Calling all Francophones and friends: Pick up the phone and hop in, we’re going to the cinema. But beware, these aren’t your grandmother’s French films. 

The French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF) hosted the in-person portion of “Burning Brighter: New Voices in French Cinema 2021” from Oct. 1-Oct. 3. The festival opened to a packed theater with a line of eager cinephiles that snaked from the entrance of Florence Gould Hall down the block. 

Descending into the theater felt like entering a hallowed space. The red velvet-covered seats welcomed the bodies of patrons absent for many months. There was a sense of fullness and openness in the air. A desire to see a wide reality of experiences reflected on the big screen was satisfied by the inclusive and varied programming. 

“French cinema is not only the one you see through medias in A-list film festivals, it is also a growing bunch of independent filmmakers, not necessarily trained in film schools, who have no family or network in the film industry but who definitely have something to say, from their perspective, about the French society,” Claire Diao, festival co-curator, said. “It is a fresh new generation of filmmakers, actors, but also producers.”

The festival opened with Chloé Mazlo’s first feature, “Skies of Lebanon” (“Sous le ciel d’Alice”). Set just before the Lebanese Civil War, the film follows Alice, played by Alba Rohrwacher, as she leaves her home in Switzerland to become a nanny in Beirut. She quickly falls in love with a man and the city. 

Both her gentle astrophysicist husband (Wajdi Mouawad) and Beirut glow on screen with a reassuring warmth. Things shift when the clouds of war cast a dismal drudgery on their lives, interspersed by moments of heartache and looming violence. The insertion of stop-motion scenes add much-needed comic relief. The audience laughed in unison, and it seemed safe to say we were rooting for their love to outlast the war.

The expansive foray into the realities of life beyond the physical borders of France leaves the viewer eager to watch French cinema, showcasing the whole of the French-speaking world.

A war can be waged not just with weapons but also with words. Weaponized with rhythm and spit out in a steady stream, Clément, a struggling rapper, catches the attention of his rap idol by throwing it down during a radio interview. Rarely seen on a screen of this magnitude, the popular series “All the Way Up” depicts the highs and lows of navigating the French hip-hop scene from the ground up.

The festival continued with the North American premieres of “Simply Black,” “A Brighter Tomorrow” and “Blind Spot” among others. Mixed into the slew of films was the “Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in French and American Cinema” roundtable, as well as a variety of short films. Tales of racial justice, returning home, identity and finding one’s place in the world danced across the screen. 

The filmmakers boldly explored their connections to places of home: Guadeloupe, Lebanon, Morocco, Sri Lanka, the Ivory Coast and France. The expansive foray into the realities of life beyond the physical borders of France leaves the viewer eager to watch French cinema, showcasing the whole of the French-speaking world. The online portion of the festival, which ran from Oct. 3-Oct. 10, offered the perfect opportunity to do so.

Though Diao has a special place in her heart for all of the films, she found something especially moving and poignant about “Your Kid” (“Timoun Aw”).

“Timoun Aw tackles another forgotten part of the French film industry: the West Indies.” Claire Diao, festival co-curator

“Your Kid” presents the dilemma of what to do when life drops a baby tucked in a reusable bag on your front doorstep. Chris, played by Sloan Descombes, answers the question the way many people would — by trying to return it. While being chased, he attempts to track down the child’s mother but instead stumbles upon the meaning of fatherhood, accepting responsibility and forging deep love.

“Above the cinematographic qualities of the film, the inner look offered by the filmmaker on his island and the fact that he is now developing a feature written with Nicolas Peufaillit, Timoun Aw tackles another forgotten part of the French film industry: the West Indies,” Diao said.

If you’ve already finished binge-watching “Lupin” and “Call My Agent” during the past year, these movies and shorts may be just what you need to satisfy your French film craving. The festival may be over, but for these new filmmakers, things are just heating up.