The 30th edition of The American French Film Festival opened on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, in Los Angeles. Until November 8, around sixty French films, series, and short films will be presented to professionals and the American public. A strategic event for French productions aiming to establish themselves in Hollywood, just months before the Oscars ceremony.
French cinema takes center stage in Hollywood for six days of screenings, meetings, and professional discussions. Held at the Directors Guild of America complex on Sunset Boulevard, The American French Film Festival (TAFFF) celebrates its 30th edition this year. Formerly known as COLCOA, the event was created in 1997 at the initiative of the Franco-American Cultural Fund, which notably includes the Directors Guild of America, the Motion Picture Association, Sacem, and the Writers Guild of America West. Since its inception, more than 1,200 French films and series have been showcased at the festival. This year’s program includes 34 feature films, 12 series, and 14 short films, with several American and international premieres. Among the 60 selected works, 45 received support from the National Center for Cinema and the Moving Image (CNC), highlighting the importance of public funding in French audiovisual production.
The opening night on Tuesday, November 3, was dedicated to « In Waves, » an animated feature directed by Phuong Mai Nguyen and adapted from AJ Dungo’s graphic novel. Set in California, the story explores themes of love, grief, and memory. It is the first time an animated film has opened the festival. The program also features several renowned filmmakers, including Stéphane Brizé with « À pied d’œuvre, » presented internationally as « A Good Little Soldier, » Pierre Salvadori with « La Vénus électrique, » Guillaume Canet with « Karma, » and Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache with « Juste une illusion. » The festival will also host « L’Abandon » by Vincent Garenq, focused on the last days before the assassination of Professor Samuel Paty, as well as the two parts of the historical epic « De Gaulle » directed by Antonin Baudry. The event will conclude on November 8 with « Le Rêve américain » by Anthony Marciano, inspired by the journey of two Frenchmen who became NBA player agents.
A Strategic Showcase Ahead of the Oscars Season
Beyond discovering new films, the festival is an opportunity to present French productions to distributors, critics, and American professionals. Its location in Los Angeles, at the start of the film awards season, gives it a special place in the international visibility strategy for these works. Several programmed films are among the candidates submitted by various countries for the 2027 Oscar for Best International Feature Film. This includes « Minotaur » by Andreï Zviaguintsev, presented by France, as well as « Coward » by Lukas Dhont for Belgium, « Fjord » by Cristian Mungiu for Romania, « All of a Sudden » by Ryūsuke Hamaguchi for Japan, and « Strawberries » by Laïla Marrakchi for Morocco. Their presence at the festival does not guarantee any nomination but can contribute to their exposure among professionals and American opinion leaders.
The stakes are also economic. The American market represents a significant opportunity for French producers seeking to develop international sales of their films and series in an environment dominated by major Hollywood productions and streaming platforms. From November 4 to 7, a professional program organized with the CNC will allow industry players from both sides to discuss their collaborations. Several meetings will notably address the use of artificial intelligence in audiovisual creation, marketing French films to young American audiences, and filming opportunities in France. The CNC will also present tax incentives designed to attract international productions to French territory. Festival awards will be announced at the closing ceremony on November 8. For the selected films, this Hollywood week thus represents a dual opportunity: to meet a new audience and strengthen their distribution prospects in the American market.
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