The American French Film Festival Unveils Full Lineup For 29th Annual Event
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- Category: Entertainment News
- Published on Wednesday, 01 October 2025 10:04
- Written by A&E Contributing Editor
At a press conference held at the Beverly Hills Résidence de France, members of the Franco-American Cultural Fund and The American French Film Festival Programmer announced the full lineup of films and series to be presented at the Festival.
The American French Film Festival will take place October 28 to November 3 at the Director's Guild of America theater complex.
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Participating in the press event today were host Adrien Frier, Consul General of France in Los Angeles; Cécile Rap-Veber, CEO, SACEM and President of the Franco-American Cultural Fund; Howard Rodman, FACF and WGAW Board member; François Truffart, Executive Producer and Programmer, The American French Film Festival; and Anouchka van Riel, Deputy Director, The American French Film Festival. The presentation was moderated by Peter Debruge, Chief Film Critic for Variety.
"Four out of the five films that were on France's short-list for International Film at the Oscars will be featured at TAFFF this year, including our Opening Night film A PRIVATE LIFE and our Centerpiece film NOUVELLE VAGUE. In addition, we are pleased to announce today that the closing film of this 29th edition will be the exclusive presentation of GURU, co-written and directed by Yann Gozlan and starring Pierre Niney. We couldn't be more excited to present this outstanding lineup," said Cécile Rap-Veber, CEO, SACEM and President of the Franco American Cultural Fund.
"The 2025 TAFFF Selection reflects the stature the Festival has achieved over the past nearly three decades. It is recognized by distributors and studios as the foremost platform for the promotion of French productions and co-productions in the United States," said François Truffart, Executive Producer and Programmer. "All genres are represented to underline how diverse and creative French production remains. At a time when the importance of diversity is too often called into question, we take pride in continuing to present new and diverse perspectives to American audiences. The cultural exchange fostered by a Festival such as ours has never been more essential than it is today."
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"The Franco American Cultural Fund was established in 1996 with the intention of strengthening the dialogue between the American and French film communities. Never have we seen such remarkable examples of that collaboration as we do in this year's lineup," said Anouchka van Riel, Deputy Director, TAFFF. "Specifically, Jodie Foster, an Academy Award-winning American Actress, stars in her first film performed entirely in French and by a French director, and American director Richard Linklater directed his first film in French, with a French crew and actors, about an iconic French director, Jean-Luc Goddard. The cross-over between French and American filmmakers is yielding ever more creatively interesting and entertaining visual storytelling and audiences aren't just paying attention – they are fully engaged and enthralled."
The entire lineup for the Festival includes 70 films and series, with 42 fiction features, nine series, six documentaries and 13 short films, many of which are either World, International , North American or U.S. premiere presentations; 69 of them will be up for The American French Film Festival Awards. Thirty films and documentaries will be presented at TAFFF after premiering at the latest editions of the Berlin, Cannes, Venice, and Toronto International Film Festivals. Twenty-five films and series will be presented at the Festival before their release in France. Seventeen films and series will be presented in association with US distributors.
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As previously announced, the Opening Night film (October 28) at this year's Festival will be Rebecca Zlotowski's A PRIVATE LIFE, starring Jodie Foster, Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira and Vincent Lacoste (presented in association with Sony Pictures Classics); and the Centerpiece film (October 30) will be Richard Linklater's NOUVELLE VAGUE, starring Guillaume Marbeck, Zoey Deutch, and Aubry Dullin (presented (in association with Netflix), which will also be the featured film in TAFFF's High School Screenings Program (presented in association with ELMA and Netflix). The documentary lineup was also previously announced. See all of those announcements here.
The Closing Night Film (November 3) will be GURU, co-written and directed by Yann Gozlan and starring Pierre Niney, and presented three months before its premiere in France.
Works from well-established filmmakers will shine in the selection again this year. In addition to Richard Linklater's film, the lineup will include these films by noted filmmakers: THE FENCE (Claire Denis), AT WORK (Valérie Donzelli), IT WAS JUST AN ACCIDENT - Palme d'Or Winner and France's Official Entry Academy Awards 2026 - (Jafar Panahi), THE STRANGER (Francois Ozon), A MAGNIFICENT LIFE (Sylvain Chomet), ENZO (Robin Campillo, Laurent Cantet), THE RICHEST WOMAN IN THE WORLD - starring Isabelle Huppert (Thierry Klifa), ONCE UPON MY MOTHER (Ken Scott), DOG 51 (Cédric Jimenez), THE HUNT (Cédric Anger), THE DEAL (Alice Winocour, Jean-Stéphane Bron), 13 DAYS, 13 NIGHTS (Martin Bourboulon) and THE RESIDENCE (Yann Gozlan, also at the festival for GURU).
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First and second films by up and coming filmmakers will be part of a new series called NEW WAVE SPOTLIGHT, including BAISE-EN-VILLE (Martin Jouvat), LOVE ME TENDER - Starring Vickie Krieps - (Anna Cazenave Cambet), SUMMER BEATS (Lisa Akoka, Romane Gueret), THE WONDERERS (Joséphine Japy), and HEARTS ON FIRE (Aurélien Peyre).
