City of Lights event aims to capture Francophiles and others

When the City of Lights, City of Angels French film festival began 13 years ago, about 2,000 Francophiles flocked to see the latest in Gallic cinema. The festival has grown since then -- last year saw 15,000 attendees -- and this year, its 14th, the programming promises to be among the most eclectic it has ever seen.

“You have art-house style films but also very popular, very entertaining films. I have been trying as a programmer to get exclusive, very new movies shown,” says Francois Truffart, who has been programming the weeklong festival, which begins Monday at the Directors Guild of America, for the last seven years.

“There is not just one audience for French film,” Truffart says. “Some people want very traditional, New Wave art-house films and some people are more interested in comedies. Some people from the movie industry want to find films to remake.”

This year’s festival includes 32 feature films and 20 shorts, including nine U.S. and North American premieres, as well as international premieres.

The opening presentation is “Heartbreaker,” a romantic comedy starring French heartthrob Romain Duris and Vanessa Paradis. The closing night offering on April 25 is “In the Beginning,” an official selection at last year’s Cannes Film Festival starring François Cluzet of “Tell No One.”

The French film industry produces about 180 feature films a year, Truffart says, third behind the United States and India.

“We have a system of production which is very supportive of creativity and first-time film directors,” he says. “Half of the films in the festival are first movies and not only small-budget movies. ‘Heartbeaker’ is a first film, ‘Gainsbourg: Je T’Aime . . . Moi Non Plus’ is a first film.”

The industry has flourished, he says, because filmmakers are much more “aware of doing films for a larger audience. They do films not only for French people but also the rest of the world. You can see it in the scripts. They are much more appealing for American audiences. It’s a good trend.”

The festival also is trying to broaden its audience. “We have an educational program with high schools with 2,000 students coming from 40 high schools,” he says. Though they do run into problems: What is acceptable for teens in Europe isn’t acceptable here. “We have to be careful with that even for the high school students,” Truffart says. “Some of the films you have bad words and some nudity -- that is acceptable in Europe for teenagers but not for teenagers in the United States. Violence is not a big issue here, but it’s an issue in Europe for young people.”

To honor the rich tradition of French film, the three theaters at the DGA participating in the festival have been renamed for the week after filmmakers Jean Renoir, François Truffaut and Jean-Pierre Melville.

And this year, the festival is presenting the international premiere of the digitally restored Jean-Luc Godard 1965 classic “Pierrot Le Fou,” starring Jean-Paul Belmondo and the filmmaker’s then-wife, Anna Karina. Karina and Cinémathèque Française director Serge Toubiana will participate in a panel discussion on the French New Wave after the screening.

The lineup

Here’s a close-up of a few of the films at the festival:

“The Father of My Children”: Winner of the special grand jury prize at Un Certain Regard at last year’s Cannes Film Festival, this haunting drama revolves around an independent film producer on the verge of bankruptcy who loves his wife and children but is more devoted to making films. Written and directed by Mia Hansen-Love. 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at Truffaut Theatre.

“Farewell”: Christian Carion (“Joyeux Noel”) co-wrote and directed this low-key espionage thriller set in the waning days of the Cold War. Actor-director Guillaume Canet (“Tell No One”) and director Emir Kusturica (“Underground”) star in this tale of a KGB agent critical of Brezhnev who deals with the West. 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Truffaut Theatre. The movie opens here June 18.

“Hidden Diary”: Heartbreaking drama about the complex relationships between mothers and daughters over generations. Catherine Deneuve, Marina Hands and Marie-Josée Croze star. Co-written and directed by Julie Lopes-Curval. 6 p.m. Thursday at Renoir Theatre

“I Am Glad That My Mother Is Alive”: The festival is honoring director Claude Miller (“The Little Thief”) on Thursday with a talk with the filmmaker, as well as a screening of his latest film, co-directed by Miller’s son, Nathan. Based on a real story, the drama revolves around an 18-year-boy who has emotionally recovered from his mother’s abandonment as a young boy. 8:30 p.m. Thursday at Renoir Theatre.

“The Concert”: A heartfelt comedy about a former conductor with the Bolshoi Orchestra now working as a janitor for the organization who gets a chance at redemption. 8:30 p.m. Friday at Renoir Theatre. The film opens July 16 in the U.S.

“Gainsbourg: Je T’Aime. . . . Moi Non Plus”: Joann Sfar wrote and directed this offbeat biopic of the late French singer, writer, composer, actor and painter Serge Gainsbourg, based on his graphic novel. Eric Elmosnino is a dead ringer for Gainsbourg, and the late Lucy Gordon plays his third wife, actress Jane Birkin. 8:30 p.m. Saturday at Renoir Theatre.

susan.king@latimes.com