Low budget films - where the 'budget is the aesthetic' - are as old as cinema. The pressure of money helped to define Italian neorealism, the French nouvelle vague, British free cinema and the world of genre B movies, as well as numerous traditions of 'auteur' cinema.

From 30 May, the Institut français is hosting 'A Fistful of Euros', a festival, conference and graduate training programme on low budget filmmaking in Europe organized by the London Film School , in collaboration with La Fémis , Budapest Academy of Drama & Film and National Film School of Denmark .

It is built around case studies of new and classic examples of films made for under 3 million Euros, all screening at Ciné lumière. Highlights include Béla Tarr’s Damnation , Sergei Parajanov’s Colour of Pomegranates , Ágnes Kocsis’ Fresh Air , Christian E Christiansen’s Razone and a UK premiere of Marion Laine’s Un coeur simple starring Sandrine Bonnaire.                                     

Programme at Ciné lumière

Fri 30 May • 6.30pm		Sat 31 May • 6.00pm		Sun 1 June  •  5.00pm		Tue 3 June • 6.30pm
TOGETHER		CUL-DE-SAC		THE COLOUR OF POMEGRANATES		FEAR EATS THE SOUL
Fri 30 May • 8.45pm		Sat 31 May • 8.30pm		Sun 1 June • 7.00pm		Tue 3 June • 8.30pm
THE MATCH FACTORY GIRL		BOY MEETS GIRL		A FISTFUL OF DOLLARS		UN COEUR SIMPLE
___ ____________________________________________________________
Wed 4 June • 6.15pm		Thu 5 June • 6.30pm
FRESH AIR		WITTENGSTEIN
Wed 4 June • 8.45pm		Thu 5 June • 8.15pm
DAMNATION		LIFE HITS