The highly acclaimed film by critics and audiences in France, Eiffel comes to Singapore to dive into the love story of the man behind one of the most recognisable landmarks of the world. The romantic drama starring Romain Duris as the engineer Gustave Eiffel, and Emma Mackey as Adrienne Bourg, his paramour who inspires him to create the ‘A’ shaped tower, which was meant to be dismantled after 20 years, but cements itself as a part of the French capital’s skyline. 

Following his success after finishing the Statue of Liberty in the USA, Eiffel wants to design a mass transit system, but he is pushed to create a structure for the 1889 Paris World Fair. Dedicated to constructing the tallest man-made thing to date, the period drama also unveils the passionate side of the French engineer. The Eiffel tower–previously called the ‘300-metre tower’—was built in two years but Martin Bourboulon’s film Eiffel took 25 years to make it to the screen. Get an early showing between November 17 to 24 across all three theatres before it is commercially released in Shaw Theatres on November 25. 

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Comedy buffs and everyday audiences looking for a laugh alike will enjoy the festival’s selection, which includes the much-awaited cult favourite, OSS 117: From Africa With Love, by Nicolas Bedos. The parodic action films of the popular franchise were originally created by Oscar-winning director Michel Hazanavicius as a tongue-in-cheek adaptation of late French writer Jean Bruce’s popular spy novels of the 1950s and 60s. The opening credits sequence is reminiscent of the James Bond-esque visuals and evokes the same nonsensical jokes of the British-French venture, Johnny English.

Following the first two in the spy-comedy series set in Cairo and Rio, the third instalment features Jean Dujardin reprising his role as the accident-prone, not-so-politically-correct OSS 117 on his next mission in Africa. He has to team up with a young rival OSS 1001 played by Pierre Niney, as they protect a president under attack. Watch as OSS 117 fights off the rebels and contend with technology, feminism, and the Cold War in screenings across the three cinemas from November 18 to 25, and commercially released at Shaw Theatres in January 2022.

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In tandem with Voilah! becoming the first carbon-neutral festival in Singapore, the festival is screening Bigger Than Us, a thought-provoking documentary directed by Flore Vasseur and produced by Marion Cotillard that follows the lives of young French activists who are dedicated to changing the world. 

Bigger Than Us is a documentary about a new generation taking matters into their own hands. Everywhere, teenagers and young adults are fighting for their human rights, social and environmental justice, access to education, food and dignity. Here, 18-year-old Melati travels across the globe to meet others like her—those willing to risk their lives and safety to care for and protect what matters to them. Don’t miss the documentary on November 20 at Alliance Française, and November 28 at Shaw Towers Lido. 

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Showcasing French cinema could not go without celebrating the talent and influence of Agnès Varda, the godmother of the French new wave. A selection of her films will be showcased at The Projector and selected screenings will be preceded by presentations with Rosalie Varda, daughter of Agnès Varda and Jacques Demy. Varda by Agnés is the last film made by the filmmaker, this unpredictable documentary sheds light on Varda's experience as a director.

Agnés’s daughter, Rosalie, has been working alongside her mother for the last 15 years of her life. “I was a costume designer for 20 years for movies, theatre, opera, dance but my choice to be near my mother made me learn how to produce a film,” shares Rosalie as the producer of the documentary. Ahead of her time, Varda’s seamless blending of cinema, photography and art transcends era, age and language. Rosalie remarks, “You don’t have to be French to understand her films, as each time she tries to find an original way of narration that speaks to a new audience.” Tour through Varda’s six-decade artistic journey and the things she loved—Jacques Demy, cats, colours, beaches, heart-shaped potatoes—during the screenings of her autobiography, on November 18 and 27 at The Projector. 

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This year's French film festival will present a ‘music in cinema’ section for the first time, showcasing the unbreakable links between music and movies and further elevating the “feel good” thematic. Enjoy the timeless The Young Girls of Rochefort, directed by Jacques Demy, a lighthearted musical featuring French actress Catherine Deneuve and her real-life sister, Françoise Dorléac as fraternal twin sisters who want to move to Paris to find love and success. Peep Hollywood superstar Gene Kelly, playing a famous composer who lands up in Rochefort and falls in love with Dorléac’s character.

Rosalie Varda, Agnès and Demy’s daughter, who helped to restore the film shared that this is a film she watches when she’s feeling down during a pre-event presentation of the film on November 13. “Even watching 20 minutes can cheer me up, this film is my happy pill,” shares the director’s daughter. Filled with humourous missed connections, jazzy musical numbers, and rainbow-coloured costumes, this 1967 film is sure to get your foot tapping to the beat to Michel Legrand’s Oscar-nominated composition. Catch the other two screenings of the classic on November 28 and December 4 at The Projector.

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