A moment of pure bliss for lovers of Mediterranean cinema!
For the 6th consecutive year, lovers of the seventh art and Mediterranean cinema will meet in Carros for the Cinéalma festival.
From October 14 to 23, many films will indeed be screened at the Juliette Gréco room, some followed by debates and meetings with actors and directors.
Created in 2006, the Cinéalma festival, the soul of the Mediterranean, quickly became one of the must-attend cinema events on the Côte d’Azur. For almost 10 days, 26 films are offered to the public at a truly symbolic price (1 € for all sessions except commercial sessions at 3 €).
Film enthusiasts can thus discover feature films from various Mediterranean countries (France, Italy, Spain, Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Morocco, Lebanon, Iran, Israel…)
Today, Cinéalma is acclaimed and recognized by professionals and is one of the city’s major cultural events in Carros.
In addition to screenings and meetings with professionals, the public will be able to attend a concert by Sophia Charaï on Thursday, October 13, as well as convivial meals on Sundays, October 16 and 23.
Note among the highlights of this 2011 edition, the opening ceremony followed by the screening of “La source des femmes,” in the presence of director Radu Mihaileanu, and the closing ceremony with an awards presentation, followed by “Habemus Papam” by Nanni Moretti (Official Cannes 2011 Selection).
The organization is ensured by the city of Carros and the Cinéactions association, with the support of many partners.
– The program for the next weekend:
Friday, October 14
-7:30 PM Festival opening followed by the film.
-8:00 PM: “La source des femmes” by Radu MIHAILEANU France, Morocco, Belgium, Italy 2011 Fiction 2h16 (EUROPACORP) Preview
With Leïla Bekhti, Hafsia Herzi, BIYOUNA, Sabrina Ouazani, Saleh Bakri, Hiam Abbass, Official Cannes 2011 Competition
A small village between North Africa and the Middle East. The women, tired of fetching water from the source at the mountain top, on steep paths and under a blazing sun, rebel under the guidance of Leïla, a young bride. They strike by withholding love until the men bring water to the village.
A contemporary oriental tale inspired by an ancient tragedy that resonates strongly with the Arab springs.
Note the presence of two promising female talents and an original score by Armand Amar
In the presence of the director
Radu MIHAILEANU Exiled from Romania in 1980, he studied filmmaking at IDHEC (former name of La Fémis) and started in the mid-80s as an assistant director to Marco Ferreri.
He published a collection of poems in 1987, titled “A Wave in Need of Sea.”
1993, “Trahir,” his first feature film (multiple awards at festivals: Montreal, Istanbul…)
1998 “Train of Life” second feature film, international success, thanks to two awards at the Venice Film Festival.
2005 “Live and Become,” César for Best Original Screenplay.
2009 “The Concert” nearly 1.9 million viewers in theaters.
10:45 PM Buffet offered by the city of Carros
Saturday, October 15
-10:00 AM “Pa Negre” (Black Bread) by Agustí VILLARONGA Spain-France 2011
Fiction 1h 40 (ALFAMA)
With Sergi López, Francesc Colomer, Nora Navas, Eduard Fernàndez, Marina Comas,
In Catalonia, the years following the Spanish Civil War, marked by violence, seen through the eyes of a 10-year-old boy whose father is unjustly accused of murder…
This film is adapted from the eponymous novel by Catalan writer Emili Teixidor, a bestseller considered his masterpiece and the best Catalan book of the decade.
Agustí Villaronga is a Spanish director born in 1953 in Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain). His film “The Moon Child” was presented at Cannes in 1989.
“Pa Negre” had resounding success in Spain with 9 Goyas (Madrid), 13 Gaudís (Barcelona), and an award at the last San Sebastián festival.
Agustí Villaronga embodies the new generation of Spanish cinema. He is known for the beauty of his shots and the power of his storytelling. He is the author notably of “Tras el Cristal,” “El Mar,” and “El Niño de la Luna.”
-2:00 PM “Plus Jamais Peur” (No More Fear) by Mourad BEN CHEIKH Tunisia 2011 Documentary 1h12 (KMBO) Official Special Screening Cannes 2011
On December 17, 2010, a young street vendor of fruits and vegetables immolates himself in Sidi Bouzid after having his goods confiscated by authorities. This triggers a general protest movement against the regime of President Ben Ali. The Tunisian Revolution begins, and “we will never fear again for this new Tunisia.”
In the presence of the director
Mourad Ben Cheikh studied Fine Arts in Tunis and Bologna.
