First Renault French Film Festival set to run in March

The biggest and starriest showcase of French cinema ever seen will be presented around the UK during March 2006 - in both independent and multiplex cinemas.
The Renault French Film Festival 2006 - a new fusion of two events that previously have promoted ‘le cinema français’ in the UK - will deliver a stimulating and, at times, challenging array of films in nine key locations: London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee.
The French Film Festival UK, which began 14 years ago in a modest way in two Scottish cities, had gradually grown to encompass venues in major cities and embraced a wide spectrum of French cinema from big hits to cutting edge new directors and retrospectives. For three years the Renault French Film Season had been promoting with UniFrance a selection of French films with UK distribution to be released nationally over the months ahead.
Now together as the Renault French Film Festival, the impact will be even greater, with titles featuring such stellar names as Gérard Depardieu, Daniel Auteuil, Catherine Deneuve, Charlotte Rampling, Emmanuelle Béart and Jeanne Moreau, several of whom are expected to put in personal appearances.
The festival is presided over by honorary patron Sylvain Chomet, the Oscar-nominated creator of Belleville Rendez-vous, currently working on this side of the Channel - another example of Franco-British fusion in action. He describes the selection as "a veritable embarras de richesse".
Richard Mowe, director of the French Film Festival UK, said he believed the partnership would revitalise both events and avoid any confusion in the minds of the public. "Audiences did not understand why there were two events and mixed them up. It makes sense to make an even bigger splash together - and we're looking forward to unveiling this reinvigorated programme."
(GB)