NEW ORLEANS – The 27th edition of the New Orleans French Film Festival—organized by the New Orleans Film Society (NOFS)—once again offers a multicultural and multi-generational selection of 25 feature-length and short films shot in French from directors from 10 different countries. From February 22 to 28, audiences will be able to attend screenings, all with English subtitles, in the historic Prytania cinema and, online, the festival continues until March 3.

For almost thirty years, the French Film Festival has brought together on the same screen veterans and new talents from different horizons. Yet these artists have in common a passion for filming and a desire to share their stories. Artistic Director Clint Bowie, in charge of programming for all NOFS events, stressed the importance of broadening an understanding of French cinema by including works from different countries and cultures.

“We’re really trying to showcase the breadth of cinematic voices that speak to French-speaking cultures around the world, not just in France, where generally we select most of the films from,” Bowie said. With four titles on the bill, Bowie said the quality and diversity of Louisiana’s French cinema is undoubtedly represented and celebrated.

For the first time, this edition will present restored versions of two films by director Glen Pitre, shot entirely in Louisiana French, “Huit Piastres et Demie!” (1981) and “La Fièvre Jaune” (1978). Spectators will have the opportunity to talk with Pitre, who will be on hand to discuss and answer questions after the screening.  

The New York-based Indie Collect collective works to restore films that are about to be lost forever. “They do incredible work,” Bowie said. “We contacted them last year simply because we regularly asked them what they were working on. When we found out they were working on Glen’s films, we immediately started thinking about how we could preview them. We were delighted to learn that they thought they could finish them in time for the French Film Festival.”

The festival will also host the world premieres of two short films made by young Louisiana talent and supported by local organizations.”Heritage,” by Chasah and Charliese West, tells the story of a teenage girl, disconnected from her family history and Creole roots, who is forced to rethink her heritage after a chance encounter with a young French-speaking girl. The West sisters participated in workshops organized by NOFS to encourage young filmmakers of color in Louisiana, and received support from the Nous Foundation for the film.  

With “Footwork,” Drake LeBlanc, co-founder of Télé-Louisiane, takes us to the heart of Creole cowboy culture in which he grew up in near Lafayette. The film is the 2023 winner of the French Culture Film grant and received $25,000 in funding; established by Create Louisiana, this program supports Louisiana’s creative community and the state’s deep connection to French and Francophone culture.

“We’re thrilled to be able to present Drake’s work, which was funded in part by Create Louisiana, one of our long-time partners,” explained Bowie. “It’s such a fascinating world that Drake is talking about here, a world far enough removed from New Orleans that a lot of people based in the city aren’t even aware of it.”

Young filmmaker Johanna Makabi is one of the artists in residence at the Villa Albertine in Louisiana, a program created by the French Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs and with the support of the French Ministry of Culture. Born and raised in Paris by parents of Congolese and Senegalese origin, Makabi grew up in the thirteenth arrondissement, opposite the offices of the famous newspaper Le Monde. “I wanted to become a journalist, I wanted to tell stories, everyday and of ordinary lives that everyone could relate to,” Mokabi said.

Whether through documentaries or fiction, Makabi’s work strives to understand “how a diaspora manages to make its place in a country.” Winner of the 2023 edition of the Fonds Création & Diversité, awarded by the Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs Dramatiques in partnership with France Télévisions, Makabi is working on a TV pilot celebrating Léonie and Antoinette Laval, two sisters from the Martinique bourgeoisie, who win a scholarship to study at La Sorbonne in 1920s Paris. Makabi set up her own production company, Sirens Films, in 2023.

There’s much more to come at this year’s French Film Festival, which opens with François Ozon’s latest film, “Mon Crime.” Closing the festival is “Menus-Plaisirs,” a four-hour opus by legendary documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman, which plunges us into the world of French gastronomy. In Bowie’s words, “you don’t see the time go by, and you want more.”

Visit the festival’s official website to access the calendar of events and buy your tickets.