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2007 Festival Feature Films (March 30 - April 1)


La vie est a nous

French director Gérard Krawczyk presents this North American premiere of La vie est à nous!

director Gérard Krawczyk based upon the novel L’eau des fleurs by Jean-Marie Gourio screenplay Gérard Krawczyk producer Jean-François Lepetit starring Sylvie Testud, Josiane Balasko, Michel Muller, Eric Cantona running time 100 min parental guidance

Description
Louise and her mother, Blanche, run “The Stopover,” a small café in a village in the Savoy region of France. “The Stopover” is not just a café; it's also a new family for a multitude of problem children that the two women have been taking in over the years. Louise, who has a caustic sense of humor, believes that words can heal wounds. Facing their café, on the other side of the main road, is another café, “The Bend,” that is run by Lucie Chevrier and her daughters. The longstanding rivalry between the two cafés comes to a head during a truckers’ strike with roadblocks that seal off the village. And it worsens when Pierre, the leader of the truckers, wreaks havoc within the lives of all these women and the routine of small-town existence. It’s a blend of fanfare and tenderness that adds up to love. Isn't that what life is all about?

director/screenwriter/actor
Gérard Krawczyk

2007 Taxi 4
2005 La Vie est à nous!
2003 Fanfan la Tulipe
2002 Taxi 3
2001 Wasabi
1999 Taxi 2
1997 Héroines
1987 L’Eté en pente douce
1986 Je hais les acteurs
1981 Toro Moreno (short film)

actress/director
Sylvie Testud

2007 La Môme by Olivier Dahan
2006 L'Héritage by Gela Babluani
2005 La Vie est à nous! by Gérard Krawczyk
  L’Ame perdue du sommet by Gela Babluani
2004 Les Mots bleus by Alain Corneau
2003 Victoire by Stéphanie Murat 
  Cause toujours! by Jeanne Labrune
Tout pour l'oseille by Bertrand van Effenterre
Demain on déménage by Chantal Akerman
Dédales by René Manzor
Filles uniques by Pierre Jolivet
Stupeur et tremblements by Alain Corneau (César Best Actress)
2002 Vivre me tue by Jean-Pierre Sinapi
Aime ton père by Jacob Berger
Tangos volés by Eduardo de Gregorio
Les Femmes... ou les enfants d'abord... by Manuel Poirier
Un moment de bonheur by Antoine Santana
Dead Man's Memories by Markus Heltschl
2001 Les Acteurs anonymes by Benoît Cohen
  Je rentre à la maison by Manoel de Oliveira
Julia’s Geist by Bettina Wilhelm
Ce qui compte pour Mathilde by Stéphanie Murat
The Chateau by Jesse Peretz
2000 La Chambre obscure by Marie-Christine Questerbert
  Les Blessures assassines by Jean-Pierre Denis (César Most Promising Actress)
  La Captive by Chantal Akerman
Sade by Benoît Jacquot
Lucie by Guillaume Nicloux
Jedermanns fest by Fritz Lehner
1999 Karnaval by Thomas Vincent
  Marée haute by Caroline Champetier (short film)
Jeu d'artifice by Eric Jameux
Annaluise et Anton by Caroline Link
1998 Je veux descendre by Sylvie Testud
  Les Folies de Margaret by Brian Skeet
Sentimental Education by C.S. Leigh Julia
In Heaven by Michael Bindlechner
1997 Les Raisons du coeur by Markus Imhoof
1996 Love etc. by Marion Vernoux
  Beyond silence by Caroline Link
1995 Le Plus bel âge by Didier Haudepin
1994 L'Histoire du garçon qui voulait qu'on l'embrasse by Philippe Harel
  Couples et amants by John Lvoff
Eternelles by Erick Zonca (short film)

