It's lights, cameras ... subtitles as Bangkok's|multiplexes bring in commercial flicks that come not from Hollywood, but from Paris

The French Film Festival ended yesterday but Bangkok movie lovers can still catch French films.

Local distributor M Pictures picked up three festival selections plus one other French title. A fifth French film is being brought in by House cinema.

The festival's opener "Largo Winch" opened in a limited general release at SFW CentralWorld last Thursday. Based on a long-running Belgian comic series, it's a suspense thriller about the secret son of a billionaire raised in a Bosnian orphanage. It stars Tomer Sisley and Kristin Scott Thomas. A sequel is in the works, being filmed in Thailand. Director Jérôme Salle and Sisley were both here last week, scouting locations.

Starting today at Apex in Siam Square is "Public Enemy No 1 Part 1", covering the rise to power of gangster Jacques Mesrine. Vincent Cassel heads an all-star cast.

Opening next Thursday at Major Cineplex, EGV, Paragon and Esplanade is "Banlieu 13: Ultimatum", a sequel to the 2004 action hit. Cyril Raffaelli and David Beller are back in rough-and-tumble District 13 on a mission to bring peace to the troubled sector that is a battleground for five gang bosses. The fearless duo use parkour, the art of climbing and vaulting to overcome urban obstacles.

On July 23, House cinema on RCA will have François Ozon's latest, "Ricky", a comedic fantasy about a magical baby.

The "Summer of French Cinema" wraps up with the July 30 release of "Public Enemy No 1 Part 2" at Apex, the second part of the biopic covering Mesrine's life.