NEW HORIZONS, another series introduced at the Festival this year, will offer cinephiles the opportunity to discover the films of emerging and established French filmmakers who, both in form and substance, offer a unique cinematic vision. Among them are: SIRÂT - Spain's Official Entry Academy Awards 2026 - (Óliver Laxe), DRIFTING LAURENT (Anton Balekdjian, Léo Couture, Mattéo Eustachon), ARI (Léonor Seraille), THE GIRL IN THE SNOW (Louise Hémon), and THE PIANO ACCIDENT (Quentin Dupieux).
Thirty-one films and series directed by women will be part of the line up, including the Cannes Film Festival's Best Actress winner, THE LITTLE SISTER (Hafsia Herzi), THE SEDUCTION (Jessica Palud), PUT YOUR SOUL ON YOUR HAND AND WALK (Sepideh Farsi), TELL HER I LOVE HER (Romane Bohringer), MONSIEUR (Méliane Marcaggi), NINO (Pauline Loquès), BON VOYAGE MARIE (Enya Baroux), CASSANDRE (Hélène Merlin), SILENT REBELLION (Marie-Elsa Sgualdo) and THE LOST STATION GIRLS (Virginie Sauveur).
The complete program, with detailed descriptions of the featured films and series, is available online atwww.tafff.org .
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In addition to the program taking place at the DGA, TAFFF continues to host several industry workshops and meetings on behalf of the attending French delegation, thanks to to involvement of FACF members (DGA, SACEM, MPA, and WGA West) and Official Partners (CNC , Villa Albertine, Consulate General of France in Los Angeles, Unifrance).
ABOUT THE AMERICAN FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS
The American French Film Festival audience will be invited to vote in the three categories: Cinema, Television, and Shorts. For the 16th year, The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) will partner with The Festival for the Critics' Award and the First Feature Award in the cinema category.
For the eighth year, a student jury made of high school and college students, will vote for The American Students Award.
A professional jury will vote for the Best Series Award.
TAFFF Awards will be completed with Audience votes in all categories.
The 2025 Awards winners will be announced on November 4 and presented to the recipients during a special ceremony taking place in Paris on November 12.
THE AMERICAN FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS are presented in association with Air Tahiti Nui, AmaWaterways, LAist 89.3, Monsieur Marcel, and Viking.
All Films are presented with English subtitles.
INFORMATION ON TICKETS AND RSVP:
Tickets are available for advance purchase online at www.tafff.org starting on October 2. The online box office and RSVP will be open until the night before each show at the festival. Tickets will be also available on site at the Directors Guild of America, 7920 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90046 during the event. For sold out shows, some tickets may become available 20 minutes before each screening.
Please visit www.tafff.org for box office hours, week-long passes, and ticket prices. Discounts are available for members of American Cinematheque, ASC, ICG, Film Independent, SAG-AFTRA and Women in Film. Limited opening night tickets available at the Box Office. Tickets are complimentary for DGA and WGAW guild members (+ one guest). All screenings and events before 4 pm during weekdays are free on a first-come/first-served basis with no reservation needed.
On Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Monday festival goers will be invited to attend professional panels for free, followed by a complimentary wine and cheese reception (except on Saturday).
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ABOUT THE AMERICAN FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL
The American French Film Festival was created and is produced by the Franco-American Cultural Fund, a unique collaboration between the Directors Guild of America (DGA), the Motion Picture Association (MPA), France's Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (SACEM) and the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW). The American French Film Festival is presented in association with CNC - Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée, with the support of Villa Albertine, The Consulate General of France in Los Angeles, and Unifrance.
The American French Film Festival is sponsored by Air Tahiti Nui, ELMA, Champagne Louis Roederer, TV5 Monde, and Variety (Official Sponsors); Sony Classics (Opening Night Sponsor); Netflix (Centerpiece Night Sponsor); Barnstormer, Delsey, Ex Nihilo, France Télévisions, The Hollywood Reporter, LAist 89.3 (Premier Sponsors); Morphus, Sunset Marquis, West Coast Event Productions, Wine Wine Situation (Major Sponsors); Alliance Française de Los Angeles, Avene, Deadline, Hotel Paradiso, Glenfiddich, Hendrick's, Laura Chenel, Le Film Français, Marin French, Monsieur Marcel, Odacité, Screen, Vineyard Brands (Platinum Sponsors); Airstar, Cinando, International School Los Angeles, Laboratoires du Cap Ferret, La Vieille Ferme, Leos, Le Lycée Français de Los Angeles, Marché du Film/ Festival de Cannes, Maison et Domaines Les Alexandrins, Martingale, Mylittlefrenchpharmacy, Shaeri (Supporting Sponsors); Alliance Française de Pasadena, Aimer by Marie, Le Bon Garçon, Brûlée, Lily Bakery, Loulou, Ludivine Paris, Normandie Bakery, Queer Film Los Angeles, Ratatouille, Republique, Sweet Lily French bakery Cafe, Sweet Temptations/ Pitchoun Bakery, Théâtre Raymond Kabbaz, The Wine Station (Community Sponsors). The TAFFF Education Program is presented in partnership with ELMA.
For additional information visit : www.tafff.org
