At the Screening Room
Acme Screening Room will host a French film festival, “Rendez-vous with French Cinema,” from Friday to Sunday, March 28-30, at the theater at 25 S. Union St., Lambertville.
It will be the Film Society of Lincoln Center and Unifrance Films’ annual showcase of contemporary French film.
Admission to films only is $6 for members and $8 for non-members. Films and discussions, where applicable, are $10 for members and $15 for non-members. A weekend pass costs $20. Free passes are invalid for admission to these films.
Buy membership and tickets at Acme or online at AcmeScreeningRoom.TicketLeap.com.
Six films will be shown during the weekend.
On March 28, they are:
• ”Tip Top,” rated NR, at 5 p.m.
Adapted from a pulp novel by Welsh writer Bill James. Meticulous and eccentric internal-affairs investigator Esther (Isabelle Huppert) and her mousy partner Sally (Sandrine Kiberlain), recently demoted due to a mysterious ethics violation, are summoned to look into a police department after the murder of an Algerian informant. Seemingly mismatched elements are thrown together with aplomb: exploring the women detectives’ sexual kinks and comments on racism and postcolonial tensions. French and Arabic with English subtitles.
• ”Age of Panic” (“La Bataille de Solférino”) at 7 p.m., rated NR.
A cable news reporter off to cover the 2012 French presidential elections leaves her daughters in the care of a hapless babysitter with strict instructions to keep them away from her ex-husband and their father. But the husband/father, determined to see his kids, disrupts the already chaotic household by enlisting a neighbor to negotiate a divorce agreement — while she’s out reporting amid election crowds in front of Socialist Party headquarters. Nominated for Best First Film in the 2014 César Awards. French with English subtitles.
• ”2 Autumns, 3 Winters” rated NR, at 8:40 p.m.
Arman is 33 and ready to make a change when he literally bumps into Amélie — slightly cynical but nevertheless lovely — on the jogging path. As a bit of contrived fate brings them together, Arman’s best friend, Benjamin, suffers an unexpected stroke, where he falls for his doting young physical therapist. Over the course of two autumns and three winters, Arman, Amélie and Benjamin share the moments, accidents, love stories and memories that define who they are. French with English subtitles.
On March 29:
• ”Under the Rainbow” (“Au Bout Du Conte”), rated NR, at 5 p.m.
Laura, 24, has faith that someday her Prince Charming will suddenly appear. But when such a man does turn up, so does another one — charming in a different way, but equally alluring. This contemporary fairy tale examines how to lead lives in relation to sometimes wild dreams and expectations. French with English subtitles.
• ”2 Autumns, 3 Winters” repeats at 7 p.m.
• ”Tip Top” repeats at 8:40 p.m.
On March 30, the films are:
• ”The Marchers,” rated NR, at 5 p.m.
In 1983, in a France plagued by racism and inequality, and after a police blunder that could have ended in tragedy, three teenagers embark, with the support of a priest, in a peaceful and non-violent march between Marseilles and Paris. Thousands will join them along the way until they are received by President François Mitterrand. Their commitment led to national reforms against racism and discrimination. French with English subtitles.
• ”Cineastes,” rated NR, plus post-film discussion, at 7:10 p.m. Twenty French women filmmakers are brought together in front of the same camera to talk about their profession and their status in the industry. Julie Gayet challenges her interviewees by evoking contrasting perspectives, such as feminist and misogynous viewpoints, to broaden the debate. French with English subtitles.
The upcoming schedule includes Feb. 28-March 2 — “The Armstrong Lie,” a two-hour film on bicyclist Lance Armstrong, will be shown Friday at 7 and 9:20 p.m.; Saturday at 7 and 9:10 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m.
A discussion will follow the 7 p.m. showing on Friday. The show is co-presented with the Western Jersey Wheelmen.
In 2009 Alex Gibney was hired to make a film about Lance Armstrong’s comeback to cycling. The project was shelved when the doping scandal erupted, and re-opened after Armstrong’s confession. This film picks up in 2013.
Film tickets only cost $6 for members and $8 for non-members. Tickets for the film plus discussion are $10 for members and $15 for non-members.
The venue is wheelchair accessible. Subtitles are available for those who are deaf or hard-of-hearing on films that provide them.
The upcoming schedule also includes:
Feb. 28 – March 2: “The Armstrong Lie,” a two-hour film on bicyclist Lance Armstrong, will be shown Friday at 7 and 9:20 p.m.; Saturday at 7 and 9:10 p.m. and Sunday at 5 p.m.
A discussion will follow the 7 p.m. showing on Friday.The show is co-presented with the Western Jersey Wheelmen.
March 7-9: “The Invisible Woman,” rated R. Friday and Saturday 7 and 9 p.m., and Sunday 5 p.m.
Ralph Fiennes (who also directs) shines as novelist Charles Dickens, who had a secret affair with 18-year-old actress Nelly Ternan (Felicity Jones). Dickens was 45 and at the top of his fame when he met her and was immediately struck. Her pragmatic mother (Kristin Scott Thomas) encouraged Nelly to welcome the interest of such a famous man, even if she can never become his wife. Nelly resists, but Dickens makes her the focus of his passion and his muse, and they embark on a 13-year affair that lasts until his death and must always remain secret, forcing Nelly to hide her deepest feelings in “invisibility.”
March 14: “The Last Laugh,” not rated, plus director Ferne Pearlstein at 7 p.m.
Director Pearlstein takes a look at the rough cut of her work-in-progress, a feature documentary that explores the limits of humor and the Holocaust. Time will be reserved for discussion and audience feedback.
The victims of the Nazi concentration camps used humor as a means of self-defense and resistance in dealing with their unspeakable ordeal. But is there a difference between a survivor of Auschwitz using humor in response to their firsthand experience and a second-generation suburban American Jew, a non-Jew or even a neo-Nazi doing the same?
This film is part of Acme’s Work-In-Progress series, a sneak peek for audience members into the creative process of directors who present their latest work for discussion and feedback.
In 2004 Ms. Pearlstein won the Best Cinematography prize for documentary at the Sundance Film Festival for her work on “Imelda,” a feature documentary about Imelda Marcos.
Tickets for the film plus director discussion are $10 for members and $15 for non-members.
March 15 and 16: “The Wait,” Saturday 7 and 8:45 p.m., and Sunday at 5 p.m.
An enigmatic phone call from a psychic catapults a family into a state of suspended belief while waiting for their recently deceased mother to be resurrected. One sister believes the claim, and the other staunchly opposes it until she encounters a chance at love, giving her hope that anything, even resurrection, is possible.
March 21-23: “In No Great Hurry, 13 Lessons In Life With Saul Leiter,” rated NR. Friday and Saturday, 7 and 8:25 p.m., and Sunday 5 p.m.
Saul Leiter amassed an archive of beautiful photographic work that is now piled high in his New York apartment. This funny, intimate and moving film follows Saul as he deals with the triple burden of cleaning an apartment full of memories, becoming world famous in his 80s and fending off a pesky film maker.
Buy tickets or memberships at AcmeScreeningRoom.TicketLeap.com.

