The 39th edition of the European Short Film Festival in Brest (Finistère), one of the major events of its kind in Europe after that in Clermont, is back in color this year. Among the notable changes, there is the arrival of Maïwenn Thominot, the brand new director of the organizing association, Côte Ouest, supported by an entirely female programming team, but also a long-awaited return to Quartz, one of the most important national stages in France, after three years of work. This playground opens again to the public from this Tuesday, November 12 and until Sunday, November 17 inclusive. During these few days, the organizers expect 30,000 spectators, twice as many as for the nomadic edition of 2023.
On the program: three European competitions, three French competitions, a Brittany competition, and a host of Off programs. With a particular focus on Lithuania or on the films of the French production company Norfolk. This edition also represents the great return of Panorama animation, UFO films – a real laboratory in which eccentric and new forms of creation will be presented, such as a film entirely made in AI –, and a very extensive program intended for young audiences, for families and schools.
On Saturday, November 16, a small programming difference should be noted, with the preview presentation of a feature film, “Rabia”, by Mareike Engelhardt, at the Les Studios cinema, by the actress playing the title role , Megan Northam. Member of the jury and present on the festival poster, she was notably revealed in the series “Greek Salad” by Cédric Klapisch, or in the recent “Pendant time on Earth” by Jérémy Clapin.
1,600 candidate films, 150 selected, 29 in competition
At the dawn of its 40th anniversary, the Festival also notes with pleasure the omnipresence of Brittany and the Bretons in its landscape. “The program is indeed very rich, but I am delighted to see that Brittany and the Breton language are represented everywhere,” says Maïwenn Thominot, freshly arrived from the Passerelle Contemporary Art Center, also in Brest, to take the helm of Côte West. “There are films, both young audiences and all audiences, entirely in the Breton language and made by British-speaking professionals as well. That’s nice! »
Opinion shared by Marine Cam, in charge of programming, who worked, like the rest of the Côte Ouest team, to sort through the 1,600 very diverse films received from the four corners of Europe this year – often first films or school films. “To only keep 150 at the end,” she explains with a smile. “Or 10% of overall production and 29 in European, French and Brittany competitions. No cliché: French cinema shows great diversity in short films and is approached in a different way than in more mainstream films that we see at the cinema. »
The Brittany competition will crown one of the four short films selected. Opposite the film by Anthony Le Brun, “The Ghost of Armen”, entirely edited with archive images from the Cinémathèque de Bretagne and which features the Finistère lighthouses and their guardians, notably that of Ar-Men, said “Des Enfers”, two very offbeat romantic comedies will try to distinguish themselves, “Le Chant des Huîtres” by Sébastien Perret and “Foutu Cormoran!” » by Inès Clivio. A story of anticipation through a total eclipse, “Adieu Soleil”, by Hakim Atoui, completes this Breton list.
Another look at Brest
The off-program “Brest La Nuit: 50 Shades of Grey” will tell unique stories about the city. “We will find Jack Kerouac in search of his origins, because he would have come to Brest with this in mind (mentioned in his novel “Satori in Paris”, Editor’s note), continues Marine Cam. The Vauban cabaret and hotel, an emblematic place in Brest and Brittany, will become the main character of a story, and we will be able to wander between the port, the station and the neighborhoods for the duration of a love story. » A film entirely in the Breton language, “Ki Ma Mamm” (“My Mother’s Dog”), by Mai Lincoln, will also be presented in an Off program.
In parallel with the festival, the Cinémathèque de Bretagne will offer a focus on the centenary of the sardine strike in Douarnenez, a few days before the start of the festivities in the Penn Sardin city at the end of November, through the films of director and documentarian Marie Hélia, this Sunday. And Marine Cam salutes another film, produced by the Finistériens des 48e Rugissants, “À Tide Haute”, which represents the region in one of the French competitions.
Also note that one of the members of the jury, Julie Roué, film music composer (who notably worked on the recent series “Zorro”) is also a local to the stage. In short, the Bretons are definitely everywhere.
Practical: Brest European Short Film Festival on November 12 or 17, 2024. Online ticketing at www.filmcourt.fr or directly to Quartz.
