In past years, this mini-festival has not only served as a clearinghouse of brilliant French talent; it's also marked the Milwaukee premieres of numerous captivating international titles that otherwise would have never shown in an area movie theater. Once upon a time, there were enough independent screens across the country to offer fans of every genre a taste of what was being created around the globe. But nowadays, with higher overhead and expensive marketing costs, more festivals like this are being created - a salvation to fans of French cinema.

The festivities begin Friday at 8 p.m. with the Milwaukee premiere of "Conversations with my Gardener," a touching and sincere tale of friendship and nostalgia. It's about two childhood friends in France who reunite later in life, one hiring the other as a gardener, unaware of how the reunion will redefine the way they see the world.

All told, 13 films will be shown as part of the festival. And nine are works that have never before been seen in the city.

One of the crowning jewels of the series is "The Girl From Monaco," which will screen at 7 p.m. Saturday and 1 p.m. Sunday.

Directed by Anne Fontaine, the film is about a quirky attorney named Bernard (played by the comedic force Fabrice Luchini), who arrives in Monaco to defend a 70-year-old woman (the legendary Stephane Audran) accused of murder, only to encounter instead Audrey (played by the captivating newcomer Louise Bourgoin) an ambitious, cheeky and sexy weather girl from the local news channel.

Audrey is a total bombshell - sexy, beautiful and wildly enthusiastic - and she decides that Bernard is the man for her. So what if she's an idiot gold digger? Bernard is utterly smitten.

Warned repeatedly by his closest confidants to stay away, Bernard nevertheless pursues his muse and even as he defends Edith Lasalle, a woman undone by her relationship with a much younger lover, Bernard's parallel relationship with Audrey takes shape. Both cases, as it turns out, involve love triangles.

Many of the comedic bits in "The Girl From Monaco" are inspired, and most of them are courtesy of Louise Bourgoin, who is adept at physical comedy.

The casting here is the key. It renders the film as something quite memorable and remarkable.

As Audrey, Bourgoin is luminous and peppy and proudly tacky; her pink bedroom, with its stuffed animals and framed photo of Diana, the Princess of Wales, is laugh-out-loud funny.

Bourgoin makes Audrey absolutely irresistible despite the fact that she's like a shark or a heat-seeking missile when it comes to pursuing Bernard. She brings the perfect combination of fluff and stainless steel to the role. Much like Bertrand, we cannot look away. It is one of the most charming comedies I've seen in quite sometime.