ABOUT THE SACRAMENTO FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL 
AND THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE IT HAPPEN...

AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS
FEATURES

2003 - To Be and To Have by Nicolas Philibert (documentary)
2004 - If I Were a Rich Man by Michel Munz and Gérard Bitton (comedy)
2005 - The Beat That My Heart Skipped by Jacques Audiard (thriller)
2006 - The Young Lieutenant by by Xavier Beauvois (thriller)
2007 - My Best Friend  by Patrice Leconte (comedy)
2008 - The Grocer’s Son by Eric Guirado (comedy)
2009 - Welcome by Philippe Lioret (drama)
2010 - Army of Crime by Robert Guediguian (historical drama) and Heartbreaker by Pascal Chaumeil (comedy)
2011 -
Gainsbourg, A Heroic Life by Joann Sfar (biopic)
2012 - Romantics Anonymous by Jean-Pierre Améris
(romantic comedy)
2013 - Starbuck by Ken Scott (comedy)

2014 - Chinese Puzzle by Cédric Klapisch (comedy)
2015 - Samba by Olivier Nakache & Éric Toledano (comedy)
2016 - Come What May by Christian Carion (historical Drama)
2017 - ??
2018 - Some Like it Veiled by Sou Abadi (comedy)
2019 Promise at Dawn by Eric Barbier (biopic)
2020 Arab Blues by Manele Labidi (comedy)
2021 Love Affairs by Emmanuel Mouret (romance drama)

MiniFest
2020 Perfumes by Grégory Magne (comedy)

AUDIENCE AWARD WINNERS
SHORT FILMS

2019 Pile Poil by by Lauriane Escaffre & Yvonnick Muller
2020 NA

MiniFest
2020 The Widow Saverini by Loïc Gaillard

 

IN THE MEDIA...

"The region's premier film event" - Carla Meyer - The Sacramento Bee, February 2014

"The Sacramento French Film Festival - the marquee event of the year for local film lovers." The Sacramento Bee, February 26, 2010

"With last year’s record attendance cementing its status of the area’s premier film eventFrom the cover article Continental Flair – Carla Meyer, The Sacramento Bee, June 19th, 2009

"Forget the megaplex and take in some French films this weekend at the Sacramento French Film Festival” – Nick Miller, SN&R, June 18th, 2009.

“The SFFF is one of the best things Sacramento has going, a two-week excursion through the past and present of French films.” – Daniel Barnes, SN&R, June 25th, 2009.

If you plan every summer around the Sacramento French Film Festival –and if you don’t, you should-because it’s great- it is moving up from July to June this year” – Carla Meyer, The Sacramento Bee, April 3rd, 2009

“One of the most compelling reasons to stay in town on a sweltering July weekend is the Sacramento French Film Festival.” – Dan Barnes, Midtown Monthly, July 2008.

“From an unlikely beginning, the Sacramento French Film Festival has bloomed into a summer highlight.” - Carla Meyer, The Sacramento Bee, July 13th, 2008.

“The lineup of this film festival prompts one response… Vive le cinema” – Carla Meyer, Sacramento Bee, July 15, 2007

“Au revoir, Hollywood! Can the French save Sacramento’s summer movie season? It’s always a great relief to be stuck in the midsummer-cinema-going-glut that is July, whereupon the Sacramento French Film festival takes over the downtown Crest Theatre for a couple weekends. (…) At a glance, this year’s lineup (…) is the best yet.” – Nick Miller, Midtown Monthly, Summer 2007

“C’est si bon !” – Barry Wisdom, Inside the City, July 2007

“Cream of the French crop.” - Dixie Reid, Sacramento Bee. July 9th 2006

“Unquestionably, the road to a vigorous film scene is paved with good film festivals. One of ours, the fifth annual Sacramento French Film Festival, gets under way this weekend. Part of this Festival appeal is its range—more than a dozen highly varied features, plus a batch of shorts.”Jonathan Kiefer, SN&R. July 13th 2006

 “I revel in a intimate experience of France that requires no airfare or language skills to navigate.”Becca Costello - SN&R. July 20th 2006

