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There are two types of people in this world, apparently: Those who would find a staff-led singalong of “Let My People Go” in a hospital cancer ward comforting, even inspiring, and those for whom it would only exacerbate the agony. Emmanuelle Bercot’s heart-on-sleeve medical drama “Peaceful” is populated largely by the former group, and duly presumes a high tolerance for sentimentality in its audience — though there are pockets of perceptiveness amid its stickier emotional gestures. Following the last year in the life of terminal cancer patient Benjamin (Benoit Magimel) as he struggles to accept his imminent death and tie up the loose ends of his past, the film is too emotionally blunt not to wring tears (or at least a solid lump in the throat) where required, though they don’t always feel artfully earned. Either way, at over two hours, it’s a long trudge toward an inevitable end.

François Ozon with Katell Quillévéré (Réparer Les Vivants) and Emmanuelle Bercot (La Fille De Brest) Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

A highlight of the Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in New York, Frantz (César winner - Best Cinematography to Pascal Marti) is François Ozon's inspired take on Ernst Lubitsch’s 1932 post-World War I drama Broken Lullaby, which tells the story of a French soldier, here called Adrien (Pierre Niney) who locates the family of a German soldier, Frantz (Anton von Lucke) who died at the front.

Based on the play by Maurice Rostand, Ozon switches perspective to that of the grieving fiancée Anna (Paula Beer), an orphan living with Frantz's parents (Ernst Stötzner and Marie Gruber). A painting by Manet of a pale young man, head back, that hangs in the Louvre triggers a variety of Carlotta moments. Cyrielle Clair as Adrien's mother would be perfectly at home in a lineup of dangerous Alfred Hitchcock matriarchs.

Class of 2017 Rendez-Vous with French Cinema opening night Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

Pictured above from left to right are: Frantz's François Ozon, uniFrance General Director Isabelle Giordano, Reda Kateb and Cécile de France, stars of Django, a highlight of the festival, Mal De Pierres' Nicole Garcia, Django's Étienne Comar, Réparer Les Vivants' Katell Quillévéré, composer Martin Wheeler for 150 Milligrams and Sólveig Anspach's L'Effet Aquatique, Planetarium's Rebecca Zlotowski, La Fille De Brest's Emmanuelle Bercot, and in the front row, Florence Almozini, Associate Director of Programming for the Film Society of Lincoln Center with Agnès Varda for the Opening Night of the 22nd edition of New York's Rendez-Vous with French Cinema on March 1 at the Walter Reade Theater.

Rendez-Vous with French Cinema at the Film Society of Lincoln Center Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze

Jérôme Salle’s The Odyssey (L'Odyssée) starring Lambert Wilson as Jacques Cousteau with Audrey Tautou...

More nominations for Elle with Isabelle Huppert in the Césars Photo: UniFrance

The organisers of France’s equivalent of the Oscars, the Césars, today announced this year's contenders, which include Paul Verhoeven’s Elle with 11 nominations (the same tally as François Ozon’s Frantz) and nine nominations for Bruno Dumont’s Slack Bay (Ma Loute).

The 42nd edition of the Césars sees Isabelle Huppert, in the best actress category for Elle, score her 16th nomination although she has won only once - for Claude Chabrol’s La Cérémonie. The accolade follows on her best actress Oscar nomination and her Golden Globes win as well as accolades such as the French Cinema Award and the London Critics’ Circle nod. Among her rivals are Marion Cotillard for Mal De Pierres, Virginia Efira for Victoria, and Borgen star Sidse Babett Knudsen for La Fille De Brest.

Vying for best film are Elle, Frantz,...

Guests attending this year to include Bernardo Bertolucci, Don DeLillo, Ralph Fiennes.Scroll down for full line-up

The Rome Film Festival (Oct 13-23) has revealed its line-up for 2016.

The festival will present 44 films and documentaries in its official programme, selected from 26 countries.

Rome will open with Barry Jenkins’ Moonlight, which premiered in Toronto.

Further titles in the Official Selection include Gavin O’Connor’s The Accountant [pictured], starring Ben Affleck and Anna Kendrick, Nate Parker’s The Birth Of A Nation, Kenneth Lonergan’s Manchester By The Sea, and Oliver Stone’s Snowden.

The festival’s previously announced Alice In The City line-up will include John Carney’s Sing Street and Matt Ross’s Captain Fantastic.

The Everybody’s Talking About It strand, which highlights films that has generated exceptional buzz following their international debuts, will showcase Yeon Sang-ho’s Train To Busan, Michael Grandage’s Genius, David Mackenzie’s Hell Or High Water, and [link=nm...