He makes commercials, short films, and children’s films (he had presented “Mare Nostrum” at Cinéalma in 2008).
With “Plus Jamais Peur,” he helps to provide the first testimonies of the Tunisian revolution.
-4:15 PM “Journey to Algiers” by Abdelkrim BAHLOUL. Fiction Algeria 2009.
Fiction 1h37 (LES FILMS DE LA SOURCE) Unreleased
With Samia Meziane Sami Ahedda, Ghazeli Khedda, Benyamina Bahloul
Based on a true story, the narrative takes place a few months after Algeria’s independence. A martyr’s widow has her house expropriated by the local authorities of the city of Saïda (high plateaus of the Southwest). But her determination leads her to plead her case to the President of the Republic personally.
A beautiful portrait of a woman highlighted by the noted performance of actress Samia Meziane.
In the presence of the director and actor Sami Ahedda
Director, screenwriter, actor,
He studied at the Conservatory of Dramatic Art in Algiers (1968-1971). Abdelkrim Bahloul left Algeria in 1971 and settled in France where he continued his studies at the Conservatory of Dramatic Art in Paris. In 1973, he obtained a master’s degree in Modern Literature at the University of Paris 3. He studied film at IDHEC (1972-1975).
Camera operator in French TV then assistant director, he made a name with “Le Thé à la menthe” (1984) “Un vampire au paradis” (1991), “Le Soleil assassiné” (2004).
“Journey to Algiers” won the Silver Tanit at the Carthage Film Days and many other awards at festivals in Ouagadougou, Montreal, Namur, Angoulême…
Houari Boumedienne colonel and an Algerian statesman.
A career military man, Chief of the General Staff of the National Liberation Army from 1959 to 1962, he held high state functions such as Defense Minister under Ben Bella I in September 1962, a position he cumulated with that of Deputy Prime Minister during the presidency of Ahmed Ben Bella from September 1963 to June 1965.
Following a military coup, he became the second President of the People’s Democratic Republic of Algeria from June 19, 1965, to December 27, 1978, while keeping his Defense Minister role, thus combining this position with that of Prime Minister from June 20, 1965, to his death, establishing a revolutionary council from June 20, 1965, to July 10, 1965. From then on, he was President of the National Liberation Front during his presidency. He was Secretary-General of the Non-Aligned Movement from September 1973 to August 1976.
-7:00 PM “The Fifth String” by Selma BARGACH. Morocco 2010.
Fiction 1h38 (JANAPROD). Unreleased with Hichem Rostom, Ali Esmili, Claire Hélène Cahen
The story chronicles the journey of Malek, a passionate young lutenist, in search of the secret of the 5th string, leading him from Casablanca to Essaouira passing through Tangier. Between the rigor of his uncle Amir, a music master, and the lively talent of his beloved Laura, he will pursue his dream and find his path.
In the presence of the director
Born May 13, 1966, in Casablanca, Morocco. After a literary baccalaureate in Casablanca, she enrolled in 1986 at the Educational Unit of Architecture in Lyon, then at the Sorbonne in Paris, where she obtained a PhD in art and art sciences, audiovisual option, in 1997.
Selma Bargach began as an assistant director with Moroccan and foreign filmmakers. Later, she directed short fiction films. “The Fifth String” is her first feature film.
Both an initiation tale of coming of age and a contemporary musical tale, the film makes music a full-fledged character. It evolves and undergoes the same trials as the protagonist. It is his shadow and becomes his light to end on hopeful notes.
This film has just started its tour and is gathering awards: Festivals of Tangier, Kicheon (South Korea), Khouribga.
Note the soundtrack of musicians Safy Boutella and Trio Joubran and the collaboration of Hassan Benjelloun (“The Forgotten of History” Cinéalma 2010)
-9:45 PM “Corpo Celeste” by Alice ROHRWACHER. Italy, France, Switzerland, 2011
Fiction 1h51 (AD VITAM) Preview with Yile Vianello, Anita Caprioli, Salvatore Cantalupo Quinzaine des réalisateurs Cannes 2011
After 10 years in Switzerland, Marta, 13, returns to live in Calabria with her mother and sister and prepares for her confirmation. Confronted with the morals and arrangements of the local Catholic community, she will learn to build her own life.
In the presence of the director (subject to availability)
Born in Tuscany, Alice Rohrwacher graduated in literature and philosophy from the University of Turin. After an experience in theater and music, she started in cinema as an editor, then directed a part of the collective feature film “Checosamanca.”
At 27, “Corpo Celeste” is her first feature film.