“Whether you parlez cinéma or not, the fifth Sacramento French Film Festival makes it easy to pretend that you do. These feature films, premieres and classics are sure to please anyone sophisticated  enough to listen to French dialog with English subtitles.” Stefan Gruenwedel, MGW July 2006

Winner! 2005 Arts Management Excellence Award
"The Sacramento Youth Symphony and the Sacramento French Film Festival won awards Wednesday for excellence in arts management from the Arts & Business Council of Sacramento. The Youth Symphony was honored among organizations with an annual budget of $125,000 or more, while the film festival won for organizations with a budget under $125,000. The awards, which honor local arts organizations and volunteers, were given out at the Arts & Business Council's annual "Prelude to the Season" luncheon, held at the DoubleTree Hotel."
Sacramento Bee. October 6th 2005

"Sacramento's annual rendez vous with French films is gaining steam."
Dixie Reid, Sacramento Bee. July 15th 2005

"Find Cesar winners and free breakfasts with this quick guide to the new, improved Sacramento French Film Festival (...) A local urban legend has it that watching the entire festival will render the viewer fluent in French. Not a bad side effect!"
Mark Halverson, SN&R. July 14th 2005

"Containing feature films, local premieres and classics - including two midnight shockers - this event is sure to show something that pleases just about anybody who can handle French dialogs with English subtitles."
Stephan Gruenwedel, MGW. July 1st 2005

"So many films, so little space. I'd like to greet the extraordinary third annual Sacramento French Film Festival (.) with the proper lengthy introduction. But with so much to cover (.) let's just say that it's 'magnifique'."
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee. Friday, July 16th 2004

"Mon Dieu! There are so many films packed into the three days of the third annual Sacramento French Film Festival that you will be hard pressed to see them all. It can be done (.) Here's how."
Becca Costello, Sacramento news & Review. Thursday, July 15th 2004

"The second annual Sacramento French Film Festival (.) is not to be missed. (.) Last year's inaugural event was a pleasant surprise that seemed to come out of nowhere, but this year, festival coordinators (.) have topped themselves with an assemblage of films that challenge our notions of what both we and movies can be. (.) I don't know about 'terminator 3' or 'X2' (X Men 2) but it seems to me that the movie event of the summer is the French Film Festival - at least in Sacramento."
Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee. Friday, July 11th 2003

"The three-day program, which is at the Crest Theatre, takes several bold new risks while having the same fingerprints of success as the one last year at the Tower Theatre."
Mark Halverson, Sacramento news & Review. Thursday, July10 th 2003

"Have I got a movie event for you. (.) It's looking good -no make it "great" (.). This little festival is a most welcomed addition to the Sacramento movie scene, a nice way to spend a warm summer afternoon or evening (.). It's formidable -pronounced the French way of course." Joe Baltake, Sacramento Bee. Thursday, July 11th 2002

"The resulting lineup is an impressive array that eschews the action genre for stories driven more by character than by special effect or gunplay". Mark Halverson, Sacramento news & Review. Thursday, July11 th 2002

`

2013 opening
SFFF Planning Committee & Board of Directors onstage
while Cécile Downs receives the medal of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres
from Denis Bisson, Attaché Culturel to the French Consulate in SF.
- Opening Night 2013
-

 
 

Every summer since 2002, the Sacramento French Film Festival
takes you on a trip to France without leaving Sacramento...

WATCH OUR VIDEOS HERE!

Under the umbrella of the Sacramento French Cultural Society, a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization, the Sacramento French Film Festival organizes unique cultural events that bring people together around film and French culture in a festive atmosphere. With the variety of its programming, the SFFF appeals to a diverse audience of all ages, from the Sacramento area and beyond.

