Paris Loves Women Film Festivals
Paris proudly presents 400 séances (screenings) of films a week. Virtually every area of cinema is exhibited with multiple film forms and forums for a variety of spectatorships. For lesbians there are two yearly festivals. Festival du Films de Femmes is the largest on-going festival of women’s films in the world since 1978 run at Maison des Arts in a Parisian suburb called Créteil. Held every year right before or after Easter it is organised by Jackie Buet seen here with recent special guest Catherine Deneuve. Each year at the festival a major screen actress popular in France is honored for her body of work. When Deneuve was asked why she chose to make the lesbian vampire classic by Tony Scott The Hunger she dodged the question by claiming she wanted to make a film in New York. A knowledgeable fan then yelled out from the audience, ”What about Susan Sarandon?”--meaning the steamy love scenes Deneuve played with Sarandon which she alas ignored with a slight smile. Audience response at Créteil where an excellent feedback system exists between film and spectator is an outstanding merit. It is customary that unpopular films are hissed and whistled at, provocative films are openly debated and revered films are wildly applauded. If your French is rusty or non-existent the non-verbal elements of the festival are sufficiently captivating. A hallmark of this prime woman’s event is that it integrates aspects of filmmaking from conception to reception.
Jackie Buet explains that the festival provides several keys for the film enthusiast. There is a competition of films in the feature, documentary and short categories including a coveted prix du public ( public prize) as well as an inside look into yesterday’s pioneers such as the only lesbian and woman working in Hollywood during the 1930’s and 1940’s, Dorothy Arzner. Moreover innovations in female imagery are featured as well as special focuses on national cinemas. This year featured a look into films made by women in East and Central Europe as well as innovative films made in France.
Lesbian films generally debut their new work such as Rose Troche’s Go Fish (USA 1995) who came with her main actresses in the past, later enjoying a commercial run of her film within Paris. This kind of exposure makes the festival unique and is a must for getting films out and known for today’s independent lesbian filmmaker. The festival is followed faithfully for its new releases within the distribution and exhibition circuits such as this years lesbian flic Murder and Murder (USA 1996), a black comedy about two older lesbians confronting breast cancer and aging in a culture emphasising youth and glamour. The film comes from Yvonne Rainer who recently came out, an esteemed avant-garde filmmaker who has made numerous award-winning films. Also in the competition was Maria Maggenti’s The Incredible Adventures of Two Girls in Love (USA 1995).
Maggenti explains that ”lesbian life is not a niche market --which means that it is contradictory, eccentric and idiosyncratic” a fact quite evident in the films featured at Créteil-- such as women falling in love at the circus, (Falling In Love--Canada 1995--prix du public 1995) and lesbian murderers (Sister My Sister --GB 1995 )---both of which have been introduced at Cretéil. Homage also was made this year to the films of Argentine filmmaker Maria Luisa Bemberg including her film on the seventh muse of the world, Mexican lesbian poet and nun Sor Juana de la Cruz Yo, La Peor de Todas (1990 Argentina --I, Worst of All).
The public prize usually goes to a film with a lesbian or feminist context and this years winner was Female Perversions by Susan Streitfield (USA 1996) starring Tilda Swinton of Sally Potter’s acclaimed Orlando. Streitfield cleverly portrays power relationships when Swinton goes for a judgeship in the field of law, at the same time exposing the regulating male gaze of cinema. As such Female Perversions explores what is seen and how it is seen making the film a powerful navigation within feminine waters.
While Festival du Film de Femmes is a festival of films about strong women including lesbian work an equally important venue advertised each year at Créteil is Cineffable , a lesbian film festival including films about strong women and held from Thursday to Sunday on Halloween weekend since 1989 at the Festival Hall at Paris-Espace Culturel André Malraux (cineffable@CompuServe.COM). The 1997 festival will be held October 29 through November 1. Last years festival drew 1700 women with 7000 ticket sales. Cineffable screens roughly 100 films as well as organizing a fine art exhibition, a video worshop and a home video section. All the major French Lesbian organizations gather for the festival which are presently preparing for Paris Europride festival this summer.Cineffable is a women only festival unlike Créteil featuring all categories of films especially the grass roots and artistic experimental categories. Count on lively debates here too. As the festival was founded on the principle that the promotion and screenings of lesbian films is just as important as the making, this smaller festival provides a full range of possibilities with innovative and exciting new films.