NEW YORK, April 29, 2015— Films on the Green is a free outdoor French film festival produced annually in New York City parks by the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States, FACE Foundation and the City of New York Parks & Recreation.Screenings will take place every Friday from May 29 to July 31, and the final screening will be on Thursday, September 10 at Columbia University, in partnership with the Columbia Maison Française.Showcasing vibrant francophone cultures of the Mediterranean, the 2015 film series takes viewers on an adventure from the French Riviera to the coast of Algeria and from Lebanon and Tunisia to Corsica, presenting an inclusive and panoramic picture of French and francophone cinema of the past and present. 2015 Films on the Green Festival ScheduleAll films are shown with English subtitles. Screenings begin at 8:30pm, except the Columbia screening, which begins at 7:30pm.
May 29 – Central Park (79th street and Fifth Avenue): …And God Created Woman by Roger VadimJune 5 – Washington Square Park: Caramel by Nadine LabakiJune 12 – Washington Square Park: Pépé le Moko by Julien DuvivierJune 19 – Tompkins Square Park: Priceless by Pierre SalvadoriJune 26 – Tompkins Square Park: Zarafa by Rémi Bezançon & Jean-Christophe LieJuly 10 – Riverside Park, Pier I (at 70th Street): Goha by Jacques BaratierJuly 17 – Riverside Park, Pier I (at 70th Street): Queen to Play by Caroline BottaroJuly 24 – Transmitter Park (Greenpoint, Brooklyn): La Dérive by Paula DelsolJuly 31 – Transmitter Park (Greenpoint, Brooklyn): La Collectionneuse by Eric RohmerSept. 10 – Columbia University (at 116th St): The Rabbi’s Cat by Joann Sfar & Antoine Delesvaux2015 theme: La Méditerranée, A Journey around the Mediterranean SeaThe 2015 selection takes viewers through a riveting multicultural journey, starting in St. Tropez with Roger Vadim’s masterpiece that turned Brigitte Bardot into an international star, …And God Created Woman; the series then travels to the coast of Beirut, with up and coming director Nadine Labaki’s debut film, Caramel. The trip continues with Pépé Le Moko, the story of a wanted man in the Casbah of Algiers, starring the iconic French heartthrob Jean Gabin, and then brings viewers to a casino in Monaco with Priceless, staring Audrey Tautou (Amélie) and popular comedian Gad Elmaleh. Next, a flick for kids takes audiences through Paris all the way to Alexandria and Marseilles with the animated tale Zarafa, set in the early 19th Century and inspired by the story of the first Giraffe of France.
Goha tracks a naive Tunisian boy’s adventures and showcases stunning performances by Omar Sharif and Claudia Cardinale, while Queen to Play, based on Bertina Henrichs’ acclaimed novel La Joueuse d’échec (The Chess Player), stars the prolific Sandrine Bonnaire and irreplaceable Kevin Kline in the beautiful Corsica setting. Next up is a rare screening of La Dérive (originally released in 1963), a film by one of the few female directors of the New Wave, Paula Delsol, that takes place in the South of France and mixes documentary-like observational powers with Antonioni-like intensity and was compared to the first films of Ingmar Bergman by François Truffaut. Famed French director Eric Rohmer’s first color film, La Collectionneuse, joins three other Rohmer films that were first released in the United States over the past six months, and brings viewers back to the glamorous St. Tropez. Called “Dazzling!” and “A wild and vivid ride!” by the Los Angeles Times, The Rabbi’s Cat, inspired by a celebrated graphic novel of the same name, is a charming animation taking place in Algeria that won the Best Animated Feature César award in 2012.Full film descriptions follow.
Since its inception in 2008, the festival has expanded the reach of French film and brought classic and contemporary movies to local communities. Started in the community gardens of lower Manhattan and Harlem, this much-loved summer festival now shows ten films at six major locations: Central Park, Riverside Park, Tompkins Square Park, Washington Square Park, Columbia University, and Transmitter Park (Brooklyn). As an added bonus, DJs from WNYU 89.1 FM, NYU’s radio station, play tunes before each screening.The Cultural Services of the French Embassy, FACE Foundation and the City of New York Parks & Recreation would like to thank Films on the Green’s 2015 official sponsors: Air France, BNP Paribas and TV5 Monde.Screeners and photos available upon request.
The Cultural Services of the French Embassy provides a platform for exchange and innovation between French and American artists, intellectuals, educators, students, the tech community, and the general public. Based in New York City, Washington D.C., and eight other cities across the US, the Cultural Services develops the cultural economy by focusing on six principal fields of action: the arts, literature, cinema, the digital sphere, French language and higher education. www.frenchculture.orgFACE Foundation (French American Cultural Exchange) supports and promotes artistic, literary and educational projects in partnership with the Cultural Services of the French embassy. With individual, corporate, and foundation funding as well as support from the French government, FACE administers grant programs and projects in the performing and visual arts, cinema, publication and translation, secondary and higher education and provides financial sponsorship for French-American cultural initiatives which develop relationships between professionals in creative fields and encourage collaboration on educational and research programs. www.face-foundation.org
NYC Parks is the steward of approximately 29,000 acres of land — 14 percent of New York City — including more than 5,000 individual properties ranging from Coney Island Beach and Central Park to community gardens and Greenstreets. We operate more than 800 athletic fields and nearly 1,000 playgrounds, 550 tennis courts, 66 public pools, 48 recreational facilities, 17 nature centers, 13 golf courses, and 14 miles of beaches. We care for 1,200 monuments and 23 historic house museums. We look after 650,000 street trees, and two million more in parks. We are New York City’s principal providers of recreational and athletic facilities and programs. We are home to free concerts, world-class sports events, and cultural festivals. http://www.nycgovparks.org/
Media Contact
Emilie Cabouat-Peyrache + 1 (212) 439-1417emilie.cabouat@diplomatie.gouv.fr
FILMS ON THE GREEN 2015FESTIVAL SCHEDULE WITH FILM DESCRIPTIONS
Friday, May 29 | 8:30 pm – Central Park…AND GOD CREATED WOMAN (Et Dieu créa la Femme)Directed by Roger Vadim with Brigitte Bardot, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Curd Jürgens1956 | Romance | PG | 1h35 | FranceJuliette is a seductive young woman with an unbridled appetite for pleasure. She attracts the attention of all of St. Tropez, including the wealthy Eric Carradine, Antoine Tardieu, and his sweet yet naïve brother, Michel, who all fight for her indecisive heart.
