FOCUS ON FRENCH CINEMA
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Transcript of FOCUS ON FRENCH CINEMA
Welcome from Alliance Française of Greenwich
Renée Ketcham, Chair President of the Alliance Francaise of Greenwich
BIENVENUE... Welcome to Focus on French Cinema 2019 ( FFC 2019), the 15th AN-NIVERSARY of Francophone film presented by the Alliance Française of Greenwich.
During the past year, the Selection Committee has traveled to some of the most prestigious film festivals around the world…from Angoulême to TIFF, Namur, Locarno, Cinemania, Rendez- Vous in Paris and beyond in order to curate a diverse and dynamic selection of newly released U.S. Premiere and feature films that represent the vitality of Francophone cinema .
FFC 2019 will screen 12 U.S. Premieres—the most in FFC history—EXCEPTIONNEL!—with a focus on “NEW” and young talent in French and Francophone cinema.
From the Opening Night and festival weekend at Purchase College in 2005 with 800 enthusiastic ciné-philes to our 2018 audience of close to 7,000 , from DVDs to DCPs, a dazzling array of actors and directors, Focus on French Cinema of the Alliance Française of Greenwich continues to present the best of newly released Francophone cinema. Film runs through our veins at FFC, opening our eyes to the international world around us. We invite you every year to journey to new destinations, offering new ideas and new convictions elated by the energy of Francophone film.
Thank you for your loyalty and your supportVive Le Cinéma Francophone!
Team Focus on French CinemaEXECUTIVE Renée Amory Ketcham - Chair, President, Alliance Française of GreenwichCOMMITTEE Gail Covney - Co-President, Alliance Française of Greenwich Fereshteh Priou - Vice-President & Treasurer, Alliance Française of Greenwich
SELECTION Mary Hardy, Renée Amory Ketcham, Harry McLachlin, Joe Meyers, Sylvie Sergent, COMMITTEE Guilhem Caillard- Québec selection
Joe Meyers, Director of ProgrammingMy second year as Director of Programming for Focus on French Cinema has reaffirmed my love of French language filmmaking in all of its various guises. The selection committee was presented with a fabulous array of dramas, thrillers, comedies, documentaries and family films to choose from. Paring the list down to the dozen or so movies we will be sharing with you was a real challenge but I am thrilled by our final choices.
I am especially excited to present two young writer-directors and their new films: Paper Flags (Les drapeaux de papier) by Nathan Ambrosioni and A Colony
(Une Colonie) by Genevieve Dulude-De Celles. I am confident both of these filmmakers are at the start of major careers and I am delighted they are joining us with their extraordinary movies.
BIO: Joe Meyers has written about movies, theater and books for more than 30 years, for Hearst Connecti-cut Media Group and other publications. For several years Meyers has hosted the monthly French Cinema-theque screenings at the Avon Theatre, presented in partnership with the Alliance Francaise of Greenwich. He has also done many public interviews at the Stamford non-profit movie theater, ranging from Frank Langella and Paul Schrader to Gene Wilder and John Cameron Mitchell.
In the 1970s, Meyers ran the first (and only) art house on the Delmarva Peninsula—the Lewes Cine-ma—where he programmed films by Francois Truffaut, Luis Bunuel and other great European directors. In 2012, the Mystery Writers of America gave Meyers the Ellery Queen Award for his writing on crime fiction.
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A Message from Guilhem Caillard
I had the great pleasure of discovering Focus on French Cinema Festival five years ago. At the time, Renée Ketcham and her acolytes—including Mary Hardy, Anne Kern and Sylvie Sergent—regularly attended the CINEMANIA Film Festival in Montreal, Quebec, which I have had the pleasure of leading since 2014. So, every year in November, the Focus team used to come to “shop” in our event that shares the same passion for the Francophonie. Of course, this tradition continues, and the happy band of Focus returns not only each year to CINEMANIA, but I also have had the pleasure to meet them in Angoulême, France in August and even in Belgium, on the occasion of the International Festival of Francophone film of Namur in September…The organizers of Focus have always perfectly understood that the Francophonie has no boundaries: its unifying and creative values shine everywhere, from Montreal to Paris via Africa, Switzer-land, Luxembourg, the rest of Canada and even Connecticut.
In 2017 at the invitation of the organizers, I came to Focus accompanied by no less than 10 Quebec artists and as many films. The enthusiasm of the spectators was such that we wanted to renew this collaboration. The following year, we renewed the initiative, always with the same interest for the youth and the new talents of Quebec cinema: the actor Noah Parker came to Greenwich to present the American premiere of Ailleurs.
In this continuity, 2019 is no exception to the rule: I have proposed to Focus several recent Quebec titles, and their choice fell on two feature films that embody so well the vitality of the cinema of the Belle Prov-ince: A Colony and 1991. These two feature films have recently made news in Quebec, and it is an honor for Focus to welcome their representatives—in particular, filmmaker Geneviève Dulude-De Celles and actor Jean-Carl Boucher. Even more special, both films are North American premieres.
Long live Quebec cinema, Francophonie, and Focus!
— Guilhem Caillard
Guilhem Caillard is the Managing Director of the CINEMANIA Film Festival in Montreal celebrating its 25th edition in November. He plays an important role in film selection and the fund-raising of this event. Guilhem previously worked for several European festivals, among them the Avignon Festival and the Mediterranean Film Festival of Montpellier (CINEMED). He studied at the Université Paul Valery (Montpellier) and most recently in Film Studies at the Concordia University (Quebec). Guilhem’s specialty is “Cultural Management”; with a focus on the history of cinema. He has served as a member of the jury at major film festivals.
