French Film Season at The Electric Theatre

MEDIA RELEASE COURTESY OF: The Electric Theatre

French Film Season at The Electric Theatre
Mon 6th to Sat 18th September 2010
The Electric Theatre, Guildford

The Electric Theatre are hosting two full weeks of film this autumn from 6th to 18th September.

The first week follows on from their highly successful film festival this July with a mixture of world, classic and art house cinema. Highlights include the powerful and stylish I Am Love starring Tilda Swinton, the bizarre gypsy comedy Black Cat, White Cat and an evening of Alfred Hitchcock screening the provocative and intriguing documentary Double Take and Rope starring James Stewart.

Week two focuses on the wealth of fantastic French cinema featuring guest speakers and award winning films. One of the highlights of the French film season will be a Focus on Claire Denis. French director Claire Denis’s latest film White Material (starring Isabelle Huppert) has cemented her status as one of the world’s most original filmmakers. The Theatre are delighted to welcome chief film critic at The Independent on Sunday Jonathan Romney to present an extended introduction to her work. This will be complemented by screenings of three of her films - Beau Travail, The Intruder and the 2008 critical smash-hit 35 Shots of Rum.

In addition, we also welcome Professor Phil Powrie who will be presenting two of his personal favourites from the annals of French filmmaking history – the sublime Les Demoiselles des Rochefort and L’Atalante from director Jean Vigo. In addition to his role as Dean of the Faculty of Arts & Human Sciences at the University of Surrey, Phil has published a number of books on French cinema, and is the general editor of Studies in French Cinema.

It’s never too early to start introducing little ones to different cultures through cinema, and on Saturday 11 September the Theatre will be giving families the perfect opportunity to do just that! As part of Guildford’s annual Heritage Open Day activities The Electric Theatre will be screening two French Children’s films – the landmark short film The Red Balloon from director Albert Lamorisse and Kirikou and the Sorceress.

To enhance the film season, The Electric Theatre’s Café Bar will be serving a range of delicious French dishes complementing the film programming. It’s the perfect place to enjoy a light lunch, pre-screening meal or post-screening drink. Inside is bright and airy, whilst outdoors there is a large South-facing terrace at the edge of the River Wey, which becomes the most popular place in town during the summer months. Heated canopies and subtle lighting ensure that you can enjoy your meal or drinks outside once the sun has set.

There are some great French films from the past year that the Theatre will be unable to bring you in time for September, including White Material, Gainsbourg and Heartbreaker, so why not come along in January for Part II of the French Film Season (17 – 22 Jan 2011).

Tickets are £6.50 full price, £5 for concessions (multiple booking discounts also available) and can be booked by calling The Electric Theatre Box Office on 01483 444789 or online here where details of all screenings, dates and times can also be found.