Friday, June 5 | 8:30 pm – Washington Square ParkCARAMELBy Nadine Labaki with Nadine Labaki, Yasmine Al Massri, Joanna Moukarzel2007 | Comedy | PG | 1h35 | France-LebanonPresented in partnership with the Fondation Liban CinémaIn a colorful and sensual Beirut beauty salon, five women meet regularly to talk and confide in each other. Between haircuts and caramel sugar waxes, the friends share intimate stories about men, sex, motherhood, and their personal liberation.Friday, June 12 | 8:30 pm – Washington Square ParkPÉPÉ LE MOKOBy Julien Duvivier with Jean Gabin, Mireille Balin, Marcel Dalio1937 | Crime | UR | 1h33 | FranceThe notorious Pépé le Moko is a wanted man. In the labyrinthine Casbah of Algiers, Pépé is safe from the clutches of the police. But his clandestine life is unveiled when Gaby, a Parisian playgirl, compels him to risk his life and leave his past behind.
Friday, June 19 | 8:30 pm – Tompkins Square ParkPRICELESS (Hors de Prix)By Pierre Salvadori with Audrey Tautou, Gad Elmaleh2006 | Comedy | PG-13 | 1h46 | FranceIrène, an attractive young woman, is on vacation at a French Riviera resort with Jacques, an older and very wealthy man. One night, while celebrating her birthday alone, she meets the handsome and intriguing Jean, who claims to be a millionaire and adventurer.
However, unbeknownst to Irène, Jean isn’t everything he appears to be…Friday, June 26 | 8:30 pm – Tompkins Square ParkZARAFABy Rémi Bezançon & Jean-Christophe Lie2012 | Animation | Ages 7 & up | 1h18 | FrancePresented in partnership with the Poitou-Charentes Region and the New York International Children’s Film FestivalBeneath a baobab tree, an old man tells the story of Maki, a young boy who crosses the desert with his giraffe and a Bedouin nomad named Hassan. During the epic journey from Africa to Paris, which takes them through Alexandria and the bustling port of Marseilles, Maki and his companions meet countless exotic characters.Friday, July 10 | 8:30 pm – Riverside Park, Pier IGOHABy Jacques Baratier with Omar Sharif, Claudia Cardinale, Daniel Emilfork1958 | Drama | UR | 1h21 | France-TunisiaGoha, a poor, ignorant, and naïve boy, wanders around with his donkey all day long in a small Tunisian town.
Taj El-Ulum, a wise old man who is respected and admired by all, soon remarries and chooses the pretty Fulla. But, bored in her new home, the young bride falls in love with Goha, and to no surprise, chaos ensues.Friday, July 17 | 8:30 pm – Riverside Park, Pier IQUEEN TO PLAY (Joueuse)By Caroline Bottaro with Sandrine Bonnaire, Kevin Kline2009 | Drama | UR | 1h37 | FrancePresented in partnership with the Collectivité Territoriale de Corse, Institut Français and Corsica Pôle TournagesThe lovely, repressed and quietly intelligent chambermaid Hélène comes upon a couple engaging in an intense chess match, and discovers she has a knack for the game.
This obsession–much to the chagrin of her family– leads her to seek the clandestine tutelage of a reclusive American doctor–a liaison that radically transforms both of their lackluster lives.Friday, July 24 | 8:30 pm – Transmitter ParkLA DÉRIVEBy Paula Delsol with Jacqueline Vandal, Pierre Barouh, Paulette Dubost1963 | Romance | UR | 1h30 | FranceJacquie, a beautiful young girl, returns home in the South of France. There, she regretfully re-assimilates to a life with her childhood friends, stay-at-home mother and unhappily married sister.
She drifts from lover to lover in the process of shredding the social conventions that dictate a life of submission and resignation.Friday, July 31 | 8:30 pm – Transmitter ParkLA COLLECTIONNEUSEBy Eric Rohmer with Patrick Bauchau, Haydée Politoff, Daniel Pommereulle1967 | Romance | UR | 1h29 | FranceAdrien, a bombastic, womanizing art dealer and Daniel, his painter friend, go to a seventeenth-century villa on the French Riviera for a relaxing summer getaway. But their idyll is disturbed by the presence of the bohemian temptress HaydéeThurs., Sept. 10 | 7:30 pm – Columbia UniversityTHE RABBI’S CAT (Le Chat du Rabbin)By Joann Sfar & Antoine Delesvaux2011 | Animation | UR | 1h29 | FrancePresented in partnership with the Columbia Maison FrançaiseAlgiers, 1920s.
Rabbi Sfar has more than one problem. His beautiful daughter Zlabya is transforming into a teenager, and even worse, his parrot-killing cat has just started talking. The Rabbi’s life grows all the more complicated when a box arrives from Russia with a painter inside. Ultimately Rabbi Sfar ends up on a quest for a hidden tribe and its mythical city of origin in Africa.