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The Mystery of Henri PickLe mystère Henri PickFriday, April 26 - 11:00amBow Tie Cinemas, Greenwich, CT
Greenwich Opening NightFriday, April 26 - 8:00pmBow Tie Cinemas, Greenwich, CT
GENRE Comedy
DIRECTOR Rémy Bezançon
SCREENPLAY Vanessa Portal, Rémy Bezançon
STARRING Fabrice Luchini, Camille Cottin, Alice Isaaz, Bastien Bouillon
LENGTH 100 min
COUNTRY France
US RELEASE US PremiereDISTRIBUTOR Gaumont
SYNOPSISIn a strange library in the heart of Brittany, a young editor finds an extraordinary manuscript. She immediately decides to publish it. The novel becomes a bestseller. But the author, Henri Pick, a Breton pizza chef who died two years earlier, “never wrote anything besides a grocery list”, according to his widow. Suspecting a literary hoax, a famed critic decides to investigate, with the unexpected help of the daughter of the mysterious Henri Pick. Based on the 2016 novel, Le Mystère Henri Pick, by award winning French author and screenwriter, David Foenkinos
REVIEWSLeave it up to the French to craft a delectable Agatha Christie-style caper whose main characters include a famous literary critic, a deceased best-selling author and his bookworm daughter, an ambitious young publisher and an up-and-coming writer.
– Hollywood Reporter
“Le duo Camille Cottin, dans la peau de la fille Pick, et Fabrice Luchini, reconverti en fin limier de bibliothèque, fait belle impression. Bref, tout ceci est virtuose à plus d’un titre.”
– Le Parisien
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Education Screening Friday 11am
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Virtual AttractionFriday, April 26 - 1:30pmBow Tie Cinemas, Greenwich, CT
GENRE Romantic Comedy
DIRECTOR Sophie Picciotto
SCREENPLAY Sophie Picciotto
STARRING Florence Pernel, Eric Perez, James Gerard, Raphaël Desprez, Bernard Yerles
LENGTH 15 min
COUNTRY France
US RELEASE US PremiereDISTRIBUTOR Pixaway
SYNOPSISMarried to Laurent for more than 20 years, Elizabeth loves her job and her daily life. She never leaves anything to chance and, above all, never lets herself go. But the day when she mistakenly friends Gontrand on Messenger, all of her certain-ties are shattered. Without ever meeting Gontrand, Elizabeth will live a carnal passion on the web and this experience will awaken a forgotten and liberating desire.
GUEST BIOGRAPHY Sophie PicciottoIn 2008, Sophie Picciotto returned to the role of actress. Her meeting with Philippe Leguay and Fabrice Luchini on the filming of Women on the 6th floor will be decisive. Sophie wants to play but also write for cinema and theater. Sophie co-wrote her first play 22 v’là les filles with Sandra Colombo, which they will play in 2010 at the Montorgueil theater. Other plays will follow as Anyone can be wrong, named for the Bajen Foundation’s 2014 Author Award. Sophie is then trained in screen-writing. She co-wrote several series including a literary adaptation and a feature film.
Sophie writes and directs her first short Virtual Attraction.
REVIEW“De formidables comédiens au service d’une histoire actuelle et traitée avec beaucoup d’orig-inalité. Le film est drôle, émouvant mais pas que. La musique est formidable et participe au rythme du film. Bravo!”
– Juliette Chanaud et JM Ribes
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Lola and Her BrothersLola et ses frèresFriday, April 26 - 1:30pmBow Tie Cinemas, Greenwich, CT
GENRE Dramatic Comedy
DIRECTOR Jean Paul Rouve
SCREENPLAY Jean-Paul Rouve and David Foenkinos
STARRING Ramzy Bedia, José Garcia, Jean Paul Rouve, Ludivine Sagnier, Pauline Clément from La Comédie Française
LENGTH 105 min
COUNTRY France
US RELEASE US PremiereDISTRIBUTOR TF1 Studio
SYNOPSISLola (Ludivine Sagnier) has two brothers: Benoît (Jean-Paul Rouve), who is getting married for the third time, and Pierre (José Garcia), who shows up late for the wedding. Excuses, reproaches, argu-ments, misunderstandings…beneath it all, they’re just doing their best to live their own lives. Benoît is about to become a father, but he’s not ready yet. Lola meets Zoher (Ramzy Bedia) while she’s still going through her divorce. Pierre’s professional problems take a turn for the worse. Though every-thing in their lives seems to be pulling them apart, the three of them stick together—an inseparable trio.
SELECT AWARDS AND NOMINATIONSNominations: Festival du Film Francophone d’Angoulême,
Avant-Première.
REVIEWS“Tour à tour drôle, sensible, émouvant, attachant, “Lola et ses frères” est avant tout un film profondé-ment humain.”
– Ecran Total
This is a really low key but hilarious comedy about the difficulties of balancing familial relationships. It’s got a great sense of sincerity that cuts away from the maudlin nature of most family-related stories of its kind. Yet it does make you really root for these characters, who are all really likeable and yet aggravating in their own way.
– Daniel Kiniry, Alliance Francaise Cork
AllianceFrançaiseofGreenwich
Founded 1911
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InvisiblesLes InvisiblesFriday, April 26 - 3:50pmBow Tie Cinemas, Greenwich, CT
Tuesday, April 30 - 4 :00pm French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF)
GENRE Comedy
DIRECTOR Louis-Julien Petit
SCREENPLAY Louis-Julien Petit with Marion Doussot and Claire Lajeune.
STARRING Audrey Lamy, Corinne Masiero, Noémy Lvovsky, Déborah Lukumuena
LENGTH 102 min
COUNTRY France
US RELEASE CT ReleaseDISTRIBUTOR Apollo Films
SYNOPSISWhen a town in France decides to close a home-less shelter for women, the social workers have only three months to help its residents get back on their feet and reintegrate into society. Inspired by a book and documentary by author/filmmaker Claire Lajeune, director Louis Julien Petit cast well-known comedic actors alongside nonprofessional ones, including a few women who appeared in Lajeune’s film. The result is a film that humorously honors the resiliency of the human spirit while poignantly bringing attention to an underserved community.
SELECT AWARDS & NOMINATIONSFestival du Film Francophone d’Angoulême Nominations: Avant-Première: Louis-Julien PetitRendez-Vous With French Cinema
REVIEWS“Une comédie sociale savoureuse où ces «invisi-bles» tiennent leur propre rôle.”
– Télérama
A comedy about homeless women in the economically depressed North of France doesn’t sound like a winning proposition on paper but with its engaging mix of actual women from the streets and a handful of France’s least grand professional actresses, (Les Invisibles) is solid empathy-fuelled entertainment.
