Films are in French with English subtitles unless otherwise noted

Florence Gould Hall, 55 East 59th Street

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*Pick up free ticket on the day of event at the Box Office by presenting membership card.

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Box Office: 55 E 59 St.

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Special Offer: Present your CinémaTuesdays ticket and receive a 15% discount on your bill at Bistro 60 (37 E 60 St). Valid only on date printed on ticket.

Tuesday, May 1 at 12:30, 4 & 7:30pm

Callas Forever

Franco Zeffirelli, 2002.
With Fanny Ardant, Jeremy Irons.
Color. 108 min. In English, French & Italian with English subtitles.

Note: Fanny Ardant will introduce the 7:30pm screening

In this fictional biography of her final days, opera diva Maria Callas reluctantly agrees to lip-synch to her former recordings for a film version of Carmen. Renowned Italian director Zeffirelli delivers a powerful tribute to Callas who, in addition to being the world’s greatest opera star, was his dear friend for twenty-five years.

“For Callas lovers, it doesn't get much better than this. The movie is rich with music and more than a few moments of painful exaltation, where the breath catches, the eyes fill and the skin tingles.” –The San Francisco Chronicle

“Ardant is a boldly striking beauty with a commanding star charisma. As an actress she has delved so deeply within herself that she doesn’t have to resemble Callas closely because she has become her from frame one.” –Los Angeles Times

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Tuesday, May 8 at 12:30, 4 & 7:30pm

8 femmes (Eight Women)

François Ozon, 2002.
With Fanny Ardant, Catherine Deneuve.
Color. 102 min. In French & English with English subtitles.

A man is found dead in an isolated country residence and the suspects are the eight women in his life. As the search for the killer proceeds, accusations and revelations are let loose at a dizzying speed. Starring an impressive ensemble of France’s top actresses, the film is a joyous, often delirious fusion of the comedies, murder mysteries, and musicals of decades past.

Winner of the Silver Bear at the 2002 Berlin Film Festival for Outstanding Artistic Achievement. Received 12 nominations for the 2003 César Awards.

“The showstopper is Ardant, who in a sensational turn combining the earthiness of Ava Gardner and the fire of Rita Hayworth, explodes with an elemental force all her own.” –The Washington Post

“Whatever you call this one-of-a-kind bonbon spiked with wit and malice, it's classic oo-la-la.” –Rolling Stone

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Tuesday, May 15 at 12:30, 4 & 7:30pm

Ridicule

Patrice Leconte, 1996.
Color. 102 min. In French with English subtitles.
With Fanny Ardant, Charles Berling.

In the course of trying to save his village, a young lord discovers the sophisticated and decadent game of wit at Versailles. Increasingly accepted in the court, he curries favor with a powerful Madame (Ardant), yet remains smitten with someone else. The film’s dialogue is entertaining throughout and equaled by the visual opulence of Versailles, resulting in one of Leconte’s best films.

Winner of Best Film at the 1997 César Awards. Nominated for the Golden Palm at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival and Best Foreign Language Film at the 1997 Academy Awards®.

“Leconte is that rare combination: a deft social satirist with outstanding visual flair…[Ardant] cuts a brilliant swath through Ridicule.” –San Francisco Chronicle

“‘Ridicule’ satirizes this world of absurd protocol while it proves that skewering fatuousness and snobbery, however obviously, is never out of style.”
–The New York Times

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Tuesday, May 22 at 12:30, 4 & 7:30pm

La Vie est un roman (Life is a Bed of Roses)

Alain Resnais, 1983.
With Fanny Ardant, Vittorio Gassman.
Color. 110 min. In French with English subtitles.

Three inter-twined stories take place at different times in a castle originally built to carry out experiments that would ensure the happiness of man. Each segment abounds with fantastical, whimsical imagery that explores the idea of utopia and fulfillment. Legendary director Alain Resnais (Hiroshima Mon Amour) conceived this dreamlike triptych as a tribute to French directors Georges Melies, Marcel L’Herbier, and Eric Rohmer.

“Resnais does realise his own utopia, a realm of vast imaginative possibility.”
–Time Out Film Guide

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Tuesday, May 29 at 12:30 & 7pm

La Femme d’à côté (The Woman Next Door)

François Truffaut, 1981.
With Fanny Ardant, Gérard Depardieu.
Color. 106 min. In French with English subtitles.

Two former lovers, both married, become neighbors by accident seven years later. What remains of their affair now threatens to upset the domesticity they have since embraced. An important film for Truffaut, signaling the last phase of his career and the beginning of his relationship, both on screen and off, with Ardant.

“‘The Woman Next Door’ is the work of one of the most continuously surprising and accomplished directors of his day.” The New York Times

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Tuesday, May 29 at 4 & 9pm

Vivement dimanche (Confidentially Yours)

François Truffaut, 1983.
With Fanny Ardant, Jean-Louis Trintignant.
B&W. 110 min. In French with English subtitles.

When an estate agent is accused of murder, his secretary—secretly in love with him—decides to investigate. Her amateur sleuthing brings them closer together while uncovering prostitution rings and other secret affairs. This was Truffaut’s final film, and the thrilling murder mystery is a tribute to one of his favorite directors, Alfred Hitchcock.

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Curated by Marie Losier.

Film programs of the French Institute Alliance Franaise are made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State agency.

Special thanks to Fanny Ardant, the Cultural Services of the French Embassy and the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. American Airlines is the official airline for FIAF.

Image Credits
© Regent Releasing/Photofest (Callas Forever);
© Photofest/Jean-Claude Moireau/ Focus Features (8 femmes);
© Photofest/Catherine Cabrol/ZOE Miramax (Ridicule);
© Photofest/Spectrafilms (La Vie est un roman);
© Photofest/United Artists (La Femme d’à côté);
© Photofest/Spectrafilms (Vivement dimanche)