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The English-subtitled French film screenings for March you don’t want to miss

The film club that screens French films with English subtitles has several screenings in March - in Paris, Nice, Lyon, Caen and Biarritz - here are the movies on offer.

Published: 10 March 2023 18:01 CET
The English-subtitled French film screenings for March you don’t want to miss
People wait in a cinema theatre to watch a movie (Photo by LOIC VENANCE / AFP)

For the past seven years, Lost in Frenchlation, a company that regularly screens French films with English subtitles, has given anglophones living in Paris – and more recently across France – the opportunity to enjoy French cinematic culture.

Lost in Frenchlation has also expanded out beyond Paris, with screenings in Lyon, Nice, Caen and Biarritz as well this month. 

Here are the screenings across France that you will want to take note of:

Paris

Astérix & Obélix: L’Empire du Milieu – Take a trip back in time with France’s favourite Gaulish warriors, Astérix and Obélix. The year is 50 BC, and the only daughter of the Empress of China calls on the valiant heroes to help her rescue her mother and save her homeland after a coup from a traitorous prince. 

The “Middle Kingdom” (Empire du milieu), directed by César Award winning director Guillaume Canet (who also stars in the movie himself), will mark the fifth live-action Astérix and Obélix film, fit for both children and adults alike.

The screening will take place at the Luminor in Paris’ 4th arrondisement (at 20 Rue du Temple) on Sunday, March 12th at 8pm. All are invited to join the Lost in Frenchlation team for pre-drinks at 7pm.

Tickets will cost €7 for those eligible for reductions, and €11 for all others. You can book HERE. 

Toi Non Plus tu n’as Rien Vu – Directed by Béatrice Pollet, this film tells the story of two classmates pursuing careers in law. One of them will go on to be charged with attempted homicide of her newborn child, and the other will be tasked with defending her. Tackling the subject of pregnancy denial, Pollet dives into the complexity of pregnancy, motherhood, and postpartum in all its complexity.

The screening will take place Friday, March 17th at the Club de l’Étoile cinema at 14 Rue Troyon in Paris’ 8th arrondisement.

Drinks will begin at 7pm, and the screening will start at 8pm. Feel free to stick around after the film for a Q&A with the director.

Tickets will start at €8 for those eligible for reductions, and for all others they will cost €10. You can find them online HERE. 

221121 – Toi_Non_Plus_Inter_Mix (trailer TEMP pour TALLINN).mov from Lost in Frenchlation on Vimeo.

Petites – In her first feature film, director Julie Lerat-Gersant’s Petites follows the story of Camille, who is 16 years old and pregnant. After a judge places her in a maternal centre away from the care of her mother, Camille becomes friends with Alison, another young mom.

The film will be screened on Friday, March 24th at the Luminor cinema near Hotel de Ville in Paris’ 4th arrondisement (20 Rue du temple). 

Drinks will begin at 7pm, with the screening starting at 8pm. For those intersted, the Women of Paris walking group will host a tour at 5pm ahead of the film. This additional option costs €15 per ticket. You can find more information HERE.

Tickets for the film are available online HERE, and they cost €7 for those eligible for discounts, and €11 for all others.

Divertimento – Director Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar follows the story of two sisters with dreams of becoming classical musicians. Taking place in 1995, the twin sisters Zahia and Fettouma Ziouani are 17 years old and growing up in a working class neighbourhood north of Paris. The film follows their journey as they attempt to reach their dreams and make classical music accessible for all. 

The screening will take place at the L’Arlequin theatre in Paris 6th arrondisement (76 Rue de Rennes) on Thursday, March 30th. 

Pre-drinks will start at the piano-bar at 7pm, and the screening will show at 8pm. 

You can purchase tickets online HERE. Prices will range from €8.50-€11 depending on your situation.

To watch the trailer with English subtitles, click HERE.

Biarritz

De Grandes Espérances – This film tells the story of a young woman, Madeleine, who is visiting Corsica with her boyfriend, Antoine, while preparing for an important entrance examination for a prestigious French university. The couple find themselves entangled in an unexpected drama, which could impact their lives forever.

The film will be showed at the Cinéma Le Royal (8 Av. du Maréchal Foch) in Biarritz on Thursday, March 30th. Pre-screening drinks will start at 7:30pm, and the film will play at 8pm. 

Tickets range from €4.50 – €7, depending on your situation. You can buy them online HERE. 

Caen

La Syndicaliste – Telling the true story of Maureen Kearney, a union representative who went on to become an important whistleblower. In 2012, Kearny discovers a French state secret that will go on to have lasting ramifications for the French nuclear industry. She goes on to fight tooth and nail to bring the scandal to light.

Join the Café Polyglotte and Lost in Frenchlation teams on Wednesday, March 22nd for pre-screening drinks at the “Bar du Café”. The screening will begin at 9pm at Café Polyglotte (4 square du théâtre, 14200 Hérouville-Saint-Clair).

Tickets cost €4.50, which you can purchase HERE.

Lyon 

De Grandes Espérances – This film tells the story of a young woman, Madeleine, who is visiting Corsica with her boyfriend, Antoine, while preparing for an important entrance examination for a prestigious French university. The couple find themselves entangled in an unexpected drama, which could impact their lives forever.