– Lisa Nesselson, Screen Daily
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Paper FlagsLes drapeaux de papier Saturday, April 27 - 12:30pmBow Tie Cinemas, Greenwich, CT
GENRE Drama
DIRECTOR Nathan Ambrosioni
SCREENPLAY Nathan Ambrosioni
STARRING Guillaume Gouix, Noémie Merlant, Sébastien Houbani, Jérôme Kircher, Alysson Paradis, Anne Lioret
LENGTH 102 min
COUNTRY France
US RELEASE East Coast PremiereDISTRIBUTOR TFA, Loco Films
Q & A with Nathan Ambrosioni and Family ReEntry
SYNOPSISCharlie (Noémie Merlant), soon to be 24 years old, lives a simple life: she dreams of becoming an artist and struggles to make ends meet. When her brother Vincent (Guillaume Gouix) returns after 12 years in prison her life is turned upside down. However, he is still her brother and despite his anger and uncontrollable behaviour she is ready to help him adapt to a life no longer behind bars. He has everything to learn in a world he does not recognize.
SELECT AWARDS & NOMINATIONSFestival International du Film de La Roche-sur-Yon 2018 Audience Award and Award “Trajectoires”
Nominations: Festival Cinemania, Official Selection
Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur 2018 “Avant-Premières Selection”.
REVIEWS“Nathan Ambrosioni, 19 ans seulement, signe un film sensible et ombrageux”.
– Le Figaro
“La photographie est soignée, le montage audacieux, et les comédiens, parfaitement dirigés, apportent toute leur sensibilité à un récit touchant en plein coeur. Prometteur.”
– Le Journal du Dimanche
The topic of extreme youth, as seductive as it is, wouldn’t stand up on its own without the incredibly strong narrative control demonstrated by the filmmaker.
– Cineuropa
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Serial (Bad) Weddings 2Qu’est-ce qu’on a encore fait au Bon Dieu?Saturday, April 27 - 3:00pmBow Tie Cinemas, Greenwich, CT GENRE Comedy
DIRECTOR Philippe de Chauveron
SCREENPLAY Guy Laurent, Philippe de Chauveron
STARRING Christian Clavier, Chantal Lauby, Ari Abittan, Medi Sadoun
LENGTH 99 minutes
COUNTRY France
US RELEASE US PremiereDISTRIBUTOR TF1 Studio
SYNOPSISIn this sequel to Serial Bad Weddings, Claude and Marie Verneuil face a new crisis. When they discover that their daughters are not only married to “foreigners” but are planning to move to foreign countries for multiple reasons the duo scheme to convince their children of the charms of French living and keep them at home.
REVIEWSPOUR : Christian Clavier, exceptionnel, est le meilleur vecteur pour faire progresser les choses. Il est en empathie avec le message que délivre son personnage. Molière aurait adoré.
– Le Parisien
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The good news, then, is that Serial Bad Weddings 2 (Qu’est-ce qu’on a encore fait un bon dieu?) feels like a slight improvement on the first movie
– Hollywood Reporter
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A ColonyUne colonieSaturday, April 27 - 5:10pmBow Tie Cinemas, Greenwich, CT
GENRE Drama
DIRECTOR Geneviève Dulude-De Celles
SCREENPLAY Geneviève Dulude-de Celles
STARRING Émilie Bierre, Irlande Côté, Jacob Whiteduck-Lavoie, Cassandra Gosselin-Pelletier, Robin Aubert, Noémie Godin-Vigneau
LENGTH 102 min
COUNTRY Canada
US RELEASE US PremiereDISTRIBUTOR Indie Sales
Q & A with Geneviève Dulude-De Celles
SYNOPSISMylia, a timid 12-year-old child, is about to leave her native countryside to begin high school. Lost in this new hostile environment, she copes as well as she can, sometimes awkwardly, dealing with the absurdities, discomforts and small victories of adolescence. Along the way she encounters Jimmy, a young indigenous outsider from the neighboring reservation, who will help her stand her ground and embrace who she really is.
REVIEWSA Colony also showcases an emotional sensitivity and cultural specificity that gives it a strong indi-vidual identity. This familiar dance is handled with a quiet dignity by both writer/director DeCelles and her accomplished young star Emilie Bierre
– Screen Daily
“Sans réinventer le genre du film portant sur l’adolescence, Une colonie se démarque grâce au portrait tout en finesse qu’on y propose.”
– La Presse
SELECT AWARDS AND NOMINATIONSBerlinale 2019 Awards: Crystal Bear for Best Film at Berlinale
Québec City Film Festival Awards: Best Film
Whistler Film Festival 2018 Awards: Best Canadian Feature Film, Best
Performance, Best Direction
7th Canadian Screen Awards Awards: Best Motion Picture: Geneviève
Dulude-De Celles, Best Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role: Emilie Bierre.
SPONSORED BY
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Mothers’ InstinctDuellesSaturday, April 27 - 8:00pmBow Tie Cinemas, Greenwich, CT
GENRE Drama, Thriller
DIRECTOR Olivier Masset-Depasse
SCREENPLAY Olivier Masset-Depasse, Giordano Gerlini
STARRING Veerle Baetens, Anne Coesens, Mehdi Nebbou
LENGTH 90 min
COUNTRY France, Belgium
US RELEASE US PremiereDISTRIBUTOR Indie Sales
SYNOPSISBrussels, early 60’s. Alice and Céline live in twin bourgeois houses. They are best friends as are their children, Theo and Maxime, who have grown up like brothers. Both families spend all their time together. This perfect harmony is broken when Maxime, Céline’s son, tragically falls to his death from his bedroom window. This accident happens very quickly and Alice, witness of the scene, can’t save him. Blinded by the pain, Céline blames Alice for not saving her son. Céline’s behavior becomes more and more suspicious…Alice fears her friend is seeking revenge on her son Theo…
SELECT AWARDS AND NOMINATIONSChicago International Film Festival 2018 Nominations: Best Feature Film: Olivier
Masset-Depasse
SPONSORED BY
REVIEWSInspiré très librement du roman à succès Derrière la haine de la Belge Barbara Abel,le Belge Olivier Masset-Depasse nous livre un thriller psychologique atmosphérique, nostalgique et majoritairement féminin qui se passe dans les années 1960.
