38 films to screen over nine weeks, across 18 cities and 40 venues
Australian director Gracie Otto announced a Festival Patron
Tickets on sale Thursday, 5 February visit affrenchfilmfestival.org
The 37th Alliance Française French Film Festival has revealed its full program, launching a stellar lineup of 38 films, over nine weeks, across 18 cities and 40 venues.
The nation’s largest film festival and celebration of French film outside France will see festivalgoers embark on a unique cultural journey featuring French box-office smash-hits, star-studded adaptations, Hollywood stars and Cannes masterpieces.
The festival opens in Perth on 12 March and runs to 15 April, with screenings taking place at Palace Raine Square, Luna Leederville, Windsor Cinema and Luna on SX. The festival will also return to Bunbury Regional Entertainment Centre (BREC) from 25 to 29 March.
Opening this year’s festival will be Cédric Klapisch’s acclaimed LA VENUE DE L’AVENIR (COLOURS OF TIME), a playful homage to France’s rich artistic heritage and changing social mores. Starring Suzanne Lindon, Vincent Macaigne, Cécile de France and Paul Kircher, the comedic drama follows the lives of cousins who inherit an old house in rural Normandy and retrace the steps of their ancestors in 19thcentury Paris.
Closing the festival is Johann Dionnet’s AVIGNON (RODRIGUE IN LOVE). The must-see romantic comedy is set in the heart of the country's most famous theatre festival, Avignon, and stars Baptiste Lecaplain, Alison Wheeler and Lyès Salem.
This year’s 38-film lineup features 10 films directed by female filmmakers and has no shortage of French star power, with icons such as Isabelle Huppert in LA FEMME LA PLUS RICHE DU MONDE (THE RICHEST WOMAN IN THE WORLD) and Laure Calamy in CLASSE MOYENNE (THE PARTY’S OVER!) and C’EST QUOI L’AMOUR? (WHAT IS LOVE?), as well as exciting newcomers like Amélie Bonnin with PARTIR UN JOUR (LEAVE ONE DAY) and Enya Baroux in ON IRA (BON VOYAGE, MARIE).
Adding to the program’s line-up of powerhouse female filmmakers will be Julia Ducournau’s striking ALPHA, Cannes darling LA PETITE DERNIÉRE (THE LITTLE SISTER), a coming-of-age drama by Hafsia Herzi featuring break-out star Nadia Melliti; Rebecca Zlotowski’s VIE PRIVÉE (A PRIVATE LIFE) showcasing the extraordinary Jodie Foster in her first French language leading role; LA TOUR DE GLACE (THE ICE TOWER), directed by Lucile Hadžihalilović and starring Marion Cotillard; and Barbara Schulz’s LE SECRET DE KHÉOPS (TREASURE HUNTERS: ON THE TRACKS OF KHUFU).
Direct from the Croisette will also be Cannes Film Festival stand-outs L’INCONNU DE LA GRANDE ARCHE (THE GREAT ARCH), the story of Otto von Spreckelsen, a real-life architecture teacher from Copenhagen who surprised the world when he won an open-call competition to design the Great Arch of La Défense; French coming-of-age drama ENZO; DOSSIER 137 (CASE 137), a crime drama co-written and directed by Dominik Moll, starring Léa Drucker; and AMÉLIE ET LA MÉTAPHYSIQUE DES TUBES (LITTLE AMELIE OR THE CHARACTER OF RAIN), an animation from filmmakers Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han.
Audiences will travel to Paris and beyond with the return of the Festival’s much-loved showcase screening events including the ‘Centrepiece’ premiere of LA FEMME LA PLUS RICHE DU MONDE; ‘Taste of France’ selection LA RÉPARATION (REDRESS) from Oscar winner Régis Wargnier; ‘Classic Movie’, UN HOMME ET UNE FEMME (A MAN AND A WOMAN), a timeless masterpiece directed by Claude Lelouch and starring Anouk Aimée and Jean-Louis Trintignant; and ‘Ladies Night’ French time-travel comedy showcase C’ÉTAIT MIEUX DEMAIN (CYCLE OF TIME).
