Fractured Paris
Please note : this season finished in Oct 2022
Paris has provided great inspiration through film to all cities; some of the greatest films about cities are about Paris. But the City of Light is also a fractured city.
Like all major cities, Paris faces issues around lack of good public and affordable housing, gentrification, racism, precarious work, immigration, cohesion, and the rise of populist politics. This is all on top of, and exacerbated by, the pandemic and is likely to be made even worse with the cost-of-living crisis.
During his first term in office, President Macron faced the Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vest) protests weekly. In the last presidential election, Macron was re-elected, but Marine Le Pen secured 41.5% of the vote. In the election for the National Assembly that followed, many voters went against centrist politics and turned to the far right and left.
Film helps us look at contemporary trends and issues. This short season examines these fractures through some of the finest films to have been released in recent years. They help us identify what divides us and what this can lead to, as well as what we have in common.
Presented as part of Future City Film Festival, which takes place biennially in the autumn but had to be postponed last year due to the pandemic. It will now run through 2022 as a series of special events with the support of the British Film Institute awarding funds from National Lottery.
In association with Institut français du Royaume-Uni.
