Preview: A Rendez-Vous With French Cinema, Curzon Mayfair, London

"French cinema is disappearing," says Jean-Marc Barr. "Outside of France, when you ask people about French cinema, they still mention film stars like Brigitte Bardot and Alain Delon, rather than any new French stars."

The actor and director, who starred in Luc Besson's The Big Blue and Lars von Trier's Europa, is part of Unifrance, organisers of this four-day showcase of French film. Highlights include the UK premieres of La Vie En Rose (La Môme), the life story of of Edith Piaf, starring Marion Cotillard alongside Gérard Depardieu; and The Singer (Quand J'etais Chanteur), with Depardieu - one of the few contemporary French actors known outside of the country - playing an ageing variety performer who falls in love with Cecile De France's headstrong estate agent.

Barr will introduce seven young, up-and-coming actors at the festival, including Romain Duris (Molière), the heartthrob Guillaume Canet, Transylvania star Amira Casar, and Sara Forestier. The latter won the 2005 César Award for most-promising actress in Abdel Kechiche's L'Esquive and stars alongside Juliette Binoche, John Turturro and Nick Nolte in A Few Days in September (Quelques Jours en Septembre), a spy thriller about the days leading up to the September 11 atrocity.

"We hope to spark European co-productions by promoting our stars," says Barr. "The Americans have taken over on the cinema front. In France, we are in survival mode at the moment. We are not producing cinematic stars, really more TV stars for domestic consumption."

Festival screenings include Duris in the love story Dans Paris and Canet in Tell No One (Ne Le Dis à Personne) - "sort of a French take on The Bourne Identity," says Barr. Bruno Dumont's Flanders, the story of young men fighting in an unnamed war with dire consequences, "is stylised, sparse and dark", says Barr. There is also a short-films programme.

"France is stuck in old visions," says Barr. "This needs to change."

29 March to 1 April (www.curzoncinemas.com; 08707 564 621)