<p> Saucy, rustic and trademark French, the cult comedies lined up for the 9th Bengaluru International Film Festival (Biffes) should rev up the cinematic spirits. But is Mohamed Hamidi’s Arab-French comedy, La Vache (One Man and His Cow) the best appetiser? Ask the city’s movie buffs, 91 minutes into this year’s inaugural film on Thursday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The title is pretty straightforward. You have Fatah, a bundle of modesty and cheerfulness rolled into an Algerian peasant, and his cow Jacqueline. <br /><br />The film is about his dream destiny: To take Jacqueline to the Paris International Agricultural show. Invited, he borrows money from every man in the village, spends it on crossing the Mediterranean and ends up penniless. Fatah and the cow turn pedestrians, foraying into unchartered French territory enroute to Paris. The press spots the lone ranger, turning him into a sensation on social networks, triggering oodles of mirth. <br /><br />‘La Vache’ could well be the right spark for a straight dive into the French Cult Comedy section. On the Biffes agenda is ‘La Chevre,’ another 91-minute light-hearted flick by Francis Veber. It zooms into the accident-prone daughter of a French businessman, who disappears in Mexico. When the detective sent down to trace her returns empty-handed, an unusual plan surfaces: Send someone equally accident-prone to find her!<br /><br />Herve Palud’s ‘Little Indian, Big City’ beckons with its rollicking story of a frustrated French scholar’s sudden discovery of his fatherhood at a small party in the Amazon. Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s ‘Lovers like us’ steps onto the tricky path of Nelly, who runs away just after her engagement with Vittorio. <br /><br />A dose of espionage <br /><br />Now, how about a dose of espionage laced with adventure, humour and old fashioned thrills? In a nutshell, that is ‘OSS 117: Lost in Rio,” focused on a French spy, billed as the best in business by his superiors. His mission: To find a former high-ranking Nazi-in-exile in South America. Agent OSS 117 forays deep into territory Brazil in pursuit of an old man. And of course, a charming Mossad agent gives him company.<br /><br />Biffes begins today<br /><br />The Bengaluru International Film Festival’s (Biffes) seven-day extravaganza will begin simultaneously in the city and Mysuru on Thursday.<br /><br />Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will inaugurate the event in front of Vidhana Soudha in the evening. The festival will begin with Mohamed Hamidi’s ‘One Man and His Cow’. <br /><br />As many as 11 screens at Orion Mall in the city and four screens in Mall of Mysore, Mysuru will show 229 films, including Oscar-nominated and critics award winning movies.<br /><br />Asian (14 movies), Indian (13) and Kannada (12) are the categories in the competition section. Contemporary cinema of the world, films with country focus, directors' retrospectives, artistes’ retrospective, classic cult comedies from France and bio pics promise to offer an endless variety.<br /><br /></p>
<p> Saucy, rustic and trademark French, the cult comedies lined up for the 9th Bengaluru International Film Festival (Biffes) should rev up the cinematic spirits. But is Mohamed Hamidi’s Arab-French comedy, La Vache (One Man and His Cow) the best appetiser? Ask the city’s movie buffs, 91 minutes into this year’s inaugural film on Thursday.<br /><br /></p>.<p>The title is pretty straightforward. You have Fatah, a bundle of modesty and cheerfulness rolled into an Algerian peasant, and his cow Jacqueline. <br /><br />The film is about his dream destiny: To take Jacqueline to the Paris International Agricultural show. Invited, he borrows money from every man in the village, spends it on crossing the Mediterranean and ends up penniless. Fatah and the cow turn pedestrians, foraying into unchartered French territory enroute to Paris. The press spots the lone ranger, turning him into a sensation on social networks, triggering oodles of mirth. <br /><br />‘La Vache’ could well be the right spark for a straight dive into the French Cult Comedy section. On the Biffes agenda is ‘La Chevre,’ another 91-minute light-hearted flick by Francis Veber. It zooms into the accident-prone daughter of a French businessman, who disappears in Mexico. When the detective sent down to trace her returns empty-handed, an unusual plan surfaces: Send someone equally accident-prone to find her!<br /><br />Herve Palud’s ‘Little Indian, Big City’ beckons with its rollicking story of a frustrated French scholar’s sudden discovery of his fatherhood at a small party in the Amazon. Jean-Paul Rappeneau’s ‘Lovers like us’ steps onto the tricky path of Nelly, who runs away just after her engagement with Vittorio. <br /><br />A dose of espionage <br /><br />Now, how about a dose of espionage laced with adventure, humour and old fashioned thrills? In a nutshell, that is ‘OSS 117: Lost in Rio,” focused on a French spy, billed as the best in business by his superiors. His mission: To find a former high-ranking Nazi-in-exile in South America. Agent OSS 117 forays deep into territory Brazil in pursuit of an old man. And of course, a charming Mossad agent gives him company.<br /><br />Biffes begins today<br /><br />The Bengaluru International Film Festival’s (Biffes) seven-day extravaganza will begin simultaneously in the city and Mysuru on Thursday.<br /><br />Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will inaugurate the event in front of Vidhana Soudha in the evening. The festival will begin with Mohamed Hamidi’s ‘One Man and His Cow’. <br /><br />As many as 11 screens at Orion Mall in the city and four screens in Mall of Mysore, Mysuru will show 229 films, including Oscar-nominated and critics award winning movies.<br /><br />Asian (14 movies), Indian (13) and Kannada (12) are the categories in the competition section. Contemporary cinema of the world, films with country focus, directors' retrospectives, artistes’ retrospective, classic cult comedies from France and bio pics promise to offer an endless variety.<br /><br /></p>