actress/director/screenwriter
Josiane Balasko

2005 Les Bronzés 3 – Amis pour la vie by Patrice Leconte
La Vie est à nous! by Gérard Krawczyk
J'ai vu tuer Ben Barka by Serge Le Péron
2004 L'Ex femme de ma vie by Josiane Balasko
2003 Madame Edouard by Nadine Monfils
  Cette femme-là by Guillaume Nicloux
2001 Le Raid by Djamel Bensalah
  Absolument fabuleux by Gabriel Aghion
2000 Un crime au Paradis by Jean Becker
  Chicken run by Peter Lord (French voice)
Les Acteurs by Bertrand Blier
Le Libertin by Gabriel Aghion
1999 Le Fils du Français by Gérard Lauzier
1997 Un Grand Cri d'amour by Josiane Balasko
1996 Arlette by Claude Zidi
  Didier by Alain Chabat
1995 Gazon maudit by Josiane Balasko
1994 Grosse Fatigue by Michel Blanc
1993 Tout le monde n'a pas eu la chance d'avoir des parents communistes by Jean-Jacques Zilbermann
1992 L’Ombre du doute by Aline Issermann
1991 Ma Vie est un enfer by Josiane Balasko
  Les Secrets professionnels du Dr Apfelglück by Alessandro Capone
1988 Trop belle pour toi by Bertrand Blier
  Une nuit à l'Assemblée Nationale by Jean-Pierre Mocky
Sans peur et sans reproche by Gérard Jugnot
1987 Les Keufs by Josiane Balasko    
1986 Les Frères Pétard by Hervé Palud
  Nuit d'ivresse by Bernard Nauer
1985 Sac de noeuds by Josiane Balasko
  Tranches de vie by François Leterrier
1984 La Vengeance du serpent à plumes by Gérard Oury
  La Smala by Jean-Loup Hubert
1983 P'tit con by Gérard Lauzier
  Signes extérieurs de richesse by Jacques Monnet
Papy fait de la résistance by Jean-Marie Poiré
1982 Le Père Noël est une ordure by Jean-Marie Poiré
1981 Hôtel des Amériques by André Techiné
  Le Maitre d'école by Claude Berri
  Les Hommes préfèrent les grosses by Jean-Marie Poiré
  L’Année prochaine… si tout va bien by Jean-Loup Hubert
  Clara et les chics types by Jacques Monnet
1979 Les Bronzés font du ski by Patrice Leconte
  Les Héros n'ont pas froid aux oreilles by Charles Nemes
1978 Les Bronzés by Patrice Leconte
  Pauline et l'ordinateur by Francis Fehr
  La Coccinelle à Monte-Carlo by Vincent McEveety
  La Tortue sur le dos by Luc Béraud
  Si vous n'aimez pas ça, n'en dégoûtez pas les autres by Raymond Lewin
  Les Petits câlins by Jean-Marie Poiré
1977 Nous irons tous au paradis by Yves Robert
  Dites-lui que je l'aime by Claude Miller
Monsieur papa by Philippe Monnier
L'Animal by Claude Zidi
Solveig et le violon turc by Jean-Jacques Grand-Jouan
Une fille unique by Philippe Nahoun
1976 Le Locataire by Roman Polanski
1973 L'An 01 by Jacques Doillon
L'Agression by Frank Cassenti

actor/director
Eric Cantona

2005 La Vie est à nous! by Gérard Krawczyk
  Une belle histoire by Philippe Dajoux
2003 L'Outremangeur by Thierry Binisti
2002 Apporte moi ton amour by Eric Cantona (short film)
2001 La Grande Vie by Philippe Dajoux
1999 Les Enfants du marais by Jean Becker
1998 Mookie by Hervé Palud
  Elizabeth by Shekhar Kapur
1995 Le Bonheur est dans le pré by Etienne Chatiliez

actor/director
Michel Muller

2005 La Vie est à nous! by Gérard Krawczyk
  La Vie de Michel Muller est plus belle que la vôtre by Michel Muller
2004 Les Dalton by Philippe Haim
  C'est pas moi !... by Alain Zaloum
2003 Fanfan la Tulipe by Gérard Krawczyk
2002 Mauvais Esprit by Patrick Alessandrin
2001 Wasabi by Gérard Krawczyk
1999 Promenons-nous dans les bois by Lionel Delplanque
  Taxi 2 by Gérard Krawczyk
  Recto verso by Jean-Marc Longval
1998 Comme un poisson hors de l'eau by Hervé Hadmar
  Astérix et Obélix contre César by Claude Zidi
Cuisine américaine by Jean-Yves Pitoun
1997 Train de vie by Radu Mihaileanu
  La Voie est libre by Stéphane Clavier
1986 Paulette, la pauvre petite milliardaire by Claude Confortès

Lavie est a nousThe film is based on the novel L’eau des fleurs by Jean-Marie Gourio
Interview with Gérard Krawczyk (director)

I wanted to make a film about tenderness and generosity. Everyday generosity, the kind you hardly believe exists. Superficially, the story is simple enough: two competing cafés run by women on opposite sides of a main road. I tried to highlight the hidden part, to reveal what is exceptional in these real-life characters, if one just takes time to listen to them. The characters affect us more than the action. They touch us and it’s this emotion that guides the film. The characters exist because we love them.


en français | time schedule | feature films | short films | program [PDF]



 
 

 

 


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