of your seat in this comedy thriller. Just when you think you have deduced it was Miss Scarlett in the ballroom with the revolver, guess again!

OSS 117: From Africa with Love

- OFFICIAL SELECTION - CANNES 2021 -

The third entry in secret agent OSS 117's parodic spy adventures.

The clueless, arrogant, hilarious and staunchly patriotic French secret agent, as silly as his retrograde attitudes — Hubert Bonisseur de la Bath, aka agent OSS 117 — is back in OSS 117: From Africa With Love.

It’s 1981, the world has changed since the last adventure of OSS 117, France’s finest secret agent. Feminism is gaining ground; computer technology is developing and Communists lurk everywhere. In the midst of all this, France sends its top spy to Africa to help out President Bamba, whose re-election is threatened by rebels, led covertly by his young wife, played by the gorgeous Fatou N’Diaye.

This mission is trickier, more treacherous, and more torrid than ever and OSS 117 must, for the first time, team up with a young rival with considerable assets: the up-and-coming OSS 1001 (Pierre Niney, Goliath). Starring Oscar winner, Jean Dujardin (I Feel Good, Deerskin), OSS 117: From Africa With Love is a delightful and entertaining movie with a healthy dose of satire.

Rumba Therapy

Rumba Therapy is a feel-good comedy made by actor-turned-Director Franck Dubosc who plays Tony, a bus driver in his 50s, going through a midlife crisis. He lives alone, having abandoned his wife and baby decades earlier. Deciding to reconnect with his daughter (Louna Espinosa), who has become a dance teacher, Tony signs up for her classes, even though he hates dancing and has two left feet.

Following the success of Rolling to You, another story of middle-aged reinvention, Dubosc harnesses that same endearing comedy to highlight the emotional vulnerability of an older man searching for greater meaning in life. It’s the kind of relatable melodrama that makes audiences root for the most unlikely of characters.

A touching film telling the story of a father desperate to reconnect with his daughter and who will go to any lengths and correct the mistakes of his past. Rumba Therapy is all about getting out of your comfort zone and sheds a tenderly funny light on father-daughter relationships in adulthood.

The Kitchen Brigade

Cathy is a stubborn 40-year-old sous-chef. This year, she is finally about to fulfill her lifelong dream by opening her own gastronomic restaurant. But nothing goes as planned. Facing serious financial difficulties, she reluctantly accepts a job in the cafeteria of a shelter for young migrants. While she hates her new position, Cathy’s skills and passion for cuisine start to change the kids’ lives. And they also have a lot to teach her...

The Villa

With an all-star ensemble cast, The Villa joins the ranks of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Calendar Girls and The Intouchables, with it’s touching and oft-hilarious depiction of friendships formed against all odds.

An unlikely story of friendship between Milan, a young man on parole, who is forced to work in a retirement home rather than going to jail, and a larger-than-life group of retired people who are not really prepared to accept this new recruit.

The Young Lovers

The fabulous Fanny Ardant, Melvil Poupaud and Cécile de France beguile in The Young Lovers, Carine Tardieu's eagerly anticipated follow up to Just To Be Sure, a modern and emotionally-nuanced romantic dramedy of a woman who embarks on a relationship with a much younger man, and the implications her choices have on those around her.

Elegant, retired architect Shauna (a radiant, never-better Ardant, La Belle Epoque) crosses paths with Pierre (Poupaud), a married oncologist in his 40s, who first made an impression on her in a brief meeting over a decade earlier. Both are drawn to each other and begin a passionate affair. While Pierre’s family life is soon turned upside down - his wife (de France) incredulous at the age difference - Shauna struggles with feelings she thought well-belonged to the past, and the promise of what may remain…

Inspired by real events experienced by the mother of one of Tardieu’s closest friends, the late Sólveig Anspach, this wonderful new film deftly avoids sentimentality, and empathises as equally with those affected by the couple’s unexpected connection as it does with them. Capturing the thrill, guilt and vulnerability of December-May romances, The Young Lovers is a hugely moving call to arms to fully appreciate life, no matter society’s preconceptions.