– Cineuropa
Belgian director Olivier Massey-Depasse’s luxuriant psychological thriller is so redolent of (Alfred Hitchcock’s) style, and so gorgeously robed in Thierry Delettre’s ’60s costuming that at times one expects star Veerle Baetens (The Broken Circle Breakdown) to turn around and just be Tippi Hedren all of a sudden. But as much as this deliciously enjoyable, spiral-shaped descent into darkness wears that influence on its immaculately cut, three-quarter-length sleeve, it also represents a subversion of even Hitch’s most femme-centric titles…
– Jessica Kiang, Variety
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The Apollo of GazaL’Apollon de GazaSunday, April 28 - 9:45amBow Tie Cinemas, Greenwich, CT
GENRE Documentary
DIRECTOR Nicolas Wadimoff
SCREENPLAY Nicolas Wadimoff
LENGTH 79 min
COUNTRY Switzerland, Canada, Palestine
US RELEASE US PremiereDISTRIBUTOR Akka Films
Q & A with Kirsten J. Reinhardt
SYNOPSISIn summer 2013, a statue of Apollo more than 2500 years old is discovered in the nets of a fisherman from Gaza. Then, the statue vanishes, opening all sorts of speculations: hidden in a tunnel, hostage of armed groups, destroyed by fundamentalists or resold to international traffickers of art. Proven or fantasized, the wildest assumptions circulate about the statue. It is like a symbol of what this region of the world means in everybody’s imagination. God of the Arts and Poetry, but also of the Oracles and the Divinations, who would know better than the Apollo to put his witty and elevated look on this part of the world prey to the madness of the Men?
SELECT AWARDS & NOMINATIONSOfficial Selections:The International Leipzig Festival for Documentary and Animated Film, 2018,Le Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur, 2018,Montreal International Documentary Festival (RI DM), 2018,International Film Festival, Le Caire, 2018,International Film Festival, Tbilisi, Georgie, 2018,International Film Festival, Locarno, 2018,
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival 2019,FIPADOC- Festival international documentaire De Biarritz, France, 2019,Göteborg Film Festival, Sweden, 2019.
REVIEWSQu’est-il arrivé à l’Apollon de Gaza? Dès le début du film, on comprend qu’on ne connaîtra jamais avec certitude le fin mot de l’histoire. Que cette quête sert surtout de prétexte à Nicolas Wadimoff pour nous montrer Gaza comme on ne l’a jamais vue.
– La presse
All that remains are the stories of those who had the good fortune to admire the statue in person—a multitude of impassioned accounts that are spun together to form a great web, pulled taut with facts, myths, intrigue but above all, hope.
– Giorgia Del Don, Cineuropa
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Dilili in ParisDilili à ParisSunday, April 28 - 10:00amBow Tie Cinemas, Greenwich, CT
GENRE Animation, Family
DIRECTOR Michel Ocelot
SCREENPLAY Michel Ocelot
STARRING Enzo Ratsito, Natalie Dessay, Elisabeth Duda
LENGTH 95 min
COUNTRIES France, Belgium, Germany
US RELEASE CT Premiere
DISTRIBUTOR Samuel Goldwyn
SYNOPSISWith the help of her delivery-boy friend, Dilili, a young Kanak, investigates a spate of mysterious kidnappings of young girls that is plaguing Belle Epoque Paris. In the course of her investigation she encounters a series of extraordinary characters, each of whom provides her with clues that will help her in her quest…After Kirikou and Azur & Asmar, Michel Ocelot returns with an enchanting new tale of brave young heroes, mysteries and discoveries, kidnappings and ordeals, extraordi-nary places and magical encounters, in which good must challenge dark forces and triumph.
SELECT AWARDS AND NOMINATIONSCésar 2019 Award: Best Animated Film
Lumières de la presse étrangère Award: Best Animated Film
Angoulême Francophone Film Festival Nomination: Best Animated Film - Avant
Première
REVIEWS“Michel Ocelot, le créateur de “Kirikou”, repousse une fois de plus les limites de l’enchantement et du merveilleux grâce à une époustouflante créativité picturale et chromatique.”
– Le nouvel observateur
While Dilili in Paris is skewed to a younger audience, there is still a lot to enjoy for astute adults who can appreciate the beauty, art, and literature of the (Belle Epoque) time period, as well as a bold proto-feminist message and a loveable yellow-ribboned heroine…It sounds like a cross between Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris and the animated noir of Jean-Loup Felicioli and Alain Gagnol’s A Cat in Paris but it’s…more kid friendly.
– Jake Watt, Switch
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To the Ends of the WorldLes Confins du MondeSunday, April 28 - 11:30amTheater 2Bow Tie Cinemas, Greenwich, CT
GENRE War Drama
DIRECTOR Guillaume Nicloux
SCREENPLAY Jérôme Beaujour, Guillaume Nicloux
STARRING Gaspard Ulliel, Gérard Depardieu
LENGTH 103 min
COUNTRY France
US RELEASE US PremiereDISTRIBUTOR Orange Studio
SYNOPSISIndochina-war, 1945: Robert Tassen (Gaspard Ulliel) is the only survivor of a massacre in which his brother has been killed. Hacking through the jungles of Indochina, Robert is intent on revenge on the elusive Viet Minh commander who is responsible for the massacre of his family. But meeting the young Indochinese Maï disrupts his mission. France’s Vietnam colonial adventure (1887-1954) predates the American incursion, both ending in disastrous conflict and eventual withdrawal. This haunting and magnificently filmed WWII story seen through one man’s experiences confirms that “ war is hell”.
SELECT AWARDS AND NOMINATIONSLumière Awards 2019 Awards: Best Cinematography: David Ungaro
Gijón International Film Festival 2018 Awards: Best Film
Hamburg Film Festival Nomination: Sichtwechsel Film Award 2018
REVIEWSFunèbre et surréaliste, cette plongée aux côtés de jeunes soldats ivres de violence passionne et désarçonne.