The screening will take place on Thursday, March 30th at Cinéma Comoedia (13 Avenue Berthelot, Lyon 69007). You can arrive early at 7:30pm for pre-drinks. The screening will begin at 8:30pm.

Tickets range in price from €7.70 – €9.80, depending on whether you are eligible for discounts. You can find the Facebook event here.

Nice

La Nuit du 12 – Winner of the “best film” of 2023 in the César awards, this movie follows a young and ambitious investigator in Grenoble as he attempts to solve the murder of a young woman, Clara. 

Hollywood Reporter called the movie a “taut and piercing thriller” that delves into issues of violence, gender, and policing in contemporary France.

The screening will take place at Cinéma Rialto (4 rue de Rivoli, 06000 Nice) on Friday, March 31st, with pre-drinks starting at 7:30pm. The film will be showed at 8:30pm. 

Tickets will be available for €7 for those eligible for discounts, and €8.50 for all others. You can reserve online HERE.

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CULTURE

Why is the Mona Lisa so famous (and why is it even in France)?

Being lauded as either the greatest artwork in the world or the most overrated tourist attraction in France, Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa does not struggle to get attention. But why is this small portrait so famous?

Published: 17 May 2024 17:47 CEST
Why is the Mona Lisa so famous (and why is it even in France)?

Paris’ Louvre museum has recently announced that the Mona Lisa painting is to get its own room, a move that is at least partly in reaction to increasing complaints about the artwork being overrated, while tourists struggle to see it in the small, crowded space.

There aren’t many paintings that get a room of their own, so just what is it about Mona Lisa (or La Joconde as she is known in France) that attracts so many millions of tourists each year – and should you bother going to see her?

Why is it in France?

Let’s start with why the painting is in France in the first place, since both painter and subject are Italian (although Italy at that time was still a collection of city states which would not be unified into the modern country until 1861). 

In short, Mona Lisa is in France because her creator Leonardo da Vinci travelled with her, and he was in France when he died in 1519. The reason that he was in France is that he spent the last years of his life working on special commissions for king François I. He died at the Château du Clos Lucé in Amboise, in France’s Loire Valley. 

Upon his death Mona Lisa was taken into the French royal collection and various descendants of François I hung her in their palaces until the French Revolution happened in 1793.

After the Revolution, with the exception of a brief stint in Napoleon’s palace, the painting entered the collection of the newly-created Louvre gallery which – in the spirit of revolutionary equality – was opened up to the people so that they too could enjoy great art.

Various requests over the years – some polite, others less so – from Italy to return the painting have been firmly declined by the French state. 

When did it get famous?

In the 18th and 19th centuries Leonardo’s painting was a popular exhibit among museum visitors, but didn’t have any particular fame and wasn’t regarded as any more special than the numerous other artworks exhibited there.

Although some academic interest in the painting’s subject – most commonly thought to be Lisa Gherardini, wife of the Florentine merchant Francesco del Giocondo – stirred in the 19th century, her real fame didn’t arrive until 1911.

This is when the painting was stolen from the Louvre, a crime that became a sensation and a cause celèbre in France, even more so when the painting was finally found in 1913 after the thief had attempted to sell it in Italy.

The fame of the painting and the crime inspired contemporary artists such as Marcel Duchamp who created a playful reproduction of Mona Lisa (complete with beard and moustache) which in turn enhanced the painting’s recognition. The artistic trend continued with everyone from Andy Warhol to the ubiquitous student posters of Mona Lisa smoking a joint.

Former chairman of the French Communist Party Robert Hue views moustachioed Mona Lisa by dadaist painter Marcel Duchamp, lent out by his party for the first time for an exhibition in January 2002. Photo by NICOLAS ASFOURI / AFP

A tour of the painting to the US in 1963 and to Japan in 1974 further enhanced the celebrity status.

21st century

These days it’s perhaps accurate to say that the painting is simply famous because it’s famous. As the best-known piece of art in the world it’s automatically on many tourists’ ‘must see’ list when they come to Paris – and a lot of tourists come to Paris (roughly 44 million per year).

Meanwhile the Louvre is the most-visited museum in the world, attracting roughly 9 million visitors a year.

Although some visitors find the painting itself disappointing (it’s very small, just 77cm by 53cm) the most common complaint is that the room is too crowded – many people report that it’s so jammed with visitors that it’s hard to even see the picture never mind spend time contemplating the artwork.

Should I go and see it?

It really depends on what you like – if your taste in art is firmly in the more modern camp then you probably won’t find that this painting particularly speaks to you. You will, however, find a lot in Paris that is much more to your taste, running from the Musée d’Orsay (mostly art created between 1848 and 1914) to the Pompidou Centre (featuring contemporary and experimental art) and much, much more.

If, however, Renaissance art is your bag then you’ll struggle to find a finer example of it than Mona Lisa, with her beautiful brushwork, detailed and intriguing background and realistic presentation.

If you do decide to visit, then be prepared for the gallery to be crowded – the Louvre now operates on a pre-booking basis but even having a pre-booked ticket won’t save you from the crowds.

If possible try to avoid the summer and school holidays and prioritise weekdays over weekends – the early morning or late evening slots tend to be a little quieter than others, but you’re going to have to be prepared to share her with many other art-lovers.

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