Havana - A screening of the best French films of the last two years burns onto Cuban movies as of today with the beginning of the 18th French Cinema Festival, an event with a lot of followers in the island.

The movie "Timbuktu," winner of the highest award of French film, the 2014 Cesar Award, will be the gift of the opening gala tonight at the Havana's Chaplin Movies.

The 18th edition of this cultural event will screen this month about 26 excellently-made and international recognized French films.

Organizers of this event propose the screening of "Les Garçon et Guillaume, a Table!" winner of 2013 Cesar Prize with five statuettes, and the biggest box-office hit in France since "Intocable," entitled "My God, but what have we done to you?" (a Lumiere Award for Best Screenplay), a hilarious double-and-triple-sense comedy.

The festival will also screen the last film shot by late Alain Remains, an author linked to the film trend denominated Nouvelle Vague, and director of classics such as "Hiroshima mon amour".

The film to which French actress Marion Cotillard won an Oscar and Cesar award "Two Days One Night," and a new version of "Beauty and the Beast," winner of Cesar Award for Best Production Design in 2013), played by Vincent Cassel and Lea Seydoux.

As unique attraction, the French Film Institute sent this year four classics restored with a quality that, according to Cuban film critic Antonio Mazon, allow to appreciate much detail and better enjoy elements such as costumes, scenery and physical traits of the artists.

The restored films are "Zero for Conduct" (1933) by Jean Vigo; "La grande illusion" (1937) by Jean Renoir; "Children of Paradise" (1945) by Marcel Carne, and "Golden Helmet" (1952) by Jacques Becker.

Among the guests to the festival are awarded French-Greek film director Costa Gavras, winner of 1969 and 1982 Oscar awards, and current director of the French Film Library, which will present his film "Capital."