Neither Calabrian (she comes from Umbria, studied in Turin), nor Catholic, yet that is what Alice Rohrwacher addresses in her first feature fiction film, “Corpo celeste.”
“I make films for research. Anything far from me is of interest a priori. For this film, as for my previous documentaries, I first found a place, then asked myself, ‘what makes people live there?’, and I embarked on it.”
Characters and the story came afterward: it is about a young girl of 13, foreign to the place and its customs (“an alien, a celestial body”), who prepares her communion and seems to discover everything – her body, liturgy, constraints, landscapes – with a virgin gaze.
Aged 29, slender and with twinkling eyes, this young director embodies, along with a few colleagues (Marcello Pietro, Michelangelo Frammartino, Matteo Garrone…), the revival of Italian cinema. A generation trained by the documentary and orbiting in the underground, far from the television schemes cluttering the peninsula for 30 years. “I feel something is happening. The documentary is a good school because it forces you to do everything, to manage with little. People my age no longer want to wait for subsidies that don’t come. They want to shoot, period.”
Sunday, October 16
-10:00 AM “18 Days” Collective Egypt 2011 10 Short films 2h (EUROZOOM) Unreleased Cannes 2011 official selection out of competition
This film tells 10 stories, real or imagined, that took place in Egypt from January 25 to February 11, 2011, of ordinary citizens caught in extraordinary events that seemed unimaginable and will change their lives forever.
10 chapters, made urgently and enthusiastically, without a budget, and voluntarily, by a team of filmmakers, actors, technicians, producers to testify to the 18 days that shook their country. Among these filmmakers are Yousry Nasrallah (“Cairo 678”), Marwen Hamed (“The Yacoubian Building”) and Ahmad Abdalla (“Microphone”).
The proceeds from the broadcast of “18 Days” are dedicated to a political and civic education campaign in Egyptian villages.
-12:00 PM convivial meal organized by Cinéactions (Paella – 7€)
- 2:00 PM “Flamenco Flamenco” by Carlos SAURA Spain-France 2011
Musical Film 1h30 (BODEGA) Preview
Fourteen years ago, “Flamenco” was shot, a film whose narrative revolved around the songs, dances, and music of this magnificent art. With experience and wisdom acquired over the years and managing to reunite a part of the team that participated in the first film, Carlos Saura takes us into a whirlwind around the current talents of this art of incomparable beauty.
After “Fado” and “Tango,” Carlos Saura enriches his series of musical films, to be enjoyed without moderation.
“For this film, we did not rely on a fiction story. Introducing something other than the beauty of flamenco music and dances in front of the camera would have seemed a betrayal of this art’s purity!” (Carlos Saura)
In the presence of the director
Director and screenwriter, Choreographer, Photographer, Carlos Saura, born in1932, is one of Spain’s most influential and internationally recognized filmmakers. Silver Bear at the Berlin Festival in 1965 for “La Caza” (The Hunt), Cannes Special Jury Prize in 1975 with “Cría cuervos,” after “La Prima Angélica” (The Angelica Cousin, 1973) subtly condemning Francoist society.
“Ay, Carmela” in 1990 won the Goya for best director.
In line with other musical films:
1995: “Flamenco”
1998: “Tango”
2008: “Fados”
2010: “Don Giovanni, Birth of an Opera”
2001: “Buñuel et la Table du Roi Salomon”
Originally from an artist family (his mother was a pianist, his brother Antonio Saura was a painter), he cultivated an artistic sense applied to photography during his childhood.
In Madrid, in 1957, he obtained a director’s diploma from the Institute of Cinematographic Research and Studies, where he becomes a professor until 1963.
In 1957-58, he directed his first documentary film, “Cuenca.” In 1960, with “Golfos” (The Rogues), he described the problem of youth delinquency in the disadvantaged neighborhoods of Madrid. In 1963, with the film “Llanto por un bandido,” he completed a historical reconstruction.
In 1965, his style, both lyrical and documentary, focused on the problems of the underprivileged, receives international recognition at the Berlin Festival, winning a Silver Bear for his film “La Caza” (The Hunt).
In 1967, his film “Peppermint frappé” again was first in Berlin.
The films “La Prima Angélica” (The Angelica Cousin, 1973) and “Cría cuervos” (1975), which subtly address Francoist society, receive the Special Jury Prize at the Cannes Festival.
His film “Mama cumple 100 años” (Mom is 100 years old) was nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film in 1979.
In 1991, he is finally recognized in his country and receives the Goya Awards for Best Director and Best Script for his film “¡Ay, Carmela!” (1990).