– Ecran large
Set in 1945, the action unfurls while the embers of World War II still burn, and Nicloux uses that historical confluence to great effect. He subtly interrogates the Gallic hypocrisy of fighting to maintain colonial holdings while celebrating their own very recent liberation from German rule.
– Ben Croll, The Wrap
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CharlesBERLING
SwannARLAUD
JenniferDECKER
DE LA COMÉDIE FRANÇAISE
LES GRANDS ESPACESPRESENTS
UBV_affiche_INTER_40x60.indd 1 15/01/2019 16:28
Maison de thé depuis 1867
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A Clever CrookUn Beau VoyouSunday, April 28 - 12:00pmBow Tie Cinemas, Greenwich, CT
GENRE Comedy
DIRECTOR Lucas Bernard
SCREENPLAY Lucas Bernard
STARRING Charles Berling, Swann Arlaud, Jennifer Decker
LENGTH 104 min
COUNTRY France
US RELEASE North American PremiereDISTRIBUTOR Pyramide Distribution
SYNOPSISCommissioner Beffrois waits for retirement with mixed enthusiasm when a theft of paintings catches his attention. Is it the elegance of the process? The audacity of the crime? The beauty of the stolen work? Belfry launches in search of an atypical thief, a real draft, an acrobat in his spare time.
REVIEWS“Personnages farfelus et attachants, ballets sur les toits de Paris…Ce premier film au charme désuet est une belle réussite.”
– Les Inrockuptibles
A biting comedy– Télérama
A retiring detective and crafty burglar play cat and mouse through the streets, inside the apartments and across the rooftops of Paris. Though it hardly breaks new ground, this cunning debut from writer-director Lucas Bernard is a pleasant throwback to the whodunits of the 1960s and ‘70s, as well as a very Gallic homage to the art of the steal.
– Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter
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1991Sunday, April 28 - 2:10pmBow Tie Cinemas, Greenwich, CT
GENRE Comedy -Drama
DIRECTOR RIcardo Trogi
SCREENPLAY RIcardo Trogi
STARRING Sandrine Bisson, Jean-Carl Boucher
LENGTH 141 minutes
COUNTRY Canada
US RELEASE US PremiereDISTRIBUTOR Go Films
Q & A with Jean-Carl Boucher
SYNOPSISMiddle aged Ricardo Trogi continues to recount key periods in his formative years. This time, the year is 1991 when he was a twenty-one year old student in the screenwriting program a UQAM.Arguably, the two items foremost on his mind are having to deal with a genetic issue, and being in love with Marie-Ève Bernard, who he met the year before. Although he does not see her as being perfect, he does see her as the mother of his future children. When Marie-Ève tells him that she is going on an exchange program in Perugia the story begins…affected by a his paternal family’s mushroom risotto recipe, a contributing factor to women having fallen in love with Trogi men…
SELECT AWARDS & NOMINATIONS7th Canadian Screen Awards: Golden Screen Award, Nicole Robert
Top-grossing film in Canada in 2018
SPONSORED BY
REVIEWSWhat makes this film so enjoyable is the clear love for cinema from Trogi. There are multiple references to Fellini and other great directors. His passion truly shines on screen.
– William Gosselin, Imdb
“Sa façon de raconter son histoire avec détache-ment, sa capacité d’autodérision, surtout lorsqu’il est question de son rapport aux femmes, son regard tantôt critique, tantôt tendre ou ironique sur sa famille et ses amis font qu’on regarde ses films comme on feuillette un vieil album de photos.”
– La Presse
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An Impossible LoveUn amour impossibleSunday, April 28 - 5:15pmBow Tie Cinemas, Greenwich, CT
GENRE Drama
DIRECTOR Catherine Corsini
SCREENPLAY Catherine Corsini, Laurette Polmanss
STARRING Virginie Efira, Niels Schneider, Jehnny Beth, Estelle Lescure
LENGTH 135 min
COUNTRY France
US RELEASE US PremiereDISTRIBUTOR Le Pacte
SYNOPSISAt the end of the 1950s, Rachel (Virginie Efira), a young government clerk living in Chateauroux meets Philippe (Québec’s Niels Schneider), a brilliant young interpreter of bourgeois back-ground. They share an intense but short-lived romance and the result is a daughter, Chantal. Philippe refuses to marry outside of his social class and Rachel raises her daughter alone. Over the next 50 years, their lives will be shaped by the unconditional love between a mother and her daughter, overshadowed by the impossible love of a woman for a man who rejects her, and of a daughter for an absent and abusive father. Based on the acclaimed novel by Christine Angot, Un Amour Impossible (Editions Flammarion 2015).
SELECT AWARDS & NOMINATIONS César Awards 2019 Nominations: Best Actress: Virginie Efira, Most
Promising Actress: Jehnny Beth, Best Original Score: Grégoire Hetzel, Best Writing/Adapta-tion: Catherine Corsini, Laurette Polmanss
Lumières de la presse étrangère: Nominations: Best Actress: Virginie Efira, Best
Original Score: Grégoire Hetzel
Globes de Cristal Nominations: Best Actress: Virginie Efira
SPONSORED BY
REVIEWS“[…] on est touché en profondeur. Déjà, parce que le film évite—avec raison—toute forme de sentimentalisme. Ensuite, parce que le malaise ne cesse de planer, révélant tout un monde.”
– Positif
Filled with searingly honest accounts of her relationships, sexual experiences and psychological states past and present, Angot’s emotionally puissant first-person confessions return time and again to the disturbing events of her youth, reflecting on how they have shaped her evolution as an author and woman.
