Interior of the Byrd Theatre, the hosting location of the 4th-28th Richmond French Film Festivals [image from Wikimedia commons]
The Festival
Earlier this year, it was announced that the renowned Richmond French Film Festival had completed its course and was retiring. A cultural event that spanned almost thirty years, the Festival was founded in 1993 by couple Dr. Peter Kirkpatrick and Dr. Françoise Ravaux-Kirkpatrick, now recently-retired emeritus of Virginia Commonwealth University and the University of Richmond, respectively. The Festival has been responsible for “introducing more than 800 French and Francophone films to American audiences and hosting more than 900 directors, screenwriters, actors, cinematographers, music composers & artist-technicians” Moreover, “Since 2003, it has been recognized formally by former French Ambassador to the U.S., His Excellency Jean-David Levitte, as the most important French film festival in the country”. [Text from the Richmond French Film Festival website].
Each year, near the end of March and typically over the course of three to four days, the Festival would screen a variety of feature films, short films, and documentaries from both established and upcoming French filmmakers. Directors or starring actors would have the opportunity to introduce their film and engage in a Q&A session after its screening. Moreover, master classes from participating French film industry professionals were offered to further inspire and educate the public in the art of cinema. At the 20th and 25th anniversary Festivals, special symposiums were held with additional days of activities and interactive workshops with French film professionals. One of these once-in-a-lifetime events was the “Magic Lantern Show” from the 2017 25th Festival symposium, which featured antique hand-painted lantern slides from the Cinémathèque Française collection.
When speaking with Dr. Peter Kirkpatrick about the history and stories from the Festivals, “little miracles” and acts of community kindness were a common theme throughout the almost-30-year history of this event. It is evident that success and impact of the Richmond French Film Festival was accomplished through the hard work, dedication and passion from Drs. Kirkpatrick, and all those involved in its organization.
Inspiration and Humble Beginnings
According to Dr. Peter Kirkpatrick, the idea for the Festival started with the question of “what could we do to attract more students to the French major?”. Both professors of French language and culture, Drs. Kirkpatrick discussed various subjects such as French literature or politics, but ultimately decided on film as the medium to garner the interest of local students. The very first Festival in 1993 was held on the VCU campus, and hosted a wide turnout of students, professors, and community members. From then on, interest and enthusiasm for the event only grew. According to Dr. Peter Kirkpatrick, the story of the second French Film Festival was one particularly special to remember. The 1994 Festival was to be hosted in the “Biograph Theatre”, an old alternative movie theater that was formerly located at 814 W Grace St. Through the hard work and contributions of Drs. Kirkpatrick, university students, faculty, and staff, and Richmond community members, new seats, fresh paint, and a carpet were installed to transform the theater into a functioning location for the event. Amazingly, the dust in the air from the renovations enhanced the film image from the projector, creating a more vivid and ethereal film experience for the audience! Another cool story from the second Festival was that it hosted the U.S. premiere of Germinal- a film based upon the novel by Émile Zola and directed by Claude Berri. Dr. Kirkpatrick explained that this incredible opportunity was able to happen due to a chance run-in with the film’s starring actor, Gérard Depardieu.
After the third Festival, it was evident that the event would need a bigger space than the Biograph, so Drs. Kirkpatrick acquired permission to host the future Festivals in the Byrd Theatre. Screenings at the Byrd allowed festival goers and participants an incredible cinematic experience both technically and aesthetically. According to the Festival website, each year the Richmond French Film Festival flew in the same technicians and projectionists responsible for screenings at the International Cannes Film Festival to operate at the Byrd!
Professional and Academic Achievements
Over time, the French Film Festival built partnerships and acquired sponsorship from American and French organizations across a wide variety of industries such as film, academia, and cultural preservation. These relationships not only created funding or support for the execution of the Festival, but also fostered industry connections for Festival participants and students. The Festival had a large academic impact, and hosted students and professors from across the country. Moreover, the event enhanced French and film academics at sponsoring universities VCU and UofR, such as the development of the narrative film program at VCUarts, and the VCU World Cinema courses. The Festival also created internship programs for both sponsoring Richmond universities, for students to aid in the organization and implementation of the event. Interns from partnering French film universities were also hosted in Richmond.
In addition to fostering education, the Festival led to professional collaborations between filmmakers, as well as opportunities for artists to showcase their films to audiences outside of France. One of the most notable stories from Dr. Kirkpatrick is how the Festival led to director duo Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache forming producer connections that would lead them to create their internationally-successful film, Les Intouchables. Other touching stories include the opportunity for directors to display their films and have them received in a way which they had not imagined possible. Two directors, Paul Carpita and René Vautier, had the opportunity to screen films that they had created during their younger years which had previously been banned in France due to political controversy- Le Rendez-vous des quais and Afrique 50, respectively.
Moreover, Drs. Kirkpatrick have received awards and recognition for the Festival and their achievements as educators. Among these are the distinguished awards from the French government, “Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Palmes Académiques” by the French Ministry of National Education and “Chevalier dans l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” by the French Ministry of Culture. Dr. Françoise Ravaux-Kirkpatrick has subsequently been decorated “Officier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres". The couple also received the highest award from the French Writer’s Guild SACD- the “Médaille Beaumarchais”. [Information obtained from Dr. Peter Kirkpatrick and Dr. Françoise Ravaux-Kirkpatrick’s faculty webpages]
Impact and Legacy
One final remarkable story about the Festival is the discovered familial connections between some French delegation members and Richmond, VA; among these members are Pierre-William Glenn and Annie Miller, who are siblings. Pierre-William Glenn is a French cinematographer and director, who served as honorary president for the Festival. Annie Miller is a French actor and producer, who was married to the late Claude Miller- French director and previous honorary president of the Festival. According to Dr. Peter Kirkpatrick, they did an entire genealogy of the Glenn family and found that some were buried in Shockoe Cemetery, and that the filmmakers’ great-grandfather had been a friend of Edgar Allan Poe! Moreover, former Richmond Governor L. Douglas Wilder gave Pierre-William Glenn and Annie Miller honorary citizenship to the city. Among many other valuable contributions to the Richmond French Film Festival and the film industry as a whole, Pierre-William Glenn created a feature film with American film students from VCU and French film students from La Fémis about the 20th French Film Festival Symposium called Avoir 20 ans à Richmond or To be 20 in Richmond.
Not only did Richmond’s French Film Festival create memorable and magical experiences for festival goers each year, but it also created a profound impact in the lives of those it touched. Dr. Peter Kirkpatrick states that the “spirit” of the Festival lives on through those whom it impacted. Drs. Kirkpatrick can recount numerous stories from their personal lives and from those they’ve spoken with of the Festival leading to friendships, professional partnerships, and even marriage between couples who met at the event! Though the Richmond French Film Festival has retired, future screenings from French filmmakers in Richmond may be in store through collaboration and partnership with the Pocahontas Reframed Film Festival, hosted each November. Past programs and photographs from the festivals can be found in the French Film Festival Archives.
*Special thank you to Drs. Kirkpatrick for sharing the Festival story and memories with me, as well as allowing me the opportunity to learn firsthand about the intricacies and planning of the event as an intern.
- Gabrielle Dietrich, VCU undergraduate majoring in International Studies and French with a minor in History. She graduates in the Spring of 2024
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