Lovers of French cinema had much to rejoice as the 23rd edition of COLCOA (formerly City of Lights • City of Angels), returned to the DGA building in Los Angeles from September 23-28. Presented by the Franco-American Cultural Fund (FACF), the annual celebration of French films began with an opening night gala at and offered more than 50 films competing for the 2019 COLCOA Awards; as well as North American, International and World Premieres; panel discussions and an educational program that presented screenings to hundreds of students from local high schools. All screenings were free to DGA members.
At the opening night gala, DGA Board members mingled with other VIPs at a gala reception, followed by the U.S. premiere of Director Ladj Ly’s drama, Les Miserables, with a post-screening Q&A with Ly and members of his cast moderated by DGA Past President/FACF Board member Taylor Hackford. The next evening featured the North American Premiere of Director/FACF Honorary President Costa-Gavras’ new drama, Adults in the Room, followed by a Q&A with the director also moderated by Hackford.
On September 25, the DGA also hosted a filmmaker conversation for French directors with films in the festival. Held in the Guild’s Los Angeles Boardroom, the conversation featured DGA Director-members John Landis, Ami Canaan Mann, Jonathan Mostow and Penelope Spheeris and was led by DGA Director-member Jeremy Kagan.
Other highlights from this year’s festivities included the return of the popular one-hour panel discussion series Happy Hour Talks, with discussions that covered subjects including: Film Festivals in the Digital Era. Why Are They Still Indispensable?; Women’s Representation on Screen in French Cinema; and the Focus on a Filmmaker salute to Director Claire Burger with screenings of her film Party Girl and the Los Angeles premiere of her latest feature Real Love.
About the Festival
COLCOA is presented by the Franco-American Cultural Fund, a partnership of the Directors Guild of America, the Motion Picture Association, France’s Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (SACEM), and the Writers Guild of America, West, and is produced in association with France’s Writers, Directors and Producers Association (L’ARP), the CNC, the Los Angeles Film and TV Office of the French Embassy, and Unifrance. The DGA has supported the festival since its founding in 1996.