The 25th Annual COLCOA French Film and Series Festival Announces Winners
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- Category: Entertainment News
- Published on Wednesday, 17 November 2021 18:16
- Written by A&E Contributing Editor
The 25th Annual COLCOA French Film and Series Festival recently announced its winners with Emmanuel Mouret's Love Affair(s) winning the top film honor, "The Opera" wins Best TV series, "Claire Andrieux" wins Best TV movie.
During an awards ceremony held at the SACEM headquarters in Paris, the winners of the 2021 COLCOA Awards were announced by the Franco-American Cultural Fund, which is a collaboration between the Directors Guild of America (DGA), the Motion Picture Association (MPA), The Writers Guild of America West (WGAW) and France's Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (SACEM).
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Seventy films were under consideration for the COLCOA Awards in three categories (Cinema, Television, Shorts) and were screened during the 25th Annual COLOCA French Film and Series Festival, which took place as a live event November 1-7 at the Directors Guild of America Theater Complex in Los Angeles and was attended by 14,000 people. This special anniversary was also marked by another significant milestone: the one thousandth French film premiered in Hollywood by the festival since its founding.
It is the 13th year that the Festival has partnered with the Los Angeles Critics Association (LAFCA) to award the top prizes for films presented at COLCOA. These include:
COLCOA CINEMA CRITICS AWARD: LOVE AFFAIR(S) (LES CHOSES QU'ON DIT, LES CHOSES QU'ON FAIT) - Written and directed by Emmanuel Mouret.
COLCOA CINEMA AWARD FOR BEST FIRST FILM: IBRAHIM - Co-writer/director Samir Guesmi is a well-known actor in France and has appeared in more than 130 films and TV series since 1988. IBRAHIM is Guesmi's impressive directorial debut.
"COLCOA is not only a special moment to facilitate networking between French and American filmmakers - which is the primary mission of the Franco American Cultural Fund - it is also a unique platform to promote French films and series in the US, and the COLCOA Awards are part of it," said Eglantine Langevin, Director of the Franco-American Cultural Fund. "Now scheduled at the beginning of the Awards Season in Hollywood, the festival, because of its location and audience, honors French films and series that reflect the critical view and standards of the American entertainment industry. Again this year, the list of winners are the result of a very demanding and diverse audience, as well as a high-profile selection."
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There are several awards that were determined by the audience attending the COLCOA Film and Series Festival:
COLCOA CINEMA AUDIENCE AWARD - FEATURE: THE NIGHT DOCTOR (MÉDECIN DE NUIT) - Co-written and directed by Elie Wajeman. Co-written by Agnès Feuvre and Vincent Macaigne, who is also the star of the film.
COLCOA BEST DOCUMENTARY AWARD: GALLANT INDIES (INDES GALANTES) - Written and directed by Philippe Béziat.
COLCOA TELEVISION BEST TV MOVIE AWARD: CLAIRE ANDRIEUX - Co-written and directed by Olivier Jahan and co-written by Diastème. COLCOA was the North American premiere for this TV movie.
COLCOA TELEVISION BEST SERIES AWARD: THE OPERA (L'OPERA) - Directed by Stéphane Demoustier, Cécile Ducrocq, Inti Calfat, Dirk Verheye and Laïla Marrakchi. Created by Cécile Ducrocq and Benjamin Adams. Written by Cécile Ducrocq, Benjamin Adams and Simon Jablonka.
COLCOA AUDIENCE AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FILM: FREE FALL, co-written and directed by Emmanuel Tenenbaum.
Two other prizes were awarded by two specific Juries:
COLCOA JURY AWARD FOR BEST SHORT FILM: STORE POLICY (L'EFFORT COMMERCIAL), written and directed by Sarah Arnold. Judged by a jury of film industry professionals.
COLCOA AMERICAN STUDENTS AWARD, which was voted on exclusively by a jury of students from local area high schools and colleges, goes to THE SUMMIT OF THE GODS (LE SOMMET DES DIEUX), an animated feature film presented in association with Netflix. Patrick Imbert is co-writer and director. Jean-Charles Ostorero and Magali Pouzol are co-writers.
