<p>Movie buffs in the City were recently treated to an evening of French cinema at the Alliance Francaise. The evening screened 38 Temoins (‘38 Witnesses’), a thriller based on a best-selling novel by Didier Decoin called Est-ce Ainsi Que Les Femmes Meurent, which was a cover-up on the 1964 Kitty Genovese murder case in New York. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The film, directed by Lucas Belvaux, is an exploration of the limits of social responsibility. The story revolves around Lousie (played by Sophie Quinton), who returns home after a business trip to China to discover that the night before a woman was brutally murdered in front of her building. The police have cordoned off the site and questioned the residents. <br />However, all of them claim that they did not see or hear anything including Louise’s <br />husband, Pierre (portrayed by Yvan Attal), who works late into the night and would have returned home around the time of the murder. The 104 minute-long film, which was released in 2012, also stars Nicole Garcia, Natalie Baye and Natacha Regnier. <br /><br />Interestingly, the film was also nominated for the 2013 Cesar Award for best adaptation. <br /><br />According to Anuradha Narayan, head of cultural and communication, at Alliance Francaise, there is a French film screened every month. “We screen a French film every month and it is usually on a Wednesday. That’s because we want people to associate a particular day with French cinema,” she explains. Every month, the films are chosen from a different genre. “We want to reach out to as many people as we can. There are a lot of people who love cinema and we would like to have more of it here,” she adds. <br /><br />Pointing out to the thriller that was chosen this time, Anuradha says that the film was about public apathy. <br /><br />“Since we chose a film with a sombre theme this time, we may opt for a comedy next time,” she said. <br /><br />The quick pace of the film and the suspense kept the audience glued to the screen. “It is the first time I’m coming for the screening. I have heard a lot about the novel which is why I'm here. I enjoyed the movie,” says Prabha, an audience member. <br /></p>
<p>Movie buffs in the City were recently treated to an evening of French cinema at the Alliance Francaise. The evening screened 38 Temoins (‘38 Witnesses’), a thriller based on a best-selling novel by Didier Decoin called Est-ce Ainsi Que Les Femmes Meurent, which was a cover-up on the 1964 Kitty Genovese murder case in New York. <br /><br /></p>.<p>The film, directed by Lucas Belvaux, is an exploration of the limits of social responsibility. The story revolves around Lousie (played by Sophie Quinton), who returns home after a business trip to China to discover that the night before a woman was brutally murdered in front of her building. The police have cordoned off the site and questioned the residents. <br />However, all of them claim that they did not see or hear anything including Louise’s <br />husband, Pierre (portrayed by Yvan Attal), who works late into the night and would have returned home around the time of the murder. The 104 minute-long film, which was released in 2012, also stars Nicole Garcia, Natalie Baye and Natacha Regnier. <br /><br />Interestingly, the film was also nominated for the 2013 Cesar Award for best adaptation. <br /><br />According to Anuradha Narayan, head of cultural and communication, at Alliance Francaise, there is a French film screened every month. “We screen a French film every month and it is usually on a Wednesday. That’s because we want people to associate a particular day with French cinema,” she explains. Every month, the films are chosen from a different genre. “We want to reach out to as many people as we can. There are a lot of people who love cinema and we would like to have more of it here,” she adds. <br /><br />Pointing out to the thriller that was chosen this time, Anuradha says that the film was about public apathy. <br /><br />“Since we chose a film with a sombre theme this time, we may opt for a comedy next time,” she said. <br /><br />The quick pace of the film and the suspense kept the audience glued to the screen. “It is the first time I’m coming for the screening. I have heard a lot about the novel which is why I'm here. I enjoyed the movie,” says Prabha, an audience member. <br /></p>
