Belgian Ambassador Herman Portocarero (right) chats with Ueli Bangerter (centre), honorary consul to Switzerland, and Conny Zahner at the opening night of the 31st Francophone Film Festival on Monday. - photos by Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer

Fine wines, pté and classical music were all part of the opening night of the 31st Francophone Film Festival on Monday.

The headquarters of Alliance Française on Lilford Avenue hosted the event and though conditions underfoot were a little muddy from the remnants of Noel, guests huddled under the tent to take in the festivities. The premiere film was The Black Mozart in Cuba, a docu-film on the life of Chevalier Saint-George, the Guadeloupean musician.

This year, the festival will see films from Belgium, Canada, France, Haiti, Senegal and Switzerland. This year also sees movies from Morocco and Cte d'Ivoire on show. Ueli Bangerter, honorary consul for Switzerland, said that though the Swiss had sponsored the festival in previous years, this was the first time they were showing a film.

The Swiss film will be about the founder of the Red Cross. "It (the festival) is a great opportunity to showcase what Switzerland is all about. We are a country with a long history. We've been independent for over 700 years," he said.

Guests included Chief Justice Zaila McCalla, Syd Bartley, Della and Joseph Manley, Marie-Rose LaFleur, Fabian Brown, Blair Bobyk, Adrien Lemaire, Dhiru and Laura Tanna, Susan Alexander, Angela DeFreitas, Laurie Barnaby, Carol Hart, Hugh and Ouida Dunphy, Brian St. Juste, Derrick Wilkes, Robertha White, Michelle Hoo-Fatt, Maurice Gordon, Aminata Eluther-Wesley, Norma Harrack, Sir Roy Augier, Lincoln and Barbara Robinson and daughter Renée.

Jurgen Kuster (left) has the attention of French Ambassador Francis Hurtut (centre) and Jean-Noel Foulard of Bouygues Travaux.

The mother-and-daughter team of Michelle (right) and Zahra Orane were also out at the opening.