"The City of Lights, City of Angels Film Festival is unique in that it brings the rich tapestry of French filmmaking to the Hollywood community, celebrating artistic similarities and differences at the same time, under one roof. The Directors Guild of America embraces the international spirit of this festival and is very proud to be a partner for the eleventh year in a row."
Michael Apted, Director, DGA President
"COL•COA is of course a great annual survey of contemporary French cinema for Los Angelenos but for distributors its a great venue to launch new releases as well as reconsider still available titles that we may have underappreciated initially. We'll look forward to working with COL•COA in the years to come."
Edward Arentz, Managing Director, Music Box Films
"COL•COA brings a moment for writers and directors from France and the U.S. to gather, to learn from each other, and to express our enduring admiration of each other's work.”
Ron Bass, WGAW writer – Rain Man, The Joy Luck Club; WGAW Board of Directors
"I was very pleased with the presentation of "La Vie en Rose" at the 2007 COL•COA festival in Los Angeles. It was important for Picturehouse to make the premiere an "event" to showcase the film. COL•COA set the perfect tone, creating a celebratory atmosphere that was great to introduce the film, Olivier and Marion to the West Coast audience and critics. "La Vie en Rose” has now opened to tremendous reviews and box office in Los Angeles and COL•COA played an important role in our campaign. In addition, your team made the coordination of all the details very efficient and worked very well with our group at Picturehouse”.
Bob Berney, President, Picturehouse
"COL•COA, which sets every year particularly interesting film selection and exciting meetings, is a wonderful festival to promote the vitality and the diversity of French cinema in Hollywood. The festival brings moments to develop creative partnerships between authors, directors, writers, distributors, producers, agents and exhibitors from both great movies nations. It is the perfect opportunity for American and French professionals to strengthen their deep links and their mutual understanding.”
Véronique Cayla, Director, Centre National de la Cinématographie
"As the market for international talent continues to grow, COL•COA is a vital resource for discovering new, fresh voices in French cinema. In addition it provides a unique forum for the French and American film industries to exchange ideas, build relationships, and share in the tradition of French film."
Jerome Duboz, Agent, William Morris Agency
"We have found COL•COA to be a marvelous way to position important new French Films for Los Angeles and for the US market. COL•COA creates a wonderful film friendly atmosphere within the Los Angeles cultural scene and gives a great launch to our upcoming French releases."
Suzanne Fedak, Head Theatrical Distribution, Koch Lorber Films
"Like the very best film festivals, COL•COA has remained above all a gathering place, where cineastes and cinephiles from two continents come together to indulge their shared passion"
Scott Foundas, Critic, L.A. Weekly, Variety
"The COL•COA Film Festival is much more than simply a French Film Festival in Hollywood. Rather it is a wonderful celebration of a rich, diverse and accomplished cinema industry which, in itself, is one of France's greatest exports. I have had the honor of participating in the COL•COA event several times and have not only found the event a wonderful place to exchange ideas and share in the wonderment of movies, but it is terrific opportunity to see a cinematic work that otherwise might not make it to a screen in the U.S."
Richard Fox, Executive Vice-President, Warner International
"The recent success of films like Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon may help to educate the American public that a foreign-language film with subtitles can be every bit as accessible and entertaining as American-language films. Most of all, I think it's wonderful that all the guilds in this town can come together to make this festival happen. It's a hugely important resource for American audiences and it's my hope that it survives and continues."
John Frankenheimer, Past Third Vice President of the DGA, Director: The Train, Grand Prix, French Connection II, Ronin.
"It was very important for us to have "Her Name is Sabine" show at COL•COA this year. Since the film never had a commercial release in L.A., this was the one opportunity for local audiences to see this beautiful film in a theatrical setting. On the other hand, the festival also proved to be the perfect setting for a sneak preview of our summer hit "The Grocer's Son", which opened theatrically a few months later to great success, thanks in part to the wonderful promotional work by COL.COA and the positive word of mouth of its audience. We look forward to much more future collaboration!"
Adley Gartenstein, President, Film Movement
"The City of Lights-City of Angels film festival has proven to be an exciting opportunity to introduce and inspire American audiences with the art of French cinema. The Motion Picture Association of America is proud to once again work with our distinguished partners to showcase some of the most talented and creative storytellers the global film industry has to offer."
Dan Glickman, Chairman and CEO Motion Picture Association of America
"It was our privilege to have Audrey Tautou's and Gad Elmaleh's "Priceless" featured in COL•COA festival. This wonderful annual event provides the perfect opportunity to reach the thriving French community and key industry professionals here in Los Angeles."
Samuel Goldwyn Jr., President, Samuel Goldwyn Films
"COL•COA is a great rendezvous every year in April. It is a nice opportunity to develop relationships between French authors and directors and their American counterparts. The meetings are always very enriching and the film selection particularly interesting as well as comprehensive. Vive COL•COA!"
Michel Gomez, Executive Director, L'ARP
"COL•COA is one of the only venues in the world where film fans and industry alike can see the best of new French cinema. It is extremely well-curated, and serves to remind LA audiences of the diversity and boldness of today's French film-makers."
Mike Goodridge, U.S. Editor, Screen International
"French and American histories have been entwined since the founding of our republics. We have been cultural and political allies (and occasional adversaries) since the eighteenth century. Since the invention of the movies by Lumiere (or Edison) (or both), we share a love for cinema that transcends national boundaries and culture -- we are a global audience for all that is good on screen, and this week, we are a local audience eager to be charmed by the films of our colleagues and friends. Vive les differences, et le monde du cinema."
Carl Gottlieb, Past WGAW Vice President, WGAW writer ,Jaws, The Jerk;
"COL•COA provides an invaluable service to the community; it's both an outlet to showcase some of the best new films from France as well as a marketplace for distributors."