We organize three annual events:

  • Established in 2002, our signature event, the SACRAMENTO FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL, is held over six days in June. It is the 2nd largest French film festival on the West Coast.
  • The WINTER SHORTS FEST (since 2008) presents the César (French Academy Awards) nominated short films.
  • The MINIFEST (since 2014) is a one-day miniature festival held in the fall.
  • Additionnally, we also hosts special screenings as opportunities arise. Over the years we have partnered with: M5 Arts, the Crocker Art Museum, Verge Center for the Art, the Sacramento Public Library, and the Sacramento Philharmonic Orchestra.

Primarily held at the Crest Theatre -Sacramento’s last historical art deco movie palace- and at the Esquire IMAX Theatre, the SFFF's events reach thousands of people each year and play an important part in the cultural life of Sacramento.

Films include the latest premieres, classic masterpieces, and new short films, always with English subtitles! The SFFF brings talents from France to present their work, and local film experts to lead film discussions.

Festivals are essential in expressing the diversity of a community and the Sacramento French Film Festival is no exception. We take pride in providing exposure to, and understanding of, different cultures. Since its beginning, the SFFF has programmed films with subjects rarely represented in mainstream cinema and  offers an international perspective on some of the real issues facing the world today that can help us all make sense of the complicated times in which we live.

AWARDS
The SFFF has won awards for its creativity, outstanding leadership, and the excellence of its programs. Executive & Artistic Director Cécile Mouette-Downs was appointed to the prestigious order of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government.

  • In 2013, Cécile Mouette Downs, Executive & Artistic Director and co-founder of the Sacramento French Film Festival was appointed to the prestigious order of Chevalier des Arts et Lettres by the French Government.
  • In 2010, Cécile Mouette Downs received the Arts Executive of the Year Award from the Sacramento Arts & Business Council.
  • In 2007 & 2008, the SFFF was voted Best Film Festival in Sacramento by the readers of the Sacramento News & review. After 2008, the Best Film Festival category was removed from the SN&R "Best of Sacramento" voting).
  • In 2007, the SFFF won the Dottie Award for Best Website in the Entertainment, Restaurant & Nightclub catgory.
  • In 2005, the SFFF received the Arts Management Excellence Award from the Arts & Business Council, for its outstanding contribution to arts and culture in the Sacramento region.
 
 

 

 
 
THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE IT HAPPEN
 
         
  DIRECTORS  
  1  

Cécile Mouette Downs, Executive and Artistic Director. Co-founder of the SFFF.

Cécile Mouette Downs, a native of France, is co-founder of the Sacramento French Film Festival. Before moving to Sacramento in 2001, Cécile worked for 3 years at the Film Department of the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in New York City. There she promoted French films and television programs in the United States, and helped theaters, museums, universities and various festivals feature recent and classic French films. She organized receptions, film screenings, press lunches and other events and was a press contact for the French films selected at the New York's French Film Festival, Rendez Vous with French Cinema, and at the New York Film Festival. She also curated experimental video shows at the Knitting Factory in Manhattan. From 1992 to 1998, Cécile worked as a Press Officer for the Conseil Supérieur de l'Audiovisuel (the French FCC) in Paris. She holds a Master of Arts in History from the University Paris X, on French Catholics and Cinema. In 2010, Cécile received the Arts Executive of the Year Award from the Sacramento Arts & Business Council. In 2013, she was appointed to the prestigious order of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government.

sacfrenchfilmfest(at)gmail.com

 
         
  1  

John Downs, Technical Director & Officer on the Board of Directors

John, a native Californian, moved to Sacramento in 2000. He is an aquatic and wetland ecologist for the State of California and a member of the American Whitewater Association. An amateur musician (ukulele, guitar and most recently trumpet), he is an avid swimmer and cyclist and enjoys snowboarding, kayaking, kinetic sculpture, France, and French cinema. One college film appreciation class taught him that good films inspire, make you feel, emote, and connect... He is a student of the human condition and enjoys the realism and the absurd that the French bring to the screen. His candid eye and opinion are a great help when it comes to constructing a balanced and accessible program! John is also our talented short film projectionist.

john(at)sacramentofrenchfilmfestival.org

 
         
