Holy Cow (in-person & online)

Clément Faveau, Maiwenne Barthelemy, Luna Garret

An 18-year-old growing up in France’s Jura region, Totone (Clement Faveau) spends most of his time drinking beer and partying with his friends. But when he’s unexpectedly faced with taking care of his young sister and making a living, he has to buck up his ideas. Now in control of the family farm, he decides to enter a competition for the best Comté cheese in the region – hoping to win gold and a hefty 30,000 euro prize.

Filmed on location in the western French Alps and featuring a lively ensemble cast of first-time actors drawn from the area, Louise Courvoisier’s feature debut premiered in Un Certain Regard at Cannes this year. An earthy romp with a really charming performance from its young lead Faveau, it’s a verité look at the hardscrabble life of French agriculture, a sweet romance and a loving ode – both reverent, and irreverent – to the glories of cheese.