The French Embassy in Thailand together with SFX Cinema presents the Clap! French Film Festival 2013 which will showcase award-winning French movies, each subtitled in English and Thai, covering genres from drama and romance to animation and comedy. With Valentine’s Day around the corner, the festival will open with the rom-com Happiness Never Comes Alone, directed by James Huth, and starring well-known French actress Sophie Marceau. All movies will screen at SFX Cinema Emporium (6/F, Emporium Shopping Complex, 622 Sukhumvit 24, 02-268-8888, www.sfcinemacity.com. BTS Phrom Phong) from Feb 13-20; the program is as follows:

Amour (2012), directed by Michael Haneke. Winner of the Golden Palm at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival and Best Foreign Movie at the 2013 Golden Globes, and nominated for the 2013 Oscars in multiple categories, including Best Leading Actress for Emmanuelle Riva. Elderly couple Anne and Georges are retired music teachers with a daughter who lives abroad. When Anne suffers a stroke, the couple’s love is tested.

Poliss (2011), directed by Maïwenn. Winner of the 2011 Cannes Jury Prize. The gritty tale of France’s Juvenile Protection Unit and a journalist assigned to cover it.

The Rabbi’s Cat (2011), an animation directed by Joann Sfar. Won Best Animation at the 2011 Annecy International Animation Film Festival and is in line for the Best Animation gong at the 2013 Oscars. The funny and philosophic story of a Rabbi’s cat, who starts to speak after having swallowed a parrot.

The Beloved (2011), a musical directed by Christophe Honoré. Selected for the closing of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. The movie presents the love stories of two women living in different times (1960s and 1990s) and takes place between London and Paris.
Another 3 movies are premiering before their DVD releases in Thailand:

The Chef (2012), a comedy directed by Daniel Cohen, starring Jean Reno. A veteran chef faces up to the challenges posed by his retired business partner’s son.

A Gang Story (2011), directed by former cop Olivier Marchal. The story of France’s most notorious armed robbers in the 1970s.

Big is Beautiful (2011), a black comedy directed by Charlotte de Turckheim. The story of three women who meet at the spa for slimming treatment, each trying to solve their own personal issues: to regain a lover, to control everything from her body to her heart, and to cure a serious health problem.

Tickets are B120 (B100 for students), with The Chef, A Gang Story and Big is Beautiful included as a package deal. For more information, call 02-268-8888 or visit www.sfcinemacity.com and www.cooperation-ambafrance-th.org/clap