Joining the already announced headliner titles JEAN VALJEAN, L’ÉTRANGER (THE STRANGER), C’EST QUOI L’AMOUR? (WHAT IS LOVE?), COUTURES (COUTURE), CHIEN 51 (DOG 51) and CLASSE MOYENNE (THE PARTY’S OVER!), will be drama SIX JOURS, CE PRINTEMPS-LÀ (SIX DAYS IN SPRING), the 11th feature film from Joachim Lafosse; the latest film from the latest film from Carlos Abascal Peiro, FILS DE (THE SON OF) starring Jean Chevalier, Karin Viard, François Cluzet, Emilie Gavois-Kahn and Alex Lutz; and Dominique Baumard’s LES RÈGLES DE L’ART (THE FRENCH JOB), a French crime comedy inspired by the 2010 theft of five masterpieces from Paris' Museum of Modern Art.
The festival line-up also includes: MAIGRET ET LE MORT AMOUREUX (MAIGRET AND THE DEAD LOVER) based on the 1960 novel Maigret et les Vieillards by Georges Simenon; Grégory Magne’s LES MUSICIENS (THE MUSICIANS); dramedy UNE POINTE D’AMOUR (A DASH OF LOVE); L’AFFAIRE BOJARSKI (THE MONEY MAKER), a counterfeit thriller starring Reda Kateb; À BICYCLETTE (RIDE AWAY), directed by and starring Mathias Mlekuz with Philippe Rebbot; and 13 JOURS, 13 NUITS (13 DAYS, 13 NIGHTS), a tense thriller based on the true story of France’s successful attempt to get its own nationals, plus hundreds of Afghan citizens, out of Kabul in August 2021.
Making up the program are Frédéric Quiring's daring comedy DOUX JÉSUS (A NUN IN THE CITY); IL ÉTAIT UNE FOIS MICHEL LEGRAND (ONCE UPON A TIME MICHEL LEGRAND), a beautifully crafted documentary on one of France's greatest composers, Oscar-winner Michel Legrand; comedy T’AS PAS CHANGÉ (CLASS REUNION), a bittersweet and hilarious tribute to the 1990s; Yann Gozlan’s psychological thriller, GOUROU (GURU) starring Pierre Niney and Holt McCallany; writer-director Nathan Ambrosioni’s gripping LES ENFANTS VONT BIEN (OUT OF LOVE); and comedy LE ROUTARD (THE ROOKIE GUIDE), from director Philippe Mechelen.
Alliance Française French Film Festival CEO Frédéric Alliod said: “I am proud to unveil a selection of titles that invite Australian audiences to travel through French cinema, across time, continents and emotions. From powerful true stories and bold contemporary voices to comedies, period dramas and unforgettable romances, this year’s programme reflects the extraordinary vitality and diversity of French cinema. We remain deeply committed to championing women on screen and behind the camera, celebrating new talents alongside cinema legends, and offering films that move, surprise and inspire. More than ever, the festival is a celebration of French storytelling in all its richness, openness and emotion, and a platform for intercultural exchange and dialogue with our loyal Australian audiences.”
Joining the Festival as Patron in 2026 is director and long-time Francophile, Gracie Otto (Seriously Red, Heartbreak High, The Artful Dodger). Otto said: “I am truly honoured to join the Alliance Française French Film Festival this year, a celebration that brings the richness, audacity and emotional resonance of French cinema to audiences across Australia. France has played a meaningful role in my life. I lived there for a time, I speak a little French, and I have long been inspired by the artistry, elegance and fearlessness of its filmmaking. Being part of this festival feels like reconnecting with a place and a cinema that have shaped my creative journey. I invite you to immerse your-selves in this year’s programme and discover the artistry, passion and imagination that continue to define French cinema.”
Alliance Française de Perth General Manager Alexandre Allais added: “For audiences in Perth, the Alliance Française French Film Festival has become a cultural fixture — a chance to come together each year and experience cinema that is intellectually adventurous, emotionally generous and unmistakably French. Alongside the public screenings, our schools program plays a vital role in using film as a gateway to language learning and nurturing a love of cinema and culture from an early age. It’s about creating access, conversation and connection, on screen and beyond."
The Alliance Française French Film Festival screens from 3 March – 26 April 2026 across the country. To view the full program or to secure tickets, visit affrenchfilmfestival.org