A sabre-rattling tale of heroism, a comedy based on the life of Jacques Chirac's wife and a biopic about post-impressionism artist, Pierre Bonnard, are the focus of movies at this weekend's Newcastle French Film Festival.
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Alliance Francaise de Newcastle, a charity dedicated to the promotion of French language and culture, is hosting its 16th annual film festival starting on Friday at Event Cinemas Kotara.
The opening night features a screening of The Three Musketeers: D'Artagnan, the first part in director Martin Bourboulon's critically-acclaimed interpretation of Alexandre Dumas' 1844 epic adventure novel.
It was the third-highest grossing French film of 2023.
The second part of the saga, The Three Musketeers - Milady, screens on Sunday.
Other films screening as part of the festival include drama Àma Gloria, comedies The President's Wife and A Difficult Year and biopic Bonnard, Pierre & Marthe.
Alliance Francaise vice-president John Beach said French language and culture was enjoying a renaissance in Newcastle. More than 300 students - from toddlers to retirees - were learning French through Alliance Francaise's language classes.
"I think people fiddled around with Asian languages for a while, and just found them too hard," Beach said. "There's not the same alphabet and symbols.
"That's only my speculation, but certainly French is going really well."
The interest in learning French has naturally translated to film.
France was the birthplace of cinema, and despite the commercial dominance of Hollywood, it continues to be an important cultural taste-master due to the Cannes Film Festival.
Movies like The Intouchables (2011), Welcome To The Sticks (2008) and Amélie (2001) have also enjoyed mainstream international success.
Beach said he loves French cinema due to its quirkiness and uniqueness, compared to Hollywood.
"They often deal with unusual topics, which are a bit off the mainstream topics," he said. "It's a very innovative cinema. It's not all based on Marvel comics."
Visit Alliance Francaise de Newcastle's website for full listings and tickets.
Josh Leeson
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
Josh Leeson is an entertainment and features journalist, specialising in music, at the Newcastle Herald. He first joined the masthead in 2008 after stints at the Namoi Valley Independent and Port Stephens Examiner and has previously covered sport including the Asian Cup, A-League, Surfest, cricket and rugby league.