  1  

Jane Berner, Managing Director & Treasurer of the Board of Directors

Jane has been a volunteer with the Sacramento French Film Festival since its first edition. After growing up in Sacramento, Jane left for college in Chicago and, while pursuing a degree in economics, also explored her love of film and the arts. She volunteered for the University of Chicago’s DOC Films student-run cinema and worked for six years as a feature film programmer for the Chicago International Film Festival. She now uses that experience to advise the SFFF on film selection and also handles administrative and financial duties. While she still has a passion for film, she has pursued a professional career in urban planning. She received her master’s degree from UCLA and has worked as a transportation planner in both the public and private sector.

janeb(at)sacramentofrenchfilmfestival.org

 
         
         
  BOARD OF DIRECTORS of the SACRAMENTO FRENCH CULTURAL SOCIETY
  1  

Kevin Elstob, President

Belovingly nicknamed “Le Professeur” by our audience, Kevin Elstob conducts most post-screening discussions at the SFFF, and at our other events. His knowledge of both French cinema and French culture provides our audience with the most insightful Q&A sessions.
Since working on the theatre of French playwright Michel Vinaver for his PhD, Elstob has continued to examine ways in which the visual arts, particularly theatre and film, portray French and francophone culture. He has taught a number of classes on francophone film and in which films in French are investigated as linguistic, geographic, historic, and social canvases. Elstob is board president of the Sacramento French Film Festival and former president and founding member of the Alliance Française de Sacramento. He loves to play pétanque and is a qualified pétanque umpire. He has published articles and given papers on French, American, and Québécois theatre and film. His particular area of interest is cultural representations on stage and screen.

kelstob(at)saclink.csus.edu

 
         
  1  

Jo Oseman, Secretary

Originally from the UK, Jo had been living in France for three years when she moved to Sacramento in 2006. She discovered the Sacramento French Film Festival in 2007, and she signed up to volunteer the very next year. Jo joined to planning committee four years ago and her primary responsibilities revolve around the catered receptions held at the beginning and end of each festival season. From soliciting donations to mapping out the event and directing volunteers, Jo coordinates these receptions from start to finish. Drawn to the festival by her love of cinema, Jo has a love of French culture and of foreign languages in general. Her professional background lies in translation and localization. With experience as a French translator and project manager, Jo works now as Client and Account Manager for a local Language Services Provider.

jo_oseman(at)yahoo.com

 
         
  1  

Jane Berner, Treasurer & Managing Director



janeb(at)sacramentofrenchfilmfestival.org

 
         
  1  

Jennifer Gravvat, Officer & Volunteer Coordinator

Jennifer Gravvat, a native Sacramentan, is a graduate of CSU, Sacramento with a bachelor's degree in French and Liberal Studies and is currently an elementary school teacher. Jennifer lived in Aix-en-Provence, France for two years as a student of l'Université d'Aix-en-Provence, where she fell in love with France, the French people, and French culture. She has been a volunteer with the SFFF since 2004, and became a core member of the SFFF Planning Committee in 2006. She flawlessly accomplishes the difficult task of being Volunteer Coordinator and loves it

jennifer.lynne(at)gmail.com

 
         
  1  

John Downs, Officer

John, a native Californian, moved to Sacramento in 2000. He is an aquatic and wetland ecologist for the State of California and a member of the American Whitewater Association. An amateur musician (ukulele, guitar and most recently trumpet), he is an avid swimmer and cyclist and enjoys snowboarding, kayaking, kinetic sculpture, France, and French cinema. One college film appreciation class taught him that good films inspire, make you feel, emote, and connect... He is a student of the human condition and enjoys the realism and the absurd that the French bring to the screen. His candid eye and opinion are a great help when it comes to constructing a balanced and accessible program! John is also our talented short film projectionist.

john(at)sacramentofrenchfilmfestival.org

 
         
