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FILM

French films with English subtitles to watch in February 2024

Lost in Frenchlation - the cinema club that screens French films with English subtitles - has six films on offer in February 2024, including a creepy-crawly horror and a classic French romance.

French films with English subtitles to watch in February 2024
(Photo by LOIC VENANCE / AFP)

Lost in Frenchlation has plenty in store for English-speakers looking to enjoy French cinema this February in Paris.

There are six films on the docket, as well as a romantic movie-themed walking tour for Valentine’s month and a meet-and-greet with a director.

You can also subscribe to their weekly newsletter with more updates here.

Here’s what’s coming up;

Vermines (Vermin)

Directed by Sébastien Vaniček, this scary spider film runs for an hour and 45 minutes. It tells the story of a young adult, Kaleb, who is passionate about exotic animals and decides to bring home a poisonous spider. You might be expecting a Spiderman-esque story here – but instead, the deadly spider escapes, leaving Kaleb and his neighbours locked down as the spider makes its way through the apartment building.

Where and when – The movie will be screened on Friday, February 2nd at 8pm. Beforehand, you can join the ‘Women of Paris’ walking tour at 5pm, as well as pre-drinks from 7pm. 

The screening will take place at the Club de l’Etoile, 14 Rue Troyon, 75017 Paris. 

Tickets – Priced between €8-€10, you can get them here. To join the tour, you can purchase tickets here. They are €15.

Vivants (On the Pulse)

Directed by Alix Delaporte, this drama follows a new camerawoman starting off her career in a busy newsroom. It gives audiences a glimpse into the world of prime-time news in France, including all of the complicated, stressful and sometimes funny moments as the main character learns the ropes. 

Where and when – The screening will take place on Sunday, February 11th at 8pm at the Luminor theatre (20 Rue du Temple, 75004 Paris).

You can arrive early for pre-drinks from 7pm, and stick around afterwards for a Q&A with the director and main actress.

Tickets – Ranging between €8-€10. You can purchase them here

Un Homme et une Femme (A Man and a Woman)

Directed by Claude Lelouch, this sentimental romance from 1966 tells the story of two people – both who recently lost their romantic partners – as they struggle with loss and the experience of finding love once again. It won the Cannes best-picture award at the time, as well as the Oscar for best foreign language film. 

Where and when – The screening will take place on Friday, February 16th at 8pm at L’Entrepôt (7 Rue Francis de Pressensé, 75014 Paris). Beforehand, you can join Lost in Frenchlation for a romantic movie-themed walking tour at 5pm, as well as pre-drinks from 7pm.

Tickets – Ranging from €7-€8.50 for the film – you can purchase them here. For the walking tour, tickets will be €15 and you can also buy them ahead of time online.

Making of 

Directed by Cédric Kahn, this film chronicles the behind-the-scenes reality of the film industry, as seasoned director Simon tries with limited help to make his film about workers fighting to save their factory. Mirroring the subject of his film, conflict arises in Simon’s own team, giving audiences a taste of the stress involved in film-making. 

Where and when – The screening will take place on Friday, February 23rd at L’Entrepôt (7 Rue Francis de Pressensé, 75014 Paris).

You can arrive early from 7pm for drinks and ice-cream.

Tickets – Ranging from €7-€8.50, you can buy them here.

MakingOf_TLR-INTER_H264_HD-185_24p_LtRt_EN_20231120M141 from Lost in Frenchlation on Vimeo.

Iris et les hommes (It’s Raining Men)

Directed by Caroline Vignal, this film tells the story of Iris, a woman living a seemingly normal life with her husband, two daughters and thriving dental practice. Everything changes when Iris realises at a doctor’s appointment that it has been a long time since her last sexual encounter, and she decides to sign up for a dating app.

Where and when – The screening will start at 8pm at L’Arlequin, 76 Rue de Rennes, 75006 Paris.

You can arrive early for pre-drinks from 7pm, as well as a stand-up comedy show from the English-speaking comedian Sarah Donnelly. 

