For anyone who’s wondered what a French movie version of the Beauty and the Beast fairy tale might look like, the 13th annual French Film Festival can show you. Presented by the New Orleans Film Society and the Consulat Général de France á la Nouvelle-Orléans, the festival features six French language films at the Prytania Theatre August 6 through August 10.

Mesrine: Killer Instinct

In addition to La Belle et le Bête, which is a black and white film from the 1940s, the festival also features a two-part thriller, Mesrine: Killer Instinct (2008) and Mesrine: Public Enemy No. 1 (2008), based on the life of Jacques Mesrine. A criminal mastermind, Mesrine is played by Vincent Cassel, the French fiend (the Night Fox) of the Ocean’s Twelve crew.

Also featured are two dramas, Mademoiselle Chambon (2009) and Le Pere de Mes Enfants (The Father of My Children [2009]), both of which follow families in turmoil. Parlez-moi de la Pluie (Let it Rain [2008]) is a dramedy about a French feminist politician whose life falls apart while being filmed for a documentary by an inept cameraman and reporter.

For a full synopsis of all of the films, trailers and schedules, visit the New Orleans Film Society’s Web site, www.neworleansfilmsociety.org. Tickets are $6.50 for NOFS members and $8.50 for general admission.