Cinéfranco celebrates its 16th anniversary with a wide variety of Francophone films for Toronto audiences. This year’s film line-up showcases many themes including women’s dignity, the plight of children, justice, and prison life to name a few.

This year, the Cinéfranco will bring some of the best in Francophone cinema with 3 World Premieres, 7 North American Premieres, 13 English Canadian Premieres and 2 Toronto Premieres and a showcase of 25 features, 1 documentary and 6 shorts.

As I often try to do, I like to suggest a few films for you to sample.

What the Day Owes the Night
Dir. Alexandre Arcady
Monday, April 8 – 6:30pm
Based on the novel by Yasmina Khadra, the film tells the story of little Younes, a helpless witness of his father’s fall to hell after his crops were criminally set on fire. Raised by his uncle, a pharmacist married to a Christian French woman, Younas renamed Jonas, grows up with the “roumis” (name given by Algerians to white Europeans) well-to-do youth… But the identity convulsions of French colonial Algeria will soon generate tragedies, dilemmas, unfulfilled love stories that will tear Younas’ life apart.

Les Invisibles (Documentary)
Dir. Sébastien Lifshitz
Wednesday, April 10 – 8:40pm
Co-Presented by Inside Out LGBT Film Festival and FrancoQueer
The film focuses on men and women born in between the two world wars. They bear the scars of their fight for sexual freedom in a country (France) that considered homosexuality as a mental illness until 1981. They tell their own stories with a disarming, touching and even poignant openness, humour and truthfulness.

Written Woman
Dir. Lahcen Zinoun
Saturday, April 13 – 1:30pm
Naïm, a renowned anthropologist, wants to make a film on beautiful Mririda, a Berber poet and courtesan who mesmerizes him. At the brothel where she used to go, Naïm is struck by the beauty, the sensuous tattoos of young prostitute Adjou. He immediately feels bound in his flesh and soul to Adjou, a kind of mirror image to Mririda. Adjou’s brutal murder triggers a police investigation. In his desperate search for truth, Naïm sways between a world of imagination and reality.

Welcome to Argentina
Dir. Edouard Deluc
Saturday, April 13 – 4:15pm
Two brothers, Antoine and Marcus, arrive in Argentina to go to their cousin’s wedding. But Antoine, the younger brother, has become depressed because of his marital problems. And Marcus strives to lighten him up. The film turns into a fun road-movie full of fresh, dynamic, crazy and also emotional experiences.

Ichi Bin Eine Terroristin
Dir. Valérie Gaudissart
Sunday, April 14 – 11:00am
At the tender age of 11 years and 3 months, Violette feels she is the guardian of the memory of Rosa Luxemburg, the great Marxist activist and German revolutionary. She runs away from home taking with her the ashes of her beloved communist grandmother and the book of the letters written in prison by Rosa.

Tango Libre (Closing Night Film)
Dir. Frédéric Fonteyne
Sunday, April 14 – 6:30pm
JC, an ordinary prison guard, meets Alice at his weekly tango classes. Attracted by the sensual woman, he is surprised to see her visiting two prisoners: Fernand, her husband and Dominic, her lover, both cell mates. Furious to learn his wife tangoes with the prison guard, Fernand ventures to ask the Argentinian boss for dancing lessons.

These are but a few suggestions. I always like to include at least one documentary, some drama, and of course at least some comedy. There are plenty more for you to enjoy, including the short film series screening on Saturday, April 6th. For full festival listings, visit cinefranco.com.