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Cinéfranco 2016, English Canada’s largest celebration of International Francophone cinema will take place at the Spadina Theatre of the Alliance française de Toronto (24 Spadina Road) from Thursday, October 27, 2016 to Tuesday, November 1, 2016.

In its 19th year, Cinéfranco continues to celebrate the richness and talents of Francophone cultures around the world showing their diversity through the lens of seasoned and first-time filmmakers. The award-winning acclaimed films this year will tackle the topic of identity and human rights through comedy, drama and thriller genres. With 13 feature films from France, Canada (Quebec, Ontario), Belgium, Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria; and 2 Canadian shorts, Cinéfranco 2016 is proud to present 7 Ontario Premieres, 2 Canadian Premieres and 3 North American Premieres.

Women are often hit by crises. These may be economic as in Back to Mom’s/Retour chez ma mère when a 40 year old bankrupt architect is forced to go back to live with her mother, or in Rebellious Girl/Insoumise when an unemployed IT professional has to leave her native Morocco to work as a seasonal laborer. Other crises are more cultural like the muzzling of freedom-loving girls in films like Certified Halal/Certifiée Halal and As I Open My Eyes/À peine j’ouvre les yeux.

In their first films, Claudia Hébert (Denial/Le Déni), Brennan Martin (Rencontre), Chloé Leriche (Before the Streets/Avant les rues) or Leyla Bouzid (As I Open My Eyes/À peine j’ouvre les yeux), Kheiron (All Three of Us/Nous trois ou rien) and Bachir Bensaddek (Montreal, White City/Montréal la blanche) are pushed in the limelight of international festivals where they received numerous well-deserved awards.

Female acting talents are shining at Cinéfranco and include Georgia Scalliet (The Scent of Mandarin/L’Odeur de la mandarine), Karina Aktouf (Montreal, White City/Montréal la blanche) and Adrianna Gradziel (I Kissed a Girl/Toute première fois). Also, strong performances from Josiane Balasko, Alexandra Lamy (Back to Mom’s/Retour chez ma mère) and Leïla Bekhti (All Three of Us/Nous trois ou rien) are unforgettable.

The synergy between male filmmakers and their actors are palpable in the controversial Made in France by Nicolas Boukhrief or in the impactful Chocolat by Roschdy Zem.

Marcelle Lean, Founder-Artistic Director of Cinéfranco says: “This year’s film selection is rooted in today’s society with topics that challenge us all. The high caliber filmmakers and their work are talking about what shapes our identity like jobs, politics, sexuality, cultures and traditions, race… I hope moviegoers get inspired by these stunning films and the messages they carry.”

Please visit Cinéfranco Website for more info on the festival