07/11/2014 - The 15th edition of the gathering shines a spotlight on the best young talent in Europe, while Asia Argento and Stephen Frears are guests of honour

With over 35,000 audience members in attendance last year, the Arras International Film Festival has unquestionably proven to be a resounding success. But above all, it serves as a very well focused springboard for young, high-quality European films. The 15th edition (7-16 November 2014) once again stands as a testament to this, as it features a beautifully crafted programme rustled up by Eric Miot (the general delegate) and Nadia Paschetto (the director).

Among the nine titles in competition (and with almost all of their directors in attendance) for the Golden Atlas 2014 (which will be handed out by a jury chaired by Solveig Anspach) are Fair Play [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Czech director Andrea Sedlackova (read the review), The Lesson [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kristina Grozeva, Petar Val…
interview: Margita Gosheva
film profile] by Bulgarian duo Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov (winner of the New Directors section at San Sebastian – read the review and the interview), and the Serbian-German feature Monument to Michael Jackson [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Darko Lungulov
film profile] by Darko Lungulov (read the review and watch the video interview).

Also in the running are the Albanian-Italian co-production Bota [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Iris Elezi
film profile] by Iris Elezi and Thomas Logoreci (read the review and watch the interview), Aces [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Alfonso Zarauza
film profile] by Spaniard Alfonso Zarauza (read the review), Paris of the North [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Icelandic filmmaker Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurdsson (read the review), Pause [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Switzerland’s Mathieu Urfer (read the review in Italian), The Fool [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Yury Bykov
film profile] by Russian director Youri Bykov, and Quod Erat Demonstrandum [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andrei Gruzsniczki
interview: Andrei Gruzsniczki
film profile] by Romania’s Andrei Gruzsniczki (read the review). 

Featuring on the menu in the “Visions of the East” section are White God [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Kornél Mundruczó
film profile] by Hungarian filmmaker Kornel Mundruczo (winner of the Grand Prix in Un Certain Regard at Cannes – read the review and watch the interview), Corn Island [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: George Ovashvili
film profile] by Georgia’s George Ovashvili (which won at Karlovy Vary – read the review and watch the interview), Blind Dates [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Levan Koguashvili
film profile] by his fellow countryman Levan Koguashvili (read the review and watch the interview), Class Enemy [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Rok Biček
interview: Rok Bicek
interview: Rok Bicek
film profile] by Slovenian director Rok Bicek (read the review and the interview), The Judgement [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Stephan Komandarev
film profile] by Bulgarian filmmaker Stephan Komandarev (read the review) and The Way Out [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Petr Václav
film profile] by Czech director Petr Vaclav (read the review and the interview). 

Standing out in the “European Discoveries” programme are 13 features, including the Cannes award winner Force Majeure (Turist) [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ruben Östlund
film profile] by Ruben Östlund (read the review and watch the interview), The Dinner [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ivano De Matteo
film profile] by Italy’s Ivano De Matteo (read the review and watch the interview in Italian), Cracks in Concrete [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Austrian filmmaker Umut Dag (read the review), Macondo [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Sudabeh Mortezai
film profile] by his fellow countrywoman Sudabeh Mortezai (read the review and watch the interview), Pioneer [+see also:
trailer
film profile] by Norwegian director Erik Skjoldbjærg, Fidelio, l'odyssée d'Alice [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Lucie Borleteau
film profile] by France’s Lucie Borleteau (which won at Locarno – read the review and the interview) and Vincent [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] by Thomas Salvador (read the review).

Rounded off by other events including the screenings of 17 premieres (click here for more details), the Arras Festival will also be offering four tributes: two dedicated to the guests of honour – Italy’s Asia Argento (who will be presenting The Misunderstood [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile]) and English director Stephen Frears – and two themed retrospectives (“Italianamerican” and “The Great War on Screen”).

(Translated from French)