For 27 years, director Marcelle Lean has been riding the highs and lows of Cinéfranco — one of Canada’s biggest international film festivals that celebrates French language and culture.
With a lineup of 25 feature-length and short films from around the world, this year’s festival is expected to bring hundreds to Carlton Cinema — near Toronto’s College Station — between Nov. 1-10.
Cinéfranco was at the top of its game in 2019 when organizers welcomed a record-breaking 14,000 movie goers — including 6,000 adults and 8,000 students — to enjoy Francophonie festivities across several venues.
But since the pandemic, Lean, the festival’s founder, has found that people don’t seem to appreciate cinema like they used to. Downsizing to one location for viewings was a clear symptom of that sentiment, she explained.
“For the 25th anniversary in 2022, I went big,” she said. “We got the large theatres like Cineplex, Scotiabank [and] The Royal — but the attendance wasn’t great, so I had to shave back. The Carlton is a great place, but we only have 125 seats.”
Despite these changes, attendance recovered to 52 per cent of pre-pandemic levels last year. The festival’s goal is to eclipse 65 per cent this year.
According to the 2021 Census, Francophones make up just under three per cent of Toronto’s population.
While the festival would appear to cater to only a small sect of people, Lean noted the uptick in attendance is partially attributed to the evolving demographics that are filling seats — a friendly trend they’ve witnessed develop in recent years.
“We have more English speakers than French speakers who are now watching some of these films,” she said. “There are a lot of film lovers who really enjoy the culture and the language. And because there are cinephiles and Francophiles who don’t speak French, they take advantage of the English subtitles.”
Although they’ve lost some support and connections in recent years, Cinéfranco stays afloat with financial assistance from the provincial and federal government. Lean was unable to disclose what those figures look like.
Foundations and corporations like the Ontario Arts Council, Telefilm Canada, Force 5, Ontario Creatif and OLG remain in their corner as well.
Wanting to keep the traditions and customs of French culture alive in Toronto’s diverse landscape, Lean has also devoted much of her time to hosting the Cinéfranco Youth Festival, which ran earlier in the year.
She believes the French language has a better chance of being incorporated into the city when children and teenagers are introduced to Francophonie films that highlight stories of love, friendship and self-awareness.
“One of the reasons I created the youth program is because when you don’t have these references, the language is spoken in a void,” she said. “It would be great for people to come in and watch these films because they have universal messages.”
French-speaking films from all over the world — including Canada, France, Belgium, Switzerland and Cameroon — will be celebrating their English Canada Premieres at Carlton Cinema from Nov. 1-10.
Admission is $10 for adults and $8 for seniors. Some short films are free of charge.
The full itinerary for Cinéfranco can be accessed by clicking here.