He is chosen to direct the official film of the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992, “Marathon.”
Today, Carlos Saura is considered one of the classics of contemporary European cinema history. He has successfully traced the societal evolution during Spain’s democratic transition and his opposition to Franco’s dictatorship.
-4:45 PM “Beirut Hotel” by Danielle Arbid France, Lebanon 2011
Fiction 1h38 (LES FILMS PELLEAS) Preview with Darine Hamze, Charles Berling, Fadi Abi Samra, Rodney El Haddad. Official selection Locarno festival 2011
A passionate love story between Zoha, a young Lebanese singer trying to free herself from the grip of her ex-husband, and Mathieu, a French lawyer on a business trip to Beirut, suspected of espionage and hunted in a fascinating Beirut.
In the presence of the director.
Danielle Arbid Born in Beirut on April 26, 1970, Danielle Arbid left Lebanon at age 17, settled in Paris, studied literature, and journalism. Her films, shorts, documentaries, fictions are well received at festivals in France and the world. Her two feature films “Dans les champs de bataille” and “A Lost Man” were selected at the Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes in 2004 and 2007, respectively.
“Beirut Hotel” is her third feature film. Made for Arte, it was selected in the official competition at the Locarno Festival in 2011.
This musical and espionage film serves a romance on the edge, like a country teetering between war and peace, where at any moment, everything can topple… Darine Hamzeh and Charles Berling are superb.
-7:15 PM “Il Gioiellino” by Andrea MOLAIOLI Italy-France 2011
Fiction 1h50 (BELLISSIMA) Preview with Toni Servillo, Remo Girone, Sarah Felberbaum
In the heart of the news, this film recounts the emblematic Parmalat scandal (2004) which put the agro-food company’s directors behind bars for fraudulent liquidation and plunged shareholders and investors into disarray.
What was considered the biggest financial scandal in Europe after 1945 has since spawned many, much larger predecessors.
The film’s title comes from a remark made by one of the real protagonists of the Parmalat collapse: “Apart from this 14 billion hole, the company is a little jewel.”
Andrea Molaioli, born in Rome in 1967, is part of the new generation of Italian filmmakers and was notably Nanni Moretti’s assistant (Palombella Rossa, Journal Intime, La Chambre du fils).
His first feature film “The Girl by the Lake” was presented at the International Critics’ Week and the Venice exhibition in 2008, winning the David di Donatello for Best Director.
In the presence of actor Remo Girone
Remo Girone, the son of an Italian immigrant, was born in Asmara (Eritrea), December 1, 1948, and is an Italian stage and film actor.
At age 13, he left for Rome, where he studied at the Silvio D’Amico National Academy of Dramatic Art
He works in theater and television series. It was Marco Bellocchio who gave him his first major role in “Il Gabbiano” (The Seagull) in 1977. He has appeared in TV films with Enrico D’Amato for “Roméo et Juliette” by William Shakespeare. In 1987, he joined the RAI series “La Piovra,” creating one of the most villainous and equally interesting characters on the small screen: Tano Cariddi.
After the success of “La Piovra,” he was in “Diceria dell’untore” (1990) by Beppe Cino.
-9:30 PM “The Mosquito Net” by Agustí VILA Spain 2011
Fiction 1h35 (BODEGA) Preview with Emma Suárez, Géraldine Chaplin, Eduard Fernàndez
Depiction of a well-off urban family whose members are victims of an obscure feeling of guilt: the mother towards her son, the father towards the maid, and the son towards all forms of animal life. An insight into the intimacy of a family obsessed with the idea of a perfect life but confronted with its own flaws.
In the presence of the director
Agustí Vila was born in 1961 in Barcelona, graduated in philology from the University of Barcelona, and became a director for Catalan television (TV3). He directed “Abreme La Puerta!” and wrote the play “La Ventana Cerrada.”
Caustic, sharply comedic, and with quirky humor, “The Mosquito Net” is the second feature film by this Catalan director who debuted with shorts and documentaries. The film won awards, including the Golden Antigone at the Montpellier CineMed, the Grand Prize of the Karlovy Vary Festival, at the Angers First Plans…
What is the storyline of “The Mosquito Net”?
It is about a family unable to accept life as it unfolds. Its members are obsessed with the idea of being politically correct. They believe good and evil are separated by a wall, whereas life is made up of uncontrollable situations and nuances. Since they have difficulty staying in touch with reality, it’s as if they are protecting themselves behind this “mosquito net.”
