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Zeitgeist Films opens the French drama in the USA, starting this Friday, December 4, in New York City, at IFC theaters. *** It could just be lack of exposure (or adventure) on my part, but I’ve become accustomed to (and almost expect), films set in modern day France and featuring black people, to be about immigration, social marginalisation, disaffected black youth… all of which tend to serve up images of grit, grime, poverty… So Jean-Paul Civeyrac’s "My Friend Victoria," was something of a surprise. Set in Paris, the film is based on a Doris Lessing story, "Victoria and the Staveneys," and tells the story of Victoria, a young black woman of no remarkable talent,...

Zeitgeist Films will open the French drama in the USA, starting in New York City, at IFC theaters, starting on December 4. *** It could just be lack of exposure (or adventure) on my part, but I’ve become accustomed to (and almost expect), films set in modern day France and featuring black people, to be about immigration, social marginalisation, disaffected black youth… all of which tend to serve up images of grit, grime, poverty… So Jean-Paul Civeyrac’s "My Friend Victoria," was something of a surprise. Set in Paris, the film is based on a Doris Lessing story, "Victoria and the Staveneys," and tells the story of Victoria, a young black woman of no remarkable...

My Friend Victoria

Directed and written by Jean-Paul Civeyrac

France, 2015

Civeyrac’s adaptation of Doris Lessing’s short story Victoria and the Staveneys has a soft charm to its story but finds itself hampered by its comparison to the source material. Set in Paris, rather than its original London setting, My Friend Victoria chronicles the life of its eponymous protagonist, Victoria (Guslagie Malanga) and her struggles with boys, children, jobs, etc, in a realistic, albeit distanced, manner. Narrated by Victoria’s friend Fanny (Keemyah Omolongo), who is a surrogate sister after her mother adopts Victoria, as an already written book, the story unfolds in chapters of life. At first, these chapters are devoted to Victoria’s love interests, and then to her first child, Marie. Loosely centred around her relationship with the Staveneys, a white family at whose house Victoria spends the night once during grade school, the film purports to discuss racial/social politics,...

Asif Kapadia’s Amy, Anna Muylaert’s The Second Mother, Abderrahmane Sissako’s Timbuktu, John Maclean’s Slow West and Céline Sciamma’s Girlhood are among the fiction and documentary line-up.

The fiction selections are: Chus Gutiérrez’s Ciudad Deliro (Colombia); Chaitanya Tamhane’s Court (India); Miguel Llansó’s Crumbs (Ethiopia-Spain); Girlhood (France), Mario Crespo’s Gone With The River (Venezuela); Ana V. Bojórquez, Lucía Carreras’ The Greatest House In The World (Guatemala-Mexico); Alonso Ruizpalacios’ Güeros (Mexico); Rebecca Johnson’s Honeytrap (UK); Shonali Bose’s Margarita, With A Straw (India); Jean-Paul Civeyrac’s My Friend Victoria (France); and Carolina Borrero, Pinky Mon, Luis Franco, Abner Benaim and Pituka Ortega Heilbron’s Panama Canal Stories (Panama).

The section continues with: Nagesh Kukunoor’s Rainbow (India); Debbie Tucker Green’s Second Coming (UK); The Second Mother (Brazil, pictured); Walter Tournier’s Selkirk, The Real Robinson Crusoe (Uruguay-Argentina-Chile-Spain); John Maclean’s Slow West (UK-New Zealand); Jim Chuchu’s Stories Of Our Lives (Kenya-South...

Having just been had the chance to shine at Film Society of Lincoln Center’s Rendez-Vous with French Cinema last month, it may have flown under the radar and been passed over by the top tier film fests, but according to IndieWIRE, Zeitgeist Films’ extremely picky Emily Russo and Nancy Gerstman have chosen to adopt Jean-Paul Civeyrac’s My Friend Victoria. We briefly touched base with the project on last year’s Most Anticipated list; this is perhaps his longest time between features since he began making films and according to this interview, has been the most prosperous in term of box office back at home. My Friend Victoria will open in New York and Los Angeles in the early fall.

Gist: Adapted from a short story by Doris Lessing, this is about Victoria, a little black girl aged 8 who comes from a humble background, happens to spend the night...

Read More: Watch: Trailer for Fslc's 20th Rendez-Vous with French Cinema Demands 'Regardez Moi!' Zeitgeist Films has acquired Jean-Paul Civeyrac's "My Friend Victoria," which premiered at the Film Society of Lincoln Center's Rendez-Vous with French Cinema. The film was adapted from a short story by Doris Lessing, which follows Victoria, a young Parisian orphan who is overwhelmed by an evening with a bourgeois family.  Zeitgeist Co-Presidents Emily Russo and Nancy Gerstman said that they were thrilled by the acquisition, noting that the mostly unknown cast is brilliant.  "Civeyrac is a real auteur," they said. "Lessing is a complex writer and everyone involved has made a touching and accessible film from her work." "My Friend Victoria" will open in New York and Los Angeles in the early fall. Read More: 5 Must-See New French Films From Rendez-Vous with French Cinema...

My Friend Victoria (Mon amie Victoria)

Director: Jean-Paul Civeyrac

Writers: Jean-Paul Civeyrac

Producer(s): Les Films Pelleas

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available

Cast: Catherine Mouchet, Pascal Greggory, Aurore Broutin

Director Jean-Paul Civeyrac has debuted his films at notable festivals for years now, yet his works don’t seem to get Us distribution. Now, with his 8th feature, he turns to Doris Lessing for inspiration, a British author whose works seem to be an inspiration for many French directors (last year Anne Fontaine made her English language debut with Adore, an adaptation of a Lessing story). Mouchet and Broutin are actresses that have popped up in a number of notable features, while Pascal Greggory is always a welcome addition to any cast (he also headlined 2007’s La France, from Civeyrac’s contemporary, Serge Bozon).

Gist: Based on the novel by Doris Lessing, Victoria, an 8 year-old black girl from a poor background,...