– The Hollywood Reporter
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In The Move For LoveL’amour flouSunday, April 28 - 8:00pmBow Tie Cinemas, Greenwich, CT
Closing Night Film followed by Closing Night Gala
Tuesday, April 30 - 7:30pmFrench Institute Alliance Française (FIAF)
GENRE Comedy
DIRECTORS Romane Bohringer, Philippe Rebbot
SCREENPLAY Romane Bohringer, Philippe Rebbot
STARRING Romane Bohringer, Philippe Rebbot, Rose et Raoul Rebbot-Bohringer, Reda Kateb
LENGTH 97 min
COUNTRY France
US RELEASE US PremiereDISTRIBUTOR Other Angle Pictures
Q & A with Romane Bohringer
SYNOPSISAfter 10 years together, two children, and a dog, Rose and Raoul find that they have fallen out of love. But they still love each other. Rather than separate completely, they decide to build a “separatement”: two distinct living spaces connected by the children’s room. A play on the phrase l’amour fou, or crazy love, which was the title of a 1969 Jacques Rivette film, L’Amour Flou translates to uncertain love, which Rose and Raoul navigate with comedic flair. Obscuring fact and fiction, it stars the real life couple Romane Bohringer as Rose and Philippe Rebbot as Raoul. A comedy with a lesson in kindness and love.
SPONSORED BY
SELECT AWARDS AND NOMINATIONSCésar 2019 Nomination: Best First PictureFestival du Film Francophone d’Angoulême, 2018 Award: Valois du Public, 2018 Nomination: Valois Magelis: Romane Bohringer,
Philippe Rebbot, Valois Best Screenplay: Philippe Rebbot, Romane Bohringer, Valois of Jury: Romane Bohringer, Philippe Rebbot, Valois Best Score: Romane Bohringer, Philippe Rebbot
REVIEWS“Intime, pudique, sincère et drôle.”
– Ouest France
“Romane Bohringer et Philippe Rebbot mettent en scène (dans tous les sens du terme) leur séparation. Ce qui donne une libre improvisation chaotique et enlevée. Une sorte de rupture, chal-eureuse, marrante et mélancolique.”
— Les Fiches du Cinéma
Bravo to them for converting a family break-up into a tender un-breakup.
- Rosslyn Hyams, Cinefile
Romane BoHRInGeR PHIlIPPe ReBBoTeSCaZal FIlmS présente
Un FILM De Romane BoHRInGeR et PHIlIPPe ReBBoTAvec ROSe ReBBOT-BOHRINGeR - RAOUL ReBBOT-BOHRINGeR - BRIGITTe cATILLON - AURÉLIA PeTIT - MATTHIeU SAMPeUR - GABOR RASSOv
vINceNT BeRGeR - ASTRID BOHRINGeR - LOU BOHRINGeR - RIcHARD BOHRINGeR - ROLAND ReBBOT - OLIvIeR ReBBOT NIcOLAS ReBBOT - NOÉMIe ScHMIDT - FABIeN cOSSON - ReDA KATeB - PIeRRe BeRRIAU - AURÉLIeN cHAUSSADe - AURÉLIeN veRNANT
cLÉMeNTINe AUTAIN - RITON LIeBMAN - DeLPHINe cOGNIARD - ALIÉNOR MARcADÉ-SÉcHAN - Le cHIeN LADYIMAGe BeRTRAND MOULY SON JeAN-LUc AUDY, OLIvIeR BUSSON, RÉMY cROUZeT, LUDOvIc MAUcUIT MONTAGe cÉLINe cLOARec ÉTALONNAGe RIcHARD DeUSY
MUSIqUe ARNAUD FLeUReNT-DIDIeR, FRÉDÉRIc BUReS, SÉBASTIeN MARTeL DIRecTeUR De PRODUcTION ALAIN MOUGeNOT DIRecTeUR
De POSTPRODUcTION eMMANUeL SAJOT PRODUIT
PAR SOPHIe RÉvIL eT DeNIS cAROT UNePRODUcTION eScAZAL FILMS
Avec LA PARTIcIPATION DU ceNTRe NATIONAL DU cINÉMA eT De L’IMAGe ANIMÉe DISTRIBUTION ReZO FILMS
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272 Bedford StreetStamford, CT 06901
Box Office: 203-967-3660www.avontheatre.org
First-run Independent Films, Black Lens Series, Documentaries, Foreign Films, Cult Classics & French Cinematheque
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Be Natural: The Untold Story of Alice Guy BlachéSoyez naturel: l’histoire inédite d’Alice Guy BlachéMonday, April 29 - 7:30pm6:30 pm Cocktail ReceptionThe Avon Theatre, 272 Bedford Street, Stamford, CT
GENRE Documentary
DIRECTOR Pamela B. Green
SCREENPLAY Pamela B. Green
STARRING Alice Guy-Blaché, Geena Davis, Ben Kingsley, Ava Duvernay, Agnès Varda
NARRATED BY Jodie Foster
LENGTH 103 min
COUNTRY USA
US RELEASE CT PremiereDISTRIBUTOR Zeitgeist Films Ltd
INTRODUCTION AND POST-SCREENING DISCUSSION with Professor and Avon Film Advisory Board Member Anne Kern
SYNOPSISShe saw the future through the camera lens. The incredible story of a filmmaking pioneer and the world’s first female director. In addition to being the first female director, Alice Guy-Blaché was one of the first filmmakers to produce narrative fiction films. While running her own film studio, which was the largest pre-Hollywood studio, she was responsible for the creation of more than 1,000 films. Alice is known for experimenting with sound syncing, color tinting, interracial casting, and special effects long before the giants of early cinema had even begun to consider it. Pamela B.
Green’s energetic film about pioneer filmmaker Alice Guy-Blaché is both a tribute and an investi-gative story, tracing the circumstances by which this extraordinary artist faded from memory and the path toward her reclamation.
SELECT AWARDS & NOMINATIONSCannes Film Festival 2018 Nominations: Golden Camera: Pamela B. Green,
Golden Eye: Pamela B. Green
REVIEWSWhat starts as a biography turns into a detective thriller as Director Pamela B. Green crisscrosses wthe globe, searching for clues as to why Alice Guy-Blaché has been forgotten.
– Katie Walsh, Los Angeles Times
SPONSORED BY
Film Notes
AllianceFrançaiseofGreenwich
Founded 1911
FRENCH CLASSES Q SPRING 2019
www.afgreenwich.org
Adults, Teens & Children9 weeks Q April 22 - June 24
Learn French, Live French
Get a feel for Paris in the Spring!