Marcus Hu, President, Strand Releasing
"The Cannes Film Festival has always been a love story between American and French Cinema. As a result, I have worked to salute and promote American film-makers. The rare, nostalgic and hopefully amusing footage of The Red Carpet–A Musical perfectly illustrates this relationship. I am delighted and proud to present the film in Hollywood for the first time in the world since its Cannes debut to American audiences during COL•COA."
Gilles Jacob, President, the Cannes Film Festival
"This festival is the centerpiece of a unique creative partnership that reaches across the Atlantic and encourages communication between writers, directors and producers from both nations."
Fay Kanin, WGAW writer Friendly Fire, Teacher's Pet; Past AMPAS President
"Each year I look forward to seeing the best of French Cinema and meeting the filmmakers who create the work. There is a uplifting international comradery that develops during COL•COA that is unlike any other."
Randal Kleiser, Chairman of DGA Academic Subcommittee; Director – Grease, Red Riding Hood
"COL•COA has been a consistent delight over the years for critics and cineastes. Recently though, we have seen it make tremendous strides in importance as platform for introducing general audiences to upcoming French releases. At this point, we would recommend to every distributor that they consider this festival when making plans for launching their films in Los Angeles."
Bob and Greg Laemmle, Laemmle Theaters
"COL•COA put on a wonderful Los Angeles event for "Paris je t'aime". It was a good kick-off to a successful theatrical release. We would like to thank Francois Truffart and his entire staff for extending the invitation and for their generous hospitality."
Avi Lerner, Co-chair First Look
"I couldn't have been more pleased with the Los Angeles premiere of Bruno Dumont's Flanders at the 2007 COL•COA. (…) I believe the focus and quality programming provided the best possible profile, generating good press and word of mouth prior to our theatrical opening. The passionate and professional staff did everything they could to help make our participation a success, from facilitating interviews to providing a forum for a long and stimulating audience discussion."
Wendy Lidell, President, International Film Circuit
“COL•COA was a revelation for me. Over the years we've had many of our fine French films play the festival but I’ve not personally attended. This year I went and witnessed first hand the marketing intelligence and curatorial commitment of the entire COL•COA team. What's remarkable is how COL•COA has galvanized support of the otherwise nonplussed professional film community in Hollywood as well as reaching a passionate general public. These two divergent segments were united in their film appreciation and fed off each others enthusiasms as evidenced in the high level Q&A sessions for many selections. I came away with some valuable insights into how several of these films might connect to different types of audiences should i be fortunate enough to acquire one or more of them for release.”
Richard Lorber, President & CEO, Lorber Films
"French Cinema has made my life so much more interesting. The COL•COA festival is a wonderful opportunity where our two countries can meet to share our lives and our passion for film."
Marianne Maddalena, Producer, The Hills Have Eyes, Red Eye, Scream 2 & 3
"As COL•COA has continued to solidify its reputation as Los Angeles' premiere showcase of quality cinema, the members of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association have been honored to be a part of its growth. For those of us who served on the inaugural critics jury in 2008, it was a particular privilege to participate integrally in what is destined to become one of the city's most enduring traditions. Our profound appreciation and very best wishes are extended to COL•COA's tireless staff and organizers."
Wade Major, Film Critic - Box Office Magazine, LA City Beat
"Over the years this festival has evolved into a highly anticipated meeting ground for those who love French cinema. But this event does more than just give us all the opportunity to appreciate the enduring cultural relationship between our two nations. Cinema is the narrative dream of the modern world. It's fabricated from the collective consciousness of our lives. COL•COA reminds us time and again of cinema's power and magic to transcend borders and nation states."
Michael Mann, Director - Collateral, Ali, Heat, The Last of the Mohicans
"COL•COA is a rare and true opportunity to strengthen the links between American and French creators as well to bring every year the different facets of the French movies production to Hollywood."
Bernard Miyet, President of the SACEM Executive Board, FACF President.
"Who says you have to go to Paris to enjoy the best of French cinema? My advice is to clear your calendars the week COL•COA is here. The festival offers so many outstanding films that you won't have time for anything else."
Jean Oppenheimer, Film Critic - Village Voice Media, FilmWeek
"COL•COA annual film festival is recognition of the regard Americans have for the French touch, that unique approach that even without hearing the language we know the country of origin. COL•COA is a salute to these intriguing storytellers, who so often emphasize character over plot and give us the human experience."
Del Reisman, Past WGAW President; Writer - Streets of San Francisco, Playhouse 90
"French filmmakers have often been inspired by the best of Hollywood; and American filmmakers have equally often been emboldened by the fine work that comes from France. The Writers Guild of America, West is thrilled to co-sponsor this festival, and thrilled, as well, to host nos frères, nos semblables."
Howard A. Rodman Co-Chair, WGAW Independent Film Writers Committee; Writer - Savage Grace, August
“COL•COA is a great event and very effectively serves two purposes for us - identifying films for acquisition and showcasing films we have already acquired. We look forward to our ongoing collaboration.”
William Schopf, President, Music Box Films
"In an age when technology has made instant transcontinental communication an ordinary occurrence, allowing writers, directors, and producers to meet face to face makes all the difference. And vive le difference!"
Patrick M. Verrone, WGAW President; Writer - Futurama, The Simpsons
"It was very exciting to see the huge crowds that showed up to see French films at COL•COA. The festival is doing an incredible job at building a regular audience for French films in Los Angeles. It is not only popular commercial films but also more challenging arthouse titles. I was very happy to meet with so many directors and producers from France as well as people that share my love of French cinema."
Ryan Werner, VP Marketing & PR, IFC Films
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