Festivals - American French film Festival 2022  : Let's talk with François Truffart

By Mulder, Los Angeles, The DGA Theater Complex, 16 october 2022

During the American French Film Festival, we had the great opportunity to interview the American French Film Festival executive producer and artistic director François Truffart.

Q : can you tell us a bit about the process to select the movies that are shown at the festival here in Los Angeles ?

François Truffart : It is a one year process actually, which starts just after this one for next year. We're gonna start immediately. There are so many films and series available in France, so we need to work from with all the production companies and sales agents in France. I have to follow the lineup of all these companies for a long time, at least 12 months before the festival starts. So it is a one year process. We also follow every large Festival (in Europe ndlr) like Berlin, Cannes, Venice… Meanwhile I go to Paris at least twice and I receive a lot of links. 

Q : Roughly, how many movies and TV series do you select per year compared to how many you wash to select ?

François Truffart : This year we have about 75 films and series and I will say that I see maybe  between 250 and 300 here, including the short films.

Q :  How many people are selected the movies, it is not only you ? 

François Truffart : I select the movies but we have a program committee. I would say they hold more as an advising role. I ask for their opinion when I have some things for the fun American, or if I need to choose between one or two films. They also have a say in the selection of the opening film, among the 5 or 6 movies that are pre-selected. 

Q: How do you make your choice for the movie that you're gonna show to high school students here in the US ?

François Truffart : Very good questions. It really depends. We try to change every year to show one year a documentary, then a drama the next, or a comedy like this year. The idea is to make them comfortable with subtitles and make them believe that watching a foreign film is very easy, and that it can be very entertaining.  So this is really what we aim at, to encourage a new generation of viewers fo foreign films. So basically I'm trying to find something that could be entertaining and watchable, watchable in the sense that you know that there are some cultural differences. Content that could be acceptable for the French youth won’t necessarily be admissible in the US. I’m refereeing to movies showing nudity or sexuality for example, so we I have to be very careful with that.  But other than that this we have a high school program for students between 15 and 18. So I'm also working with an association of American teachers in order to confirm it is suitable for them. We are also working with the Motion Picture Association to try and figure out the rating movies should get, as some of them are not rated yet. Showing them to the MPA help me confirm is a movie should be rated PG – 13 for example. So I make my decision at the end with their advices.

Q:  You've been doing this for a while do you sometimes are able to predict which movie is going to win the audience award in Paris during the ceremony ?

François Truffart : No, it's difficult to say, because as you know this is a very eclectic program. I try to get the best movies for the American audience. But in the end, nobody knows. Especially for the audience Awards  It really depends. Sometimes it takes just two or three votes to make a difference. I’m aware that some movies can feel very provocative for an American audience. This is a conscious choice,  even if it means the movie has no chance to win, I still want to expose the American audience to diverse content, something new.

Q : Do you have an example ?

François Truffart : I don’t for this year, but in the past I’ve been choosing movies that I knew wouldn’t win for sure., but we have for example it's not this year but in the past we have something like I knew for sure that they want one they went home they won't win the prize for sure. No example comes to mind right now.

Q : Well it is the end of the week, did it feel long to you, as an organizer ?

François Truffart :  It's a very long week but it's mostly exciting. I feel the adrenaline. Actually, tomorrow might be harder than today. 

Q : Can you share with us which movie was your favorite this year ? 

François Truffart :  That’s the only question I cannot answer, although I do have my favorite of course. There are some movies that I like but didn’t select. Because I know there are not the best for the American audience. And vice versa, there are some movies that are not my cup of tea, but I know to be perfect for the festival. Overall, I would say over the entire selection that there are around 15 films that I really love.  

After completing a Master degree in Economics and Politics in Paris (Dauphine University), François Truffart was Cultural Attaché in charge of the promotion of French cinema and television programs at the French Embassy in Hungary (Budapest), Japan (Tokyo) and the United States (Los Angeles) from 1991 to 2001. In 2001, he joined the Cannes Film Festival to become Director of La Cinéfondation. From 2003 to 2004, he was the U.S. representative of the Cannes Film Market. He has been in charge of programming for The American French Film Festival since 2004 and has been assigned Executive Producer of the event in 2007. He is the author of Le Guide des Televisions en Europe, published by Bayard Press in 1991. Francois Truffart was honored by the French government with the order of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres.

We would like to thanks François Truffart for answering to our questions

Photos and Video : Sophie Janinet
Transcription : Sophie Janinet