Alliance Française of Greenwich is a non-profit organization
AllianceFrançaiseofGreenwich
Founded 1911
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Our Team and MissionEXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Renée Amory Ketcham - Chair, President Alliance
Française of GreenwichGail Covney - Ticketing and Education,
Co-President of Alliance Française of GreenwichFereshteh Priou - Finance
SELECTION COMMITTEEJoe Meyers - Director of ProgramingMary HardyRenée Amory KetchamHarry McLachlinSylvie SergentProfessor Anne Kern - Consultant to Selection
CommitteeGuilhem Caillard - Managing Director Cinemania -
Québecois guests and film selection
FESTIVAL TEAMAntoine Bancharel - Studio Support CoordinatorMary Hardy - Scheduling and OutreachClément Letailleur - Associate ProducerSylvie Fortin Racquet - Outreach Québec and
Belgium Sylvie Sergent - Press RelationsGéraldine Trippitelli - Marketing & Social Media
FOUNDING MEMBERS Philippe Muyl, French Director (2005)Coline Serreau, French Director (2005)Pascal Thomas, French Director (2006)Catherine Lamairesse, Founder (2005)
PATRONAGE Focus on French Cinema is placed under the patronage of:
Permanent Representative of Canada to the United Nations, Marc-André Blanchard Permanent Representative of France to the United Nations, François Delattre Secretary-General of The United Nations, Antonio Guterres Secretary General of La Francophonie, Louise MuchikiwaboConsulate General of France in New York, Anne-Claire LegendreCanada’s Consulate General in New York : Consul General, Phyllis Yaffe Cultural Counselor of The French Embassy, Bénédicte de Montlaur Consulate General of Switzerland in New York, Ambassador Markus Börlin, Consul General of Switzerland in New York Québec Government Office in New York , Delegate General, Catherine LoubierQuébec Government Office in Boston, Marie Josée DuquetteConsulate General of Switzerland in New York, Department of Culture and Education, Matthias Dettling, Sandrine Ligabue Unifrance, Executive Director : Isabelle Giordano, Adeline Monzier Cultural Services of the French Embassy, Director, Film, TV & New Media, Mathieu Fournet
OUR MISSION
• FOCUS ON FRENCH CINEMA brings the vitality of French and francophone cinema to our community • showcases the diversity of French and francophone cultures by promoting French film as a powerful
storytelling medium • offers a unique opportunity to meet with French directors, actors, and producers • provides a learning tool to teachers and students, an authentic way to convey French Culture and
language
Merci Beaucoup From the Alliance Française of Greenwich and Focus on French Cinema
PRESENTING SPONSOR
SUPPORTING SPONSORS
DIRECTOR SPONSORSThe Ashforth CompanyThe ÉcoleLyceum Kennedy Purchase College, State University
of New York Putnam and Vine
SPONSORS AND PARTNERSAlliance Française of WestchesterAnne Fontaine Bon ChienBow Tie Criterion Cinemas at
Greenwich Plaza Cappelli Organization Cinemania Cohen Media Group Coldwell Banker Residential
Brokerage Greenwich Coldwell Banker Residential
Brokerage Sarasota Consulate General of Switzerland
in New York Family reEntryFederation of Alliances Françaises
in the USAFrench Institute Alliance
Française (FIAF) Greenwich International Film
Festival Kérastase ParisMission Permanente ONU Canada Mission Permanente ONU FranceThe Norman Foundation Organisation Internationale de la
FrancophonieThe Performing Arts Center,
Purchase College Perpetual Québec Government Office in
Boston Québec Government Office in
New York SODECSteinway & SonsUnifranceVenture Photography
MEDIA PARTNERSGreenwich Magazine - Main
Media SponsorBFM TV Canal Plus Center Stage with Pamela KuhnJen DanziDarby and Friends France - Amérique French Morning Hearst Media Services The Journal NewsThe News Center with Tony
SavinoNews12- CT Sorteer TV5 Monde USA21.tv
FOOD AND COCKTAIL SPONSORSAlahambra LifestyleAux Delices BE Chocolat Belvoir fruit farms Bistro V Kusmi TeaL’Académie Culinaire de FranceL’Escale Restaurant Bar Le Pain Quotidien Le Penguin Bistro Les Maîtres Cuisiniers de FranceLucien Georgelin Méli-Mélo Crêperie and Juice Bar Mère Poulard Nature Addicts The Olive Branch Cafe The Perfect ProvenancePlanet Pizza Putnam & Vine Ruinart ChampagneStella Artois Saint Geron Thai Basil Volvic Natural Spring Water
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Maison de thé depuis 1867
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MANY THANKS TO...Shari AngelStephen and Karen Bacon Antoine Bancharel Adam Birnbaum Bistro V Antoine Blech Miguel Garcia Colon Delamar Greenwich Harbor Colleen deVeerTom DoyleGérard Epelbaum Mathieu Fournet Amélie Garin-Davet Isabelle Giordano Louisa GreeneNeil and Anne Hamilton - Venture
Photography Mary and Luc Hardy Anne KernJohn Kochman LCI Design - Laura PuglieseLe Penguin Charles and Georgette MalloryJosh MartinsMeredith MartinsFausto MolinaAdeline Monzier Tatiana Mori Marc and Evelyne PenvenneJeanne RonanCora SantaguidaDelphine Selles-Alvarez Terissa Simental Wendy StapletonMarie-Monique Steckel Ginger StickelSandra ThompsonAshley Vanderwaren
Photographer: David FilipponiPhotographer: Jerri Graham
Special thanks to our student volunteers and all the volunteers that make Focus on French Cinema possible.
