'Special kind of l'amore for French films' | Ryan Bridge TODAY

Added: 2026-05-27

[00:00:00]Um, bonjour mon ami. Maintenant, um, I'm going to read your auto cue line because you're supposed to read there and you're too much of a poo say. So, for those that don't speak French, the French Film Festival is back for 2026.

[00:00:14]>> Yes, it is.

[00:00:15]>> Maintenant.

[00:00:16]>> Yeah, and Kate Rodger is here, French Film Festival ambassador.

[00:00:19]>> you made me do that.

[00:00:20]>> Mine's worse. Yeah, no, that's true.

[00:00:22]But, at least I gave it a crack. Hey, is this the 20th edition of the French Film Festival?

[00:00:27]>> been going for so long and it's become such an institution and I've been going to it for years. Uh, so when they asked me to be a la patronne See what I did there?

[00:00:37]>> Yeah. Oh my god, my pronunciation is amazing. Um, I was like, absolutely.

[00:00:44]Uh, and last year was an absolute barnstormer and this year it is even better. And the thing that I love about this is we get films that have come from Cannes, um, but we get films that have been huge box office hits in France as well and there's a really great variety.

[00:00:57]And when I go to screenings here in Auckland, but also all across the country, I see people flocking to it. I think there's a special kind of love, l'amour, for French films and it's top notch.

[00:01:09]>> it is or what I think it is anyway?

[00:01:10]Here's my two cents from an uncultured boy from the company coast. Um, so I've got a friend of mine who's French and that they just put a huge emphasis on art and culture. It's like part of It's like rugby to us.

[00:01:25]>> Yeah.

[00:01:25]>> You know what I mean?

[00:01:26]>> And it's the air that they breathe. And it's incredibly, uh, it's so important to them culturally. You're so right. In fact, the Cannes Film Festival is the most prestigious festival, uh, in the world without question. It helps that it's on the French Riviera, darling. We've just watched Cannes, uh, and they just celebrated in a way that I think is actually really inspirational. And I think, uh, to use another French term, it's very avant-garde. I mean, you can get so many different ways of telling stories. Um, not to say that no other country or nationality can do that cuz I love New Zealand film as well, but there's something very special. Do you know what I love? It's also like just going away for 2 hours. It's a Friday on holiday, um which I absolutely love as well.

[00:02:03]>> Now, you have actually done that. You've been to Paris. You've interviewed some stars. Tell us about the film.

[00:02:07]>> Yes, look, that was one of the wonderful things. I spent a couple of weeks in France in January and was immersed for a 4-day interview a-thon.

[00:02:14]Uh and I got to speak to all these amazing French filmmakers, actors, actresses, and directors, uh and script writers. And it was kind of gorgeous. It was kind of embarrassing because I mostly had to have a translator for a lot of the interviews cuz my French was so bad. Um but they were so gracious and so warm. Um and do you know who I got to interview? Isabelle Huppert?

[00:02:36]>> [laughter] >> Let's have a look.

[00:02:40]We loved doing this film. We loved doing it together with Thierry and uh and uh I wasn't sure from the beginning I wanted to be this person uh because it's always a uh debatable uh how you could or should do a Very cool. Isn't she divine? I mean, I've She is a French icon. Uh and before I went into the interview, I was chatting to um a German friend of mine who I've known many years, a reporter, and he said, "She can be, you know, pretty kind of frosty." So, I went in quite terrified. Uh and she was just an absolute delight, just very gracious, very elegant, uh but also um very articulate. She has a film called The Richest Woman in the World, and it's actually based on a true story um of the head of L'Oréal, uh who had this incredible kind of friendship uh with this young man who was kind of a bit of a shyster, but just gave her um a complete lease on life uh because she was basically at this point in her life where no one was really any fun. Uh so, it's a It's conflicting because you can see that she's been taken advantage of, but also it's so fabulous. And like just a girly girl that I am, honestly the fashion in this film.

[00:03:54]>> Oh, I can imagine. And she was awesome.

[00:03:56]>> There's a Netflix show about the L'Oreal this exact woman.

[00:04:01]>> Yes, there is. This is a fictional version but also very very very true to the fact.

[00:04:06]>> Cuz I love the Netflix show so I'll get Well, you'll you'll absolutely love this and it's beautifully shot and glorious and she's fantastic.

[00:04:13]>> Who else did you speak to? Uh I was walking on the very first day into the hotel where all of the interviews were taking place for this four-day junket and standing outside in kind of a knitted cream polo with like a very heavy leather biker jacket and we talk about darts just dragging on a cigarette like it was his last breath was this very pleasing on the eye Frenchman and he was actor Benjamin Voisin and I got to interview him for The Stranger. Uh I I'm I'm basically very keen that we hear from him and we see him.

[00:04:48]>> Okay. Yeah.

[00:04:50]I mean I think this is a movie that's I can understand that when you leave the theater Yeah. There is you don't know yet and later like probably weeks after you will think about it. I think so. I hope so.

[00:05:04]Because I I I like to say I am uh uh a kind of prostitute. [clears throat] Like I love to spend times with people with unknown people. I love to share. I love I think this is all about life is but for the guy for only in my head and I I hate to stay with me and myself.

[00:05:28]Does it get any more French than that?

[00:05:30]Clearly he's stayed with you a very long time since January. Well, well, good reason. He's very talented and he's very very good in this film. It's an Albert Camus story and it's set in 1938 shot completely in black and white. It's very it's quite a heavy watch just for the viewers to understand, but it's it's it's very very beautiful and it's incredibly French and he is excellent and it's so I really recommend it.

[00:05:54]>> Fantastic. Finally Kate, there is a Lay Mis spin-off of some kind?

[00:05:57]>> Um there's all sorts of spin-offs, but it's Jean Valjean which is essentially kind of not necessarily a prequel, but very much in that using that main character from Lay Mis and again it's one of those ones where you're immediately entrenched in what feels like historical moments, but also shot in a way that you connect with the main character and a really great way. I I really love the film. I think this festival runs across the country. It starts today. And it goes all the way through until January the January June the 28th and it's in showing all across the country so I really recommend that people go along and see >> Fantastic stuff. Five stars from Kate Rodgergarth. Okay.