Today in Paris, Daniela Elstner, Executive Director of UniFrance, and Serge Toubiana, President of UniFrance, revealed the complete selection and juries of this 13th edition of MyFrenchFilmFestival. The 2023 fest will be held January 13 to February 13 online.
Founded in 2010, MyFrenchFilmFestival is touted as the first online French-language film festival. This year’s edition will be available entirely for free in Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, South Korea, Romania, Russia and Ukraine. The program can be accessed at myfrenchfilmfestival.com as well as over 70 VOD platforms internationally.
This year’s selection comprises 29 feature and short films in a variety of techniques and genres, illustrating the wealth, vitality and diversity of French-language cinema.
Included in the feature film competition is Florence Miailhe’s acclaimed animated refugee story The Crossing. Nominated for the César and Lumiere awards, the animated painting feat has won over a dozen awards from festivals including the Annecy, Bucheon, Zagreb and Anima Brussels animation festivals as well as Warsaw, Torino, DOK Leipzig, SCHLiNGEL and Nouveau Cinéma film festivals.
A small village looted in darkness, a family forced to flee… The two oldest children, Kyona and Adriel are quickly separated from their parents facing the road of exile alone. They embark on a heroic journey which takes them from childhood to adolescence in search of shelter, peace and the hope of finding refuge and their family. Crossing a continent torn apart by war and migrant persecution, these courageous siblings survive incredible challenges, before reaching a new world, free at last.
The selection of short films out of competition includes several animated shorts. Among these is Yoriko Mizushiri’s Annecy Jury Distinction winner and Cannes selection Anxious Body (trailer), Amandine Meyer’s A Story for 2 Trumpets (trailer), Juliette Laboria’s Pests (trailer), Capucine Gougelet’s Please Don’t Touch and Julien Regnard’s The Night Watch (trailer).
The themes of this year’s MyFrenchFilmFestival are “Doing It Their Way,” “France Has Got Talent,” “Kids Turned Out Fine,” “Under Your Spell,” “Faces + Places” and “Enjoy the Silence.”
The Grand Prize of the Jury (€15,000) and the International Press Awards will be announced on February 10. The Audience Awards will be revealed at the end of the festival on February 14.
MyFrenchFilmFestival is organised by UniFrance, the organization responsible for promoting French cinema and TV content worldwide.
