NEW DELHI: Claude Lelouch's heartfelt family saga We Love You, You Bastard won the Audience Award at Santa Barbara International Film Festival’s (SBIFF) new summer film showcase “The Wave Film Festival”.
This first edition of this five-day Festival at Riviera Theatre of Santa Barbara in California focused solely on an eclectic mix of eleven brand new French films.
We Love You, You Bastard (Salaud, on t'aime) is Claude Lelouch's 44th feature film. French rock icon Johnny Hallyday plays Jacques, a retired war photographer attempting to live a peaceful life in the Alps. With a new girlfriend, Nathalie, he appears content, but his old friend Frédéric, played by another singing idol Eddy Mitchell, knows better. There is a little matter of four daughters, each one from a different conquest, each one estranged from him, and each leaving their shadow on Jacques’ emotional life. Realising that reconciliation is the thing Jacques craves most, Frédéric who is a doctor, concocts a little lie to convince the daughters to visit their absentee father. As the family gathers, accounts are settled through tears and laughter, and the lie gets harder and harder to retract.
SBIFF executive director Roger Durling said, “Due to its success with over three thousand attendees, we have decided to return next spring with a Spanish and Latin America edition, along with the second French Wave next July. I am also thrilled to name long time SBIFF programmer Mickey Duzdevich as The Wave Festival director. As we approach our 30th anniversary, it's fantastic that we're able to expand SBIFF's vision and programming.”
Duzdevich added, "The Wave was a huge success and left patrons with a new joy for French cinema. It was a delight to bring the culture of France to our own Riviera and give the moviegoer an enhanced experience. We look forward to the future of The Wave Film Festival and we're excited to share the beauty of cinema from all over the world.”
The Santa Barbara International Film Festival is presented by UGG Australia whose Pavilion acts as the core of the Festival and will celebrate its 30th Anniversary from 27 January to 7 February, 2015. Dedicated to discovering and showcasing the best in independent and international cinema, SBIFF will offer 12 days of 200+ films, tributes and symposiums that range from American indie films to world cinema and everything in-between.
