Schedule of Events:

12:30 PM: Arenas - Walter Reade Theater
Camille Perton / 2024 / France / French and English with English subtitles / 94 minutes

When his father is no longer able to provide for the family, ultra-talented 18-year-old Brahim (Ilies Kadri) faces new pressure to embark on a long-anticipated career as a professional soccer player. Frustrated that his longtime manager and friend Mehdi (Sofian Khammes) hasn’t managed to close a deal for a spot on his dream team, Brahim is intrigued by the services offered by shadowy power player Francis (Édgar Ramírez), whose promises of career advancement may prove all too costly. An immersive exploration into the shadier business dealings that animate the world of professional youth soccer, Camille Perton’s debut feature travels from Brahim’s native Lyon to the glittering waters of Nice and beyond, navigating thorny ethical dilemmas within the narrative framework of a nerve-racking thriller. The typically magnetic Ramírez looms large, delivering a masterful turn as a well-heeled but enigmatically sinister figure who may or may not have his client’s best interest at heart.

3:15 PM: The Marching Band - Walter Reade Theater
Emmanuel Courcol / 2024 / France / French with English subtitles / 103 minutes

They couldn’t be more different: Thibault (Benjamin Lavernhe) is a world-famous orchestra conductor and pianist; Jimmy (Pierre Lottin) is a blue-collar kitchen worker who plays trombone in the local marching band. Separated in their infancy, the two brothers are reunited unexpectedly as adults and, after some initial friction, find themselves growing closer when Thibault decides to help nurture Jimmy’s nascent musical talent. An equally hilarious and affecting crowd-pleaser from Emmanuel Courcol (The Big Hit, Rendez-Vous 2021), this Cannes favorite draws equally nuanced and sensitive portraits of affluence and working-class life in the northern town of Lille to bring texture and substance to a universally resonant story about the power of family. At its center are a pair of sparkling performances from Lavernhe and Lottin, two of France’s most promising rising stars.

5:45 PM: When Fall Is Coming - Walter Reade Theater
François Ozon / 2024 / France / French with English subtitles / 102 minutes

Retiree Michelle (Hélène Vincent) lives in the countryside, peacefully enjoying her ample free time with lifelong friend Marie-Claude (Josiane Balasko). Despite being estranged from her hostile daughter Valérie (Ludivine Sagnier), Michelle looks forward to a visit from her grandson Lucas (Garlan Erlos)—but when things don’t go as planned during his stay, a long-simmering mother-daughter conflict erupts. Applying his characteristically destabilizing artistry to the shapeshifting contours of this deceptively low-key drama, Rendez-Vous regular François Ozon (Everything Went Fine, Rendez-Vous 2022; Summer of ’85, Rendez-Vous 2021) devotes loving attention to the complex experiences of an elderly woman whose past keeps rearing its head in unforeseeable ways. Boasting impeccable turns from a strong ensemble cast, the film’s many pleasures include Ozon’s reunion with his Swimming Pool leading lady Sagnier for their first collaboration in more than two decades. A Music Box Films release.

8:15 PM: Suspended Time - Walter Reade Theater
Olivier Assayas / 2024 / France / French with English subtitles / 105 minutes

“Never have I felt like less of a filmmaker,” frets Paul Berger (Vincent Macaigne). It’s April of 2020, and the film director has escaped to the provinces, living in lockdown with his brother Etienne (Micha Lescot), a middle-aged music journalist, and their respective romantic partners. The couples try to maintain their sanity in the midst of extended isolation in this tonally masterful dramedy from the great Olivier Assayas (Irma Vep, Personal Shopper). In an autobiographical vein, Assayas presents a disarmingly personal (and often very funny) perspective on the pandemic, taking place at the director’s very own family house. Amassing a wealth of insights into the foundational relationships and rural background that shaped him, Assayas is equally adept at thoughtfully reconstructing an unprecedented moment in our shared history with the grace and compassion that only a master filmmaker can bring.

Ticket Prices:

General Public: $19
Students, Seniors, and Persons with Disabilities: $17
FLC Members: $14
Opening Night - General Public: $25
Opening Night - FLC Members: $20

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