OUT OF COMPETITION

Opening / Closing ceremony

The opening and closing ceremonies will be followed by the screening of a preview film.

Opening ceremony in the presence of Léa Todorov and closing evening in the presence of Isabelle Huppert and Élise Girard

Opening ceremony

La Nouvelle Femme

Léa Todorov
2023 - France / Italy - 1h54
With Jasmine Trinca, Leïla Bekhti, Rafaelle Sonneville-Caby, Agathe Bonitzer
In 1900, Lili d'Alengy, a famous Parisian courtesan, has a shameful secret: her daughter Tina was born with a disability. Unwilling to care for a child who threatened her career, she decided to leave Paris for Rome. There she met Maria Montessori, a doctor who was developing a revolutionary teaching method for children then known as “deficient”. But Maria was also hiding a secret: a child born out of wedlock. Together, the two women help each other win their places in this male-dominated world and go on to make history.

Léa Todorov was born in Paris in 1982. She is a writer, director and producer. After studying political sciences in Paris, Vienna and Berlin, she wrote and directed documentaries, Sauver l'humanité aux heures de bureau (Saving Humanity During office Hours) (2012) and Utopie russe (2014) with Joanna Dunis. In 2015, together with directors Lila Pinell, Chloé Mahieu, Gaëlle Boucand and Aurélia Morali, she set up the production company Elinka Films and co-produced two documentaries by Gaëlle Boucand. In 2016, she co-wrote the documentary Révolution école : l'éducation nouvelle entre les deux guerres, directed by Joanna Grudzinska and co-produced by Arte. The film was screened at the Geneva International History Film Festival and the La Rochelle Film Festival. This project on alternative teaching methods was the inspiration for her first feature film, La Nouvelle Femme, about one of these teachers, the famous Maria Montessori.

Screenings : saturday 20 - 7:00 pm - Centre de congrès - Auditorium - presented by the film director

Closing ceremony

Sidonie au Japon

Élise Girard
2023 - Switzerland / Japan / Germany - 1h35
With August Diehl, Isabelle Huppert, Tsuyoshi Ihara
Sidonie goes to Japan for the publication of her bestseller. Despite the dedication of her Japanese publisher, with whom she discovers the country's traditions, she gradually loses her bearings... Especially when she comes face to face with her husband, who has been missing for several years!

Élise Girard is a French film director living in Paris. A lifelong cinema enthusiast, she started out as a press attaché at Cinémas Action before turning to directing. Her first two films were documentaries: one on the Cinémas Action and the other on Roger Diamantis, founder of Le Saint André des Arts: Seuls sont les indomptés, l'aventure des cinémas Action (2003) and Roger Diamantis ou la vraie vie (2005). Her first feature film, Belleville Tokyo (2011), was acclaimed by audiences and critics alike, as was Drôle d'oiseaux (Strange Birds) (2017), presented at the Berlinale Forum in 2017. For Sidonie au Japon (Sidonie in Japan), Élise Girard was awarded the French Institute's Louis Lumière grant, enabling her to live in Kyoto in 2017.

Screenings : saturday 27 - 7:00 pm - Centre de congrès - Auditorium - presented by the film director and Isabelle Huppert - actress