SILENT AUCTIONThe Avon Theatre Film Center Alahambra LifestyleBE Chocolat Bruce MuseumDonna Bunte Gail & Michael Covney Equinox Greenwich Nathalie FontaineThe Four Columns Inn Greenwich Pilates Center Sylviane Guerrier Mary Hardy Cynthia HernandezCaroline Kehm - Club Med/Beau
Voyage Travel Catherine Ladnier Lelo Fine FoodsMaison d’Alexandre Metro Wines Claire NégrinKérastase ParisLa Panetiere Le Penguin Perfect Provenance Putnam and Vine Sephora Stage Coach Olive Oil & VinegarTwo B AccessoriesMimi Wind The Yoga Center of Greenwich
FESTIVAL PROGRAMProgram Designed by Laura
PuglieseProgram Cover Designed by
Cynthia Hernandezwww.iamcynthiahernandez.com
INTERNS & VOLUNTEERSPaola Albarincon Karen Bacon Annabelle BresnahanGail Covney Khoudia DiopJean- Louis DumonetKassie EspinozaSylvie Fortin Miguel Garcia-ColónJean-Louis GerinKeith GrasmannMary Hardy Emily Isabel Lea Jaffe Jessica Jimenez Monica C. KeelRenée Amory Ketcham Sylviane LeibowitzClément Letailleur Ellen Lewis Elana Marcus Brid Mortamais Marc Mortamais Claire NégrinViviane PonsletFereshteh Priou Sylvie Roisin Sylvie SergentGeraldine TrippitelliJade WilliamsGrant A. C. Young
List Incomplete. We apologize for any errors or omissions.
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Guest Biographies
Nathan Ambrosioni 19 year-old first-time feature director-screenwriter, Nathan Ambrosioni, is sometimes referred to a “the Xavier Dolan” of France. Laurent Danielou, the co-founder of Loco films told Variety that “he was highly impressed by the maturity and talent of the young filmmaker”—the youngest French director to have received the selective subsidy Advance of Receipts from the National Film Board (CNC).
Ambrosioni wrote the script of Paper Flags while in 12th grade. “As I was becoming an adult, I started thinking about what it meant to be free, and that’s the theme or the story,” says Ambrosioni.
The Director said he also wanted to zoom-in on the experience of inmates who come out of jail without any psychological or financial support and are thrown back into society, which leads many of them to relapse into delinquency. “It’s a real issue in our society” said Ambro-sioni, who also spent time with an ex-convict who shared his experience.
The lush and colorful cinematography provides a distinct contrast between the form and the sub-stance of the film. Both the co-stars of his film were nominated as Best Newcomers at the César and Prix Lumières awards.
Romane Bohringer is a French actress, film director and screenwriter. She first came to the attention of critics and filmgoers alike in 1992 with starring roles in both L’Accompagnatrice by Claude Miller (The Accompanist) and Cyril Collard’s Les Nuits Fauves (Savage Nights). Bohringer earned raves for her performances in both films, but it was for her latter portrayal of Laura, a young woman caught up in an unstable relationship with an HIV-positive man (Collard), that made her known on both sides of the Atlantic. Bohringer won a Most Promising Young Actress César for her fearless, passionate performance, and she was touted as one of the most astonishing aspects of an altogether astonishing film. FFC 2019 welcomes Romane Bohringer for the US Premiere of L’Amour Flou (In The Move For Love). The film received the 2019 César nomination for Meilleur Premier
Film (Best First Film) and the Valois du Public Award 2018 at the Francophone Film Festival in Angoulême.
Jean-Carl Boucher started theater and interpretation courses at high school. He quickly began his acting career by acting in various short films, before taking up his first role in 2007 on the youth program Les Kiki Tronic. Then, he played roles in various TV shows such as Tactik, Les Parent, Marche à l’ombre and Fatale-Station. Simultaneously he lends his voice to several radio and TV commercials in addition to dubbing movies.
During his film career, he acted in Un été sans point ni coup sûr and played the lead role of Ricardo Trogi in the films 1981 and 1987. He was nominated for a Genie and Jutra Award as best actor for his performance in 1981. In recent years he played in History of Love by Radu Milhaileanu, Identity by Samuel Thivierge, and Les scènes fortuites by Guillaume Lambert. In 2017, he resumed his role of Ricardo in 1991, the end of the trilogy.
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Geneviève Dulude-De Celles Her debut short film La coupe (2014) won the Short Film Jury Award: International Fiction at the Sundance Film Festival as well as dozens of other awards. In the following year, her documentary Bienvenue à F.L. premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival and won the Best New Talent award at the Montreal International Documentary Festival. Une colonie is her debut feature film.
Anne Kern, Dean for Global Strategy and International Programs, is also Associate Professor of Cinema Studies and in 2017-18, Director of the Transnational Filmmaking Project at Purchase College. She received her B.A. at Uni-versity of Wisconsin, Madison, her M.A. at the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and her M. Phil. and Ph.D. in Film Studies and Comparative Literature from Yale University. She has published work on cinema, pedagogy, surrealism and psychoanalysis in venues ranging from Cinema Journal to Le Monde. For three years, until 2017, she served as Director of Programming of the Focus on French Cinema film festival. In 2017, the Cultural Minister of France awarded Dr. Kern the rank of Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters for her contributions to French cinema and culture.
Sophie Picciotto In 2008, Sophie Picciotto returned to the role of actress. Her meeting with Philippe Leguay and Fabrice Luchini on the filming of “Women on the 6th floor” will be decisive. Sophie wants to play but also write for cinema and theater. Sophie co-wrote her first play 22 v’là les filles with Sandra Colombo, which they will play in 2010 at the Montorgueil theater. Other plays will follow as Anyone can be wrong, named for the Bajen Foundation’s 2014 Author Award. Sophie is then trained in screenwriting. She co-wrote several series including a literary adaptation and a feature film.
Sophie writes and directs her first short Virtual Attraction.
Kirsten J. Reinhardt Currently the Registrar/Curator at the Bruce Museum, Kirsten Reinhardt has degrees in Anthropology and Museum Studies from Beloit College and Brown University. Her field research concentrated on copper trade systems in North America and terminal ceramic range identification in the South Pacific. She has conducted field research in eleven states and American Samoa, As a Registered Professional Archaeologist, she was a field archaeologist at IVI International in White Plains, NY prior to returning to the museum field as Curator of Collections & Exhibitions at the Stamford Museum. Her two most recent exhibitions at the Bruce were “Buried Treasures of the Silk Road” and “A Continuous Thread: Navajo Weaving Traditions”. A proud mother of two sons who both graduated from Gettysburg College and who live and work in NY, Kirsten lives in Norwalk, CT.
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