Five Must-See Films at the 2016 French Film Festival

With hard-hitting dramas, imaginative comedies and a retrospective tribute to one of the all-time greats, the latest edition of the Alliance Francaise French Film Festival doesn't disappoint. Lighting up the screen this month and next in cinemas around New Zealand, the 2016 program features a diverse mix of titles showcasing the very best the French film industry has to offer. Below, we've put together a list of the five most intriguing films on the program. Lumière...Moteur...Action!

DHEEPAN

The surprise winner of the prestigious Palme d'Or at last year's Cannes Film Festival, Dheepan is the latest film from director Jacques Audiard, whose previous efforts include Un Prophète and Rust and Bone. This new work concerns three strangers from war-torn northern Sri Lanka who masquerade as a family in order to receive asylum in France. A tale of intolerance and persecution, Dheepan feels particularly timely given the ongoing refugee crisis in Europe and our own troubled relationship with asylum seekers here at home.

THE BRAND NEW TESTAMENT

Another export from Cannes, The Brand New Testament is the fourth full-length offering from Belguim director Jaco Van Dormael. The film presents an off-kilter take on the creation story. God exists, though spends most of his time in a giant office where he controls the world through an old computer. His daughter decides that he is doing a terrible job, so decides to write her own brand new testament. The comedy has been oddly described as a cross between The Matrix and The Truman Show.

VALLEY OF LOVE

Valley of Love unites two of French cinema’s greatest stars, Isabelle Huppert and Gérard Depardieu, for the first time in over 30 years. This haunting and moving tale of love, loss, memory and the mystical, received its world premiere in Official Competition at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival and tells the tale of a divorced couple who come together in the grand landscape of Death Valley, following a mysterious summons from their long-dead son. The couple’s past and their unresolved feelings play out in hotel rooms, restaurants and among the desert perspectives of Nevada, as they move towards a mysterious epiphany. The film comes from Guillaume Nicloux, the director behind The Nun and The Kidnapping of Michel Houellebecq.

MICROBE & GASOLINE

From The Science of Sleep to Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind to his extensive career at the helm of some of the most memorable music videos ever made, director Michel Gondry is rightfully considered one of the most unique and imaginative filmmakers working in the medium today. His latest film is Microbe & Gasoline, a coming-of-age comedy about a pair of teenage outcasts who decide to take a road trip in a homemade house on wheels. Bring on the whimsy.

DAYBREAK

Released on the eve of the Second World War, Daybreak was censored and attacked for its violence, sexual references, coarse language and nudity, long before being recognised as a notable work of art. Featuring the words of poet Jacques Prévert, Daybreak deals with the themes of class struggle and responsibility. To commemorate the 20th anniversary of director Marcel Carné’s death, the festival will present a fully restored 1939 masterpiece.