The American French Film Festival will celebrate its 30th anniversary with one of its biggest programs to date, bringing 60 French films and series to Hollywood across six days in November. The milestone edition, running Nov. 3-8 at the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles, will showcase five international Oscar contenders alongside new work from some of French cinema's most recognizable stars.
Among the headline selections is «Minotaur,» France's official submission for the international feature Oscar. The lineup also includes «Fjord,» directed by Cristian Mungiu and serving as Romania's Oscar entry, and «Coward» from Lucas Dhont, which represents Belgium in the same race. The festival's programming reflects a broad view of French-language cinema that extends beyond France's borders, drawing on co-productions and francophone filmmaking from across Europe.
The anniversary slate features new movies starring Marion Cotillard, Léa Seydoux, Isabelle Huppert, Charlotte Gainsbourg and Camille Cottin, giving the Los Angeles audience a concentrated look at the current state of French film. The presence of so many established names alongside the Oscar contenders underscores the festival's role as a bridge between the French industry and American audiences, awards voters and distributors.
Held at the DGA Theater Complex, the event has grown over three decades into a key stop on the fall festival circuit. Its timing places it squarely within the international awards season, when foreign-language titles are campaigning for visibility in the United States. For French filmmakers and sales agents, the Los Angeles showcase offers a rare opportunity to present work directly to industry professionals and Academy members.
The 30th edition arrives as France has moved to formalize its awards-season strategy. The National Cinema Centre has appointed Sébastien Cauchon as its first dedicated Academy Awards liaison, tasked with supporting French candidates across the various categories of the 99th Academy Awards. The newly created position is intended to provide guidance and expertise to French film teams as they navigate the campaign season, a sign of how seriously the industry now treats the American awards landscape.
The festival's international dimension is further reflected in its inclusion of films that represent multiple countries' Oscar submissions. «Fjord» and «Coward» arrive with their own national campaigns behind them, while «Minotaur» carries France's hopes in the international feature category. Presenting them together in Los Angeles allows audiences to see the breadth of European cinema in a single program rather than through separate national showcases.
Beyond the awards contenders, the 60-title lineup spans features and series, a format that has become standard for the festival as television and streaming have reshaped how French-language stories reach global viewers. The mix of established auteurs, emerging directors and star-driven projects is designed to appeal to both the industry and the general public that attends the screenings.
The American French Film Festival has long served as a cultural exchange point, introducing American audiences to French-language work that might otherwise struggle to find distribution in the United States. Its 30th anniversary edition, with its largest lineup to date, signals that the appetite for that exchange remains strong even as the theatrical market and the awards calendar continue to shift.
With five international Oscar contenders, a roster of major French stars and a six-day program at the DGA, the festival's anniversary year positions it as one of the most substantial surveys of French cinema outside France. The event runs from Nov. 3 to Nov. 8 in Los Angeles.