Tickets – Ranging from €13 – €15, purchase them here

IrisEtLesHommes_FA-Date_VOSTen_Mix-Internet-ST_ProRes422HQ_HD_Rec709G24_EV_24ips_20231207_FA-Playtime from Lost in Frenchlation on Vimeo.

Bonnard, Pierre and Marthe

Directed by Martin Provost, explore the love story between French artist Pierre Bonnard and his muse, wife, and model Marthe.

Where and when – The screening will take place on Thursday, February 29th, at 8pm at Le Balzac (1 Rue Balzac, 75008 Paris). 

Arrive early for pre-drinks at 7pm, and stick around afterwards for a Q&A session with the director.

Tickets – You can purchase them online. They range from €8-€10.

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CULTURE

Can Costner lead the revenge of France’s much-mocked Kevins?

In 1990s France, amidst the Pierres and the Jean-Claudes, a Hollywood hero with all-American good looks inspired a new name craze.

Can Costner lead the revenge of France's much-mocked Kevins?

The era of the Kevin — or Kev-een as the French pronounce it — had arrived, ushered in by the passions unleashed by a moustachioed Kevin Costner in his epic directorial debut, “Dances with Wolves”.

Suddenly, little Kevins were to be found the length and breadth of France.

But it wasn’t all plain sailing for these young ambassadors of Americana.

As Kevin Costner, now aged 69, prepares for his much-anticipated comeback at the Cannes Film Festival, AFP looks at how his French namesakes went from hero to zero and back again:

Je m’appelle Kevin

Celtic in origin, hailing from the Irish name “Caoimhin” after a hermit monk who lived in a stone cell in a glacial valley, the Kevin craze was sparked by not one but two huge Hollywood films.

In 1990 two million French people flocked to see the antics of a young boy called Kevin battling to defend his family home from burglars in “Home Alone”.

A year later, “Dances with Wolves”, which scooped seven Oscars, topped the French box office, pulling in a whopping seven million viewers.

The impact on birth certificates was immediate — that year Kevin was the most popular boy’s name in France, chosen for just over 14,000 newborns, according to data compiled by AFP.

The wave continued with over 10,000 baby Kevins a year until 1995 when it dipped to some 8,000 and progressively dwindled thereafter.

Mocked and shamed 

By the time the Kevins hit adolescence in the early 2000s, Costner’s star power had faded and the name had become shrouded in stigma, associated with lower classes picking exotic-sounding names drawn from pop culture.

Sociologist Baptiste Coulmont studied the social determinism of French names by comparing the names with the childrens’ exam grades.

Between 2012-2020 four percent of Kevins received the top “very good” grade for the baccalaureate exam taken at the end of high school, compared with 18 percent for the classic bourgeois name Augustin.

For director Kevin Fafournoux, who grew up in what he calls an “ordinary” family in central France and is making a documentary called “Save the Kevins”, the name “spells redneck, illiterate, geek, annoying” for many in his country.

“All this has impacted my life and that of other Kevins, whether in terms of our self-confidence, professional credibility or in relationships,” he says in its trailer.

In Germany, which also saw a wave of Kevins in the early 1990s, the negative stereotypes conferred on parents who give children exotic-sounding names from other cultures has a name: Kevinismus.

“Kevin is not a name but a diagnosis,” said one teacher scathingly in a 2009 article by Die Zeit newspaper about little Kevins, Chantals and Angelinas being labelled problem children.

Shedding the stigma

As the years pass, Kevins have become doctors, academics, politicians and much more — and attitudes have shifted.

“There are tens of thousands of Kevins in France, they are everywhere in society and can no longer be associated with one background,” Coulmont told The Guardian newspaper in an interview in 2022.

That year, two Kevins were elected to parliament for the far-right National Rally (RN).

“Will the Kevins finally have their revenge?” asked Le Point magazine.

The RN’s president is himself a fresh-faced 28-year-old, who grew up in a high-rise housing estate on the outskirts of Paris. He also carries a name with clear American overtones: Jordan Bardella.

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