Film snob for le weekend

Back in the day, French film buffs—what with all their François Truffaut this and Jean Luc Goddard that and insistence on referring to directors exclusively as auteurs—were considered to be a little snobby. And OK, maybe that’s still the case. Probably, that will always be the case. But ce n’est pas grave! Life is merde anyway, so why not take the opportunity to spend an entire weekend in the air-conditioned wonderland of the theater, taking in as many French flicks as you can at the 15th annual Sacramento French Film Festival, which is taking place over the weekends starting Friday, June 17, and ending Sunday, June 26. Here are our picks for standout events:

Kick things off on Friday, June 17, with a screening of Fatima, which won a César Award (the French equivalent of an Oscar) for best film this year, at the Crest Theatre (1013 K Street) at 7:30 p.m. The opening reception party will follow at the Grand Capitol Plaza Ballroom (1025 Ninth Street), which will have an open bar and food from Cafe Rolle, Hawks Public House, Kru, Shady Lady and the Melting Pot, among others.

This year, the festival expands from the Crest and will also be screening three films at the Esquire Imax Theatre (1211 K Street) on Sunday, June 19: One Man and His Cow, Tomorrow and Much Loved. Closing weekend, arrive early ahead of the Port of Shadows screening on Saturday, June 25, at 11 a.m. for a petite déjeuner (a.k.a. breakfast) in the lobby of the Crest, and then on Sunday, June 26, catch the final screening of the festival, Two Men in Town. Both films star French film legend Jean Gabin, and Charles Zigman, author of a book on Gabin, will lead a discussion following both screenings.

Ticket prices for individual screenings range from $11 to $17 and passes range from $37-$93.50. Find out more http://sacramentofrenchfilmfestival.org, and if you’re still totally confused by the pricing situation, organizers have (attempted) to put together a straightforward guide at: http://sacramentofrenchfilmfestival.org/tickets.htm#confused.