This year's program included 55 films and series, as well as 19 shorts, most of which were International, North American, U.S. and Los Angeles premiere presentations. A delegation of French film stars and filmmakers traveled to Los Angeles to attend, including Damien Bonnard (actor,The Restless, Les Miserables), Nicolas Maury (actor/director, My Best Part, actor Call My Agent), Amine Bouhafa (composer, The Summit of the Gods, Gagarine), Samir Guesmi (actor/director, Ibrahim), Elie Grappe (writer/director, Olga), Tracy Gotoas (actress, Owning It), Nolwenn Lemesle (director, Owning It), Vincent Maël Cardona (actor/director, Magnetic Beats), Yann Gozlan (director, Black Box), Fanny Liatard (writer/director, Gagarine), Philippe Martin (producer, Gallant Indies), Raphael Perchet (Co-producer, Above Water) and Jérémy Trouilh (writer/director, Gargarine).
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Also attending the Opening Night Screening of Between Two Worlds were Jacqueline Bisset, Julie Delpy (writer/director/actress/producer, On The Verge), Aja Naomi King (actress, How to Get Away with Murder), Tygh Runyan (actor, Versailles), Daphne Albert (actress, On the Verge), Alexia Landeau (actress, On the Verge), and Oliver Bauriat (producer, On the Verge). Franco-American Cultural Fund Board members in attendance included Andrea Berloff (writer, Straight Outta Compton), Taylor Hackford (Director, DGA member), Michael Mann (director/producer/screenwriter), Charles Rivkin (Chairman and CEO, MPAA), Howard Rodman (screenwriter, VP WGA West), and Jay Roth (National Executive Director, DGA).
"For this year's COLCOA Film & Series Festival it was a particularly meaningful moment as not only were we celebrating our 25th anniversary, but also the return to the DGA Theater complex for a live and in-person event after a year of lockdown," notes Francois Truffart, Executive Producer and Artistic Director, COLCOA. "In the end it was a successful bet in this transitional period. Our audience came back to enjoy films in the theater again while distributors and international sales companies used the event for the promotion of their films. This week of French premieres and awards will be back with the 26th edition again at the DGA in the Fall of 2022."
"In these unprecedented times, the films awarded at COLCOA reflect a spirit of resilience, redemption, and transformation. Our audience, having been deprived of communal experience, returned in large numbers for the festival's 25th anniversary with in-depth discussions and events around films, filmmakers, producers and composers and a special tribute to Bertrand Tavernier. We broke the record of attendance for our high school program with more than 3,000 students participating in screenings - online and in-person - and Q&As with the director, screenwriters and actor: Another testimony to COLCOA's perennial presence in Los Angeles," says Anouchka van Riel, Deputy Director, COLCOA.
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COLCOA FRENCH FILM & SERIES FESTIVAL is sponsored by Air Tahiti Nui, Bank Of The West/ BNP Paribas, L'Oréal, Sling & TV5MONDE, Variety (Official Sponsor), Barnstormer, France Télévisions, 89.3 KPCC, LAist, Los Angeles Times (Premier Sponsor), Celene Cremant, ELMA, Gigondas LaCave, The Hollywood Reporter, Moulin Jamet Sancerre, Suja, Sunset Marquis, Titra Film, West Coast Event Productions, Wine Situation (Major Sponsors), Airstar, Alliance Française de Los Angeles, Cinando, Dyptique, Le Film Français, Laemmle, Laura Chenel, Marin French, Marché du Film/Festival de Cannes, Miraval/Famille Perrin/Studio Miraval/Vineyard Brands/La Vieille Ferme, St Benoît, (Platinum Sponsor), Avène, Columbus Consulting Group, French Morning, Glytone, Frenchly, Lycée International Los Angeles, Roland Kunze, Rosenthal, RS Eyeshop (Supporting Sponsor), Beignets Puffs, Brûlée, Gayot, Le Macaron French Pastries Santa Monica, Palikao, Stuffed Crêpes, Try My T, Vital Proteins (Community Sponsor).
COLCOA FRENCH FILM & SERIES FESTIVAL is presented by the Franco-American Cultural Fund, a unique collaboration between the Directors Guild of America, the Motion Picture Association, the Writers Guild of America West, and France's Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (SACEM). COLCOA is also supported by France's Society of Authors, Directors and Producers (L'ARP) the Film and TV Office of the French Embassy in Los Angeles and Unifrance.
