Festival Highlights: What to add to your watchlist

With 42 films in this year's Festival line-up, it can be hard to know where to start. We have curated some categories to get you on track and discover some of the hidden gems of this year's Festival. From topical dramas to side-splitting comedies, these French films are sure to satisfy. Check out what you should add to your Festival watchlist.


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Limited Time Only Limited Time Only César Award Winners César Award Winners Familiar Faces Familiar Faces Let the Music Play Let the Music Play


 

Limited Time Only

The Alliance Française French Film Festival has the privilege to share new and upcoming French cinema – including exclusive screenings of remastered classics and special sneak peeks. Don't miss the opportunity to see these films during the Festival!


Army of Shadows

One screening only
Sunday 6 April

One of history’s greatest war films, now restored in 4K, see acclaimed director Jean-Pierre Melville's unglamorous and nuanced study of the French Resistance, eating itself from the inside.

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Emmanuelle

One screening only
Thursday 27 March

This revolutionary adaptation of Emmanuelle Arsan’s eponymous novel is a masterclass in pleasure. Screening exclusively at AF FFF25, this film is a sensory experience not to be missed.

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Jane Austen Wrecked My Life!

Two screenings only
Thu 17 and Sun 20 April

A touching love letter to the Regency author who still shapes our conversations on love today. Wry, subtle, and with a big heart, it asks: would you write the end to your own love story if you could?

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And the César goes to...

The César Awards, the French version of the Oscars, was held on 28 February 2025, honouring the best French films of 2024. With nine French Film Festival films nominated over 18 categories, here are the three most decorated from this year's César Awards.


The Story of Souleymane

Boris Lojkine’s propulsive drama follows a young courier as he races across Paris whilst preparing for a life-changing residency interview. 

WINNER OF FOUR CÉSAR AWARDS:
Best Supporting Actress
Best Male Revelation
Best Original Screenplay
Best Editing

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The Count of Monte Cristo

Pierre Niney leads a stellar cast in a thrilling new adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ epic adventure. 

WINNER OF TWO CÉSAR AWARDS:
Best Costume Design
Best Production Design

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Limited Screenings - 4 Days Only


Holy Cow

With an unfiltered realism, this debut features heartfelt performances by non-professional actors and real farmers, paying tribute to community, resilience, love, and cheese curds in pastoral France.

WINNER OF TWO CÉSAR AWARDS:
Best Female Revelation
Best First Film

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Additional winners include Alain Chabat for Best Supporting Actor in Beating Hearts and an Honorary César for Costa-Gavras, director of Before What Comes After.

 

Familiar Names, Familiar Faces

Big names on the big screen, watch the latest from these powerhouses of French cinema. 


Laure Calamy
My Everything

Calamy plays single, middle-aged beautician Mona, completely dedicated to her 30-year-old son Joël, who lives with cerebral palsy. Joël works is secretly in love with co-worker Océane; while Mona knows nothing of their relationship, all is revealed when it becomes evident that Océane is pregnant.

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Camille Cottin
Three Friends

Turning pain into beauty and the ordinary into tragedy, Three Friends is a study of the lies we tell ourselves and each other. Cottin plays Alice whose marriage to Eric is nice enough but she’s only pretending. Three friends, three lies, three truths – this is a compelling film you don't want to miss!

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Charlotte Gainsbourg
Meet the Leroys

Gainsbourg plays Sandrine, bitterly unhappy and intent on divorcing her husband. A moving story of the veneer we paint over lost connections and a reminder that even the brightest bonds can fade, despite our best intentions – a bittersweet exploration of the things we lose without realising.

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Louis Garrel
Saint-Ex

Discover the true story behind the man who wrote Le Petit Prince. Louis Garrel plays pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry in this exhilarating tale of courage, skill, and daring – with sweeping, epic cinematography.

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Daniel Auteuil
The Thread

One of France’s most beloved and awarded actors, Daniel Auteuil is also an accomplished writer and director and this engrossing new legal thriller finds him once again in outstanding form.

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Benoît Magimel
No Chains No Masters

Magimel plays the ruthless Eugène Larcenet, a plantation owner in No Chains No Masters, which captures history with unflinching force. An unmissable journey following those who dare to stand against injustice.

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Let the Music Play!

Music has been an integral part of film since the birth of cinema. Both artistic mediums have the power to move you, so when they are expertly combined, you will leave feeling touched, provoked and inspired. These films are a delight for the eyes and the ears.


Bolero

A tribute to the timelessness of the composer’s haunting masterpiece, Bolero takes us on a deconstructed, elliptical journey through the idiosyncratic life of Maurice Ravel, via his struggle to complete that 17-minute piece of music.

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My Brother's Band

Thibaut, a renowned orchestra conductor, discovers the existence of a younger brother, Jimmy, who plays the trombone in a community brass band. Living two disparate lives, Thibaut tries to help nurture his brother’s untapped gifts.

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Prodigies

Twin pianists Claire and Jeanne have been trained for greatness. But while They might have been prodigies at home, at the Karlsruhe Conservatory of Music, they're nothing. An unmissable film of passion, obsession, and sibling rivalry.

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More Festival Blog Posts

See more from the Festival, including some of our other recommendations and our local French Film Festival page.


L'amour toujours

Dive into a romantic collection of this year's line-up. From passionate epics to charming romantic comedies, our 2025 line-up is full of heart and desire. There's a reason French is known as the language of love!


French Film Festival

See more about all of our local special events; our regional screenings in Mt Gambier, Renmark and Victor Harbor; Festival trailer and raffle; school screenings; volunteering opportunities and so much more!


About the Alliance Française French Film Festival

The 36th Alliance Française French Film Festival continues a thriving annual celebration of French cinema as a cornerstone of cultural exchange, fostering a deeper appreciation of the French language and Francophone cultures. With its diverse film lineup and a vibrant program of special events, the Alliance Française French Film Festival is the perfect launchpad for another extraordinary year of cultural activities in Australia.

From our Opening Night film, Monsieur Aznavour, to our Closing Night film, In the Sub for Love, and the 40 other films in between - there's something for everyone. We invite you to join us in an unforgettable cinematic journey, celebrating the art of French storytelling and the enduring friendship between France and Australia!


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