Celebrating 10 years of bringing the best of French cinema to New Zealand, the Alliance Française French Film Festival is delighted to announce New Zealand actress Antonia Prebble as their 2016 Festival Patron.

A Wellington native, Antonia Prebble has been acting professionally since the age of 12. Currently starring in Outrageous Fortune prequel Westside, Antonia is no stranger to the screen or stage. After studying her craft in Paris, she fell in love with France.

Festival director Sébastien Donnadieu knew the French-speaking actress was the ideal patron for the event’s 10th edition.

“For our 10th anniversary, I wanted not only to celebrate the best of French cinema but also the love affair between New Zealanders and France. I couldn’t dream of a better person than Antonia to impersonate this project, and we are delighted to be sharing this adventure with her”

As a sneak peek of what’s to come in the 2016 AF FFF programme, Antonia has selected her top films from the line-up. Her notes on each film appear below.

The Sweet Escape (Comme un avion)

Directed by Bruno Podalydès | Starring Bruno Podalydès, Sandrine Kiberlain, Agnés Jaoui
“This film, about a middle aged man who decides to take himself on an adventure, is the cinematic equivalent of a stroll in the sunshine: gentle, delightful and very, very charming.”

Mediterranea

Directed by Jonas Carpignano | Starring Koudous Seihon, Alassane Sy, Jon Coplon
“A gritty drama that follows two refugees as they travel from Africa to Italy, hoping for a better life. The fly-on-the-wall shooting style and raw performances give it the feel of a documentary, which serves to make this film even more powerful.”

Courted (L’hermine)

Directed by Christian Vincent | Starring Fabrice Luchini, Sidse Babett Knudsen
“This film follows the proceedings of a three day criminal trial, but it is more of a character study than a courtroom drama. It is straightforward in terms of plot and rhythm, but rich in terms of relationships as the characters are all both well drawn and beautifully acted. A simple yet very satisfying film.”

The Brand New Testament (Le Tout Nouveau Testament)

Directed by Jaco Van Dormael | Starring Benoît Poelvoorde, Catherine Deneuve, Pili Groyne
“This film presents a novel, slightly screwball take on the creation story. God's daughter decides that he is doing a terrible job, so decides to take matters into her own hands and create, you guessed it, a Brand New Testament. A cross between The Matrix and The Truman Show, but set firmly in the realm of magical realism, this is a sweet and funny film that is well worth a look.”

The full AF FFF 2016 programme will be available online and in print from Thursday 28 January.

The Alliance Française French Film Festival will run from 17 February - 13 April 2016 in 12 cities across New Zealand. For dates and venues information, visit www.frenchfilmfestival.co.nz