The Arras Film Festival, a real springboard for emerging European talents, and a congenial and highly popular event (boasting more than 47,000 audience members) that is much loved by the filmmaking teams thanks to its proximity to Paris, will be celebrating its 20^th birthday in grand style from 8-17 November, propped up by a supersize and mouth-watering programme.

Nine films as-yet unseen in France will be duking it out for the 2019 Golden Atlas, which will be handed out by a jury chaired by French filmmaker Thierry Klifa. Standing out among them are the world premiere of Negative Numbers [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Uta Beria
scheda film] by Georgia’s Uta Beria, the European premiere of Carturan [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Liviu Săndulescu
scheda film] by Romania’s Liviu Sandulescu and two international premieres: The Iron Bridge [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Monika Jordan-Mlodzianowska
scheda film] by Poland’s Monika Jordan-Mlodzianowska and Free Country [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Germany’s Christian Alvart. Also locking horns will be two features that were pitched in 2016 and 2018 at the Arras Days, in the hope of winning the Development Support Grant: The Father [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Kristina Grozeva, Petar Va…
scheda film] by Bulgaria’s Kristina Grozeva and Petar Valchanov, and The Best of Dorien B. [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Anke Blondé
scheda film] by Belgium’s Anke Blondé. These two titles will be presented as French premieres, as will Dafne [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Italy’s Federico Bondi, Let There Be Light [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Marko Škop
intervista: Milan Ondrík
scheda film] by Slovakia’s Marko Skop and Disco [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Jorunn Myklebust Syversen
scheda film] by Norway’s Jorunn Myklebust Syversen.

Featuring on the menu of the European Discoveries section are Aurora [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Miia Tervo
scheda film] by Finland’s Miia Tervo, System Crasher [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Nora Fingscheidt
scheda film] by Germany’s Nora Fingscheidt, Madre [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Rodrigo Sorogoyen
scheda film] by Spaniard Rodrigo Sorogoyen, The Champion [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Leonardo D’Agostini
scheda film] by Italy’s Leonardo D’Agostini and Forever You [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by his fellow countryman Marco Danieli, Fight Girl [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by the Netherlands’ Johan Timmers, Simon’s Got a Gift [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by France’s Léo Karmann, Lola [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Laurent Micheli
scheda film] by Belgium’s Laurent Micheli, Smuggling Hendrix [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Marios Piperides
scheda film] by Cyprus’ Mario Piperides and the French-Belgian-Luxembourgish production Two of Us [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Filippo Meneghetti
scheda film] by Italy’s Filippo Meneghetti.

The Visions of the East section includes two national candidates for the Oscar: Corpus Christi [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Bartosz Bielenia
intervista: Jan Komasa
scheda film] by Poland’s Jan Komasa and the Cannes competitor The Whistlers [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Corneliu Porumboiu
scheda film] by Romania’s Corneliu Porumboiu. Also being showcased are Erased [+leggi anche:
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intervista: GoCritic! Intervista: Miha…
scheda film] by Slovenia’s Miha Mazzini, I Am Frank [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Metod Pevec
scheda film] by his fellow countryman Metod Pevec, Irina [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Martina Apostolova
scheda film] by Bulgaria’s Nadejda Koseva, Stitches [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Miroslav Terzić
scheda film] by Serbia’s Miroslav Terzic, A Shelter Among the Clouds [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Robert Budina
scheda film] by Albania’s Robert Budina and Parking [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Tudor Giurgiu
scheda film] by Romania’s Tudor Giurgiu.

The World Cinema programme will offer several European co-productions, four of which were first unveiled at Cannes: It Must Be Heaven [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Elia Suleiman
scheda film] by Palestine’s Elia Suleiman, The Wild Goose Lake [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Diao Yinan
scheda film] by China’s Diao Yinan, Lillian [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Andreas Horvath
scheda film] by Austria’s Andreas Horvath and To Live to Sing [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Chinese-Canadian director Johnny Ma. They will be joined by Made in Bangladesh [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Rubaiyat Hossain, Maternal [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Maura Delpero
scheda film] by Italy’s Maura Delpero, Our Lady of the Nile [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by French-Afghan helmer Atiq Rahimi and Passed by Censor [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Serhat Karaaslan
scheda film] by Turkey’s Serhat Karaaslan.

Among other gems, the programme is topped off by an impressive batch of French premieres, including Notre Dame [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Valérie Donzelli as the opening film and the Venice-awarded An Officer and a Spy [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Roman Polanski as a screening intended to celebrate the festival’s 20^th birthday. Other titles getting an airing include Les Misérables [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Ladj Ly
scheda film] by Ladj Ly, Proxima [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Alice Winocour
scheda film] by Alice Winocour, The Girl with a Bracelet [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Stéphane Demoustier
scheda film] by Stéphane Demoustier, Sympathy for the Devil [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Ella Rumpf
intervista: Guillaume de Fontenay
scheda film] by Guillaume de Fontenay, The Best Is Yet to Come [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Mathieu Delaporte and Alexandre De La Patellière, Gloria Mundi [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Robert Guédiguian
scheda film] by Robert Guédiguian, The Truth [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Hirokazu Kore-eda
scheda film] by Japan’s Hirokazu Kore-eda, Little Joe [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Jessica Hausner
scheda film] by Austria’s Jessica Hausner and Only the Animals [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Dominik Moll
scheda film] by Dominik Moll. And that’s not to mention Perfect Nanny [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Lucie Borleteau, Little Man [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Benjamin Parent, A Good Doctor [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Tristan Seguela, The Dazzled [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Sarah Suco, L’Esprit de famille [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Éric Besnard, An Irrepressible Woman [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Laurent Heynemann, I Wish Someone Were Waiting For Me Somewhere [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Arnaud Viard, The Holy Family [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Louis-Do de Lencquesaing, Scents and Senses [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Grégory Magne
scheda film] by Grégory Magne, Sol [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Jézabel Marques, Les Vétos [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Julie Manoukian, the omnibus film Selfie [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] (by Tristan Aurouet, Thomas Bidegain, Marc Fitoussi, Cyril Gelblat and Vianney Lebasque), the US-German co-production Jojo Rabbit [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Taika Waititi and the UK production Official Secrets [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Gavin Hood.

Also shining bright on the spectacular menu are a Focus on Tunisia, a Children’s Festival, an in-depth look at Mussolini’s Italy, a section entitled “Fear in the Sixties” and a number of cartes blanches given to the Amiens, Odesa and Monstra Lisbon Film Festivals.

Lastly, the professional sidebar of this 20th edition of the Arras Film Festival includes pitching sessions for the Development Support Grant at the eighth Arras Days (16 and 17 November) and the 14^th Rencontres du Nord (lit. “Northern Meetings”, where more than 200 French and Belgian professionals will gather from 13-15 November, with a particularly strong presence of exhibitors and distributors).