  1  

Chris Tafoya, Officer

You may have caught a glimpse of the always sartorially turned-out Mr. Tafoya bicycling around midtown. He may very well have been on his way to a SFFF meeting. He was born and raised in Woodland, California, before moving to the “big city” in 1990 and becoming a man about town. He has many interests in the arts but is best known for his extensive film knowledge and a lifelong love of movies. He has also regularly imbibed French music since discovering his parents' soundtrack to “Un Homme et Une Femme” when he was seven years old. Currently he DJ's for the opening and closing night parties at the SFFF, for the Serge! Party, and for the Bastille Day Party organized by the Handle District. He has been instrumental in creating the Serge! Gainsbourg Tribute Party and making it blossom into an annual Sacramento tradition- because if there’s one thing Chris enjoys, it’s throwing a party. He also mixes a wicked cocktail! He provides make-up and costume for our posters and the décor for most of our events. Ardent Francophile Chris has spent time in Paris and is looking forward to exploring other parts of France in the future.

sartorialconundrum(at)gmail.com

 
         
  CO-FOUNDER
         
  1  

Connie Georgiu, Co-Founder of the SFFF

Connie Georgiu obtained a B. A. in French literature from Luther College and went on to teach high school French and English for three years. But her primary career has been as co-founder and VP of Operations for Alltest, Inc. in the Chicago area and co-owner of two tech firms in California. She is a past board member of the Alliance Française de Sacramento and co-founded the Sacramento French Film Festival where she served as the Director of Administration for the first seven festivals. She has extensive experience serving on fundraisers for the Crocker Art Museum, The SPCA, and the Gardeners of the Grove, travels frequently (often to France) and, like her fellow board members, is passionate about French cinema, French culture and the SFFF!

 
         
la
         
  PLANNING COMMITTEE
         
     
Our hands on Board Members are part of the Planning Committee!
 
         
  1  

Julia Broughton, Raffle Coordinator

Julia Broughton is a Sacramento native who graduated from CSUS with a B.A. in Art Education and a minor in French. It was her french professor, Kevin Elstob, who first introduced Julia to the SFFF. She started volunteering several years ago and recently became a member of the planning committee. When not planning with the committee she spend her days working for the State of California and moonlights as a competitive dancer on a lindy hop team. She also enjoys sewing, pottery making and reading.

j.broughton91(at)gmail.com

 
         
  1  

Christina Broughton, Administrative Coordinator


broughton.christina(at)gmail.com

 
         
  1  

Benz Doctolero, Technical Coordinator & Projectionist



 
         
  1  

Erika Hernandez, Receptions Coordinator

Erika Hernandez is a yearbook and bilingual sales marketing representative for a local photography company. She has a B.A in Philosophy with extensive course work in Art History and Art Education. Erika grew up in East Los Angeles where the smog is thick and the traffic is unsettling. As kids she took the metro and walked everywhere. Her love for books, museums, Art Deco architecture and French films stemmed from a long evening of walking in Hollywood and coming across the Silent Movie Theatre on Fairfax Ave. Erika befriended the projectionist and piano player and over the years they watched countless films together. Her love for foreign films, specifically French films developed during this time. It wasn’t until Erika moved to Sacramento in the spring of 2013 that she realized how much she missed those long walks in the warm summer L.A. nights. Erika attended her first SFFF at the Crest theatre that same year and shortly thereafter became a volunteer. She enjoys sharing her love for French films with others by freely giving her time, energy, and a friendly smile.

erikablue75(at)hotmail.com

 
         
 
  FILM SELECTION COMMITTEE
  1  

In Sacramento
Cécile Mouette Downs
Jane Berner

Kevin Elstob
Benz Doctolero

With the help, in Paris of:
Stéphanie Vasseur, filmmaker
Christine Gendre, Responsable du Service Courts-Métrages à Unifrance

 
         
 
 

THE SFFF PLANNING COMMITTEE OVER THE YEARS...

2011 opening night
SFFF Planning Committee onstage on Opening Night 2011 - Photo Dimitri Stanich

closing night 2010
Happy Team of Volunteers on Closing Night 2010 - Photo Mark Urquart Webb

opening night 2009
SFFF Planning Committee onstage on Opening Night 2009 - Photo Denis Rouleau

Opening 2008
SFFF Planning Committee onstage on Opening Night 2008 - Photo Steve Kao