The 2013 French Cinema Today Festival in Kazakhstan, held April 18-21, was a resounding success.
Now a fixture on the city of Almaty's cultural calendar, this event is dedicated to supporting the commercial release of French films in this little-known country in which the movie industry is currently flourishing (with over 220 screens in operation). This year's festival benefited from the support of additional sponsors, as well as wide coverage on the fast expanding social networks, and the presence of Vincent Perez, whose popularity boosted the impact of the entire event.
The five films selected for presentation by the Arman cinema (Almost Charming, On the Other Side of the Tracks, Ernest & Celestine, Renoir, and Rust & Bone) had all been previously acquired by three Kazakh distributors and are currently released in a number of cities around the country. Along with Vincent Perez, the attendance of Philippe Lellouche, David Charhon, and Stéphane Aubier attracted around sixty interviews with the national media, and the festival's opening ceremony was covered by the major television networks.
The now traditional Short Film Night, which is followed by a breakfast offered to participants, met with phenomenal success this year, with over 400 moviegoers turning out to watch a six-hour program of French shorts put together by uniFrance Films.
Supported by the French Embassy, the Alliance Française, and notably by a growing number of local private sponsors, this event will celebrate its first landmark anniversary next year. Audiences in Kazakhstan show a keen interest in French films, with 28 new titles released in theaters in 2012, a number that is steadily increasing each year.
