Thursday, January 22, 2004

The University of North Carolina at Wilmington is proud to host the inaugural season of CINEMA NOUVEAU, featuring six cutting edge French films made by first-time directors. The entire series is free to the public and each film will be shown on the big screen in 35mm, subtitled in English, in the Warwick Center Ballroom on the UNCW campus. All are warmly invited to what promises to be an exciting festival of cinema.

SEASIDE

(Bord de mer, Director: Julie Lopes-Curval, 2002)

7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 10

A widely acclaimed film currently in nationwide distribution, Seaside is a drama about the inhabitants of Cayeux, a small beach town in France. Beautiful but distant Marie works at a stone treatment plant. Her boyfriend, Paul struggles to understand her dreamy temperament, while Marie is instead drawn to a young executive at the factory.

WINNER OF THE CAMERA D’OR AT THE 2002 CANNES FILM FESTIVAL

AH, IF I WERE RICH…

(Ah! si j’étais riche…, Directors: Michel Munz & Gérard Bitton, 2002)

7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 11

A salesman wins 10 million Euros but then learns that his wife is cheating on him with his new boss. To get his revenge, he decides not to announce his winnings until after the divorce, and continues to live a modest life despite his wealth. A sharp comedy in the vein of the popular recent French hit, The Closet.

17 TIMES CECILE CASSARD

(17 fois Cécile Cassard, Director: Christophe Honoré, 2002)

7 p.m. Thursday, Feb. 12

A young woman (Béatrice Dalle, star of Betty Blue) is left stunned by the sudden suicide of her husband. Along with her son, she tries to put her life back together. Told in 17 short scenes, this is moving story of emotional renewal in the face of unexpected loss.

MY IDOL

(Mon idole, Director: Guillaume Canet, 2002)

7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 17

Fifty-year-old Broustal (François Berléand), a wealthy and successful TV producer, seemingly has it all. His adoring wife is beautiful, his latest show is a triumph, and audiences love his work. But his long-suffering lackey, Bastien (Guillaume Canet), whose job it is to warm up the audiences before Broustal's shows, is upset at his lack of opportunities to share the spotlight with the producer, his idol. So when he is invited to Broustal's country estate to work with him in a new project, Bastien is delighted. But all is not as it seems in this black comedy.

A PIECE OF HEAVEN

(Une part du ciel, Director: Bénédicte Liénard, 2002)

7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 18

A powerful drama, A Piece of Heaven tells of the resistance of women prisoners and women workers in a factory. In prison, Joanna (Séverine Caneele, the acclaimed star of Bruno Dumont's Humanity) obstinately questions the authority that confines her. Bound to a production line, Claudine (Sofia Leboutte) is caught up by a past that links her to Joanna. The two women's struggles are interwoven as they search for dignity, hope, and, perhaps, friendship.

HAPPY MEMORIES

(Se souvenir de belles choses, Director: Zabou Breitman, 2002)

7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 24

A romantic drama of unique circumstances. Claire (a celebrated performance by Isabelle Carré) has gradually lost her memory after being struck by lightning during a summer storm. She is sent to a psychiatric center, filled with complete amnesiacs who navigate the building's corridors by following colored threads (a motif taken from a real documented situation). There, she encounters Philippe (Bernard Campan), also living without memories after being injured in a car crash. Together, the two form an intense and emotional relationship, as she withdraws from her past while he is forced to confront his.

Cinema Nouveau is sponsored by the French Ministère de la Culture, and the Departments of Film Studies and Foreign Literatures and Languages at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington.

Free parking available on-site. Accommodations for disabilities may be requested by contacting 962-7712 three days prior to the event. Some film content may not be appropriate for all audiences.