TAFFF 2025 - Centerpiece

 THE AMERICAN FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL TO PRESENT RICHARD LINKLATER’S NOUVELLE VAGUE AS CENTERPIECE OF THIS YEAR’S FESTIVAL

Special Red Carpet Event and Hollywood Premiere to Take Place October 30 at the DGA Theater

The Franco American Cultural Fund (FACF) is announcing that celebrated indie filmmaker Richard Linklater’s latest film Nouvelle Vague (New Wave) will be a centerpiece of the 29th edition of The American French Film Festival (TAFFF).  Taking place on Thursday, October 30, the red carpet Hollywood premiere will be presented in association with Netflix.

Nouvelle Vague is Oscar-nominated director Richard Linklater’s love letter to the spellbinding magic of French cinema, reimagining the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s revolutionary À Bout de Souffle (Breathless), which ultimately cemented Godard as a pioneer of the French New Wave. Linklater includes a mix of fresh faces and daring talents — including Guillaume Marbeck as Godard himself, Aubry Dullin as Jean-Paul Belmondo, and Zoey Deutch as Jean Seberg,— who collectively bring this spontaneous, electric film to life. Capturing the youthful dynamism and creative chaos at the heart of one of the world’s most-beloved and influential movies, Nouvelle Vague transports us to the streets of 1959 Paris for an ode to the power of cinema to transform our lives.

“The word ‘auteur’ is itself French and signifies a film director’s unique style or thematic focus.  Over his 33 films, Richard Linklater has proven himself to be an American Auteur, so it’s a delight that he’s chosen to celebrate one of French cinema’s greatest auteurs, Jean Luc Godard, in his new French language film, Nouvelle Vague.  By presenting the Hollywood Premiere of Richard’s new film, TAFFF is fulfilling its original DNA, which was to foster cultural exchange between French & American filmmakers,”said Taylor Hackford, Board member of the Franco-American Cultural Fund and former President of the Directors Guild of America (DGA).  “But more than a portrait of Godard and his art, this film portrays an entire generation of filmmakers and resurrects the vibrant spirit that infused this prolific period of French Cinema.”

The American French Film Festival will take place October 28 to November 3 at the renowned Director’s Guild of America Theater Complex in Los Angeles.  Nouvelle Vague will premiere Thursday, October 30, ahead of its theatrical premiere on October 31 and Netflix premiere on November 14. The film will be among those competing for the 2025 TAFFF Awards, awarded during a ceremony in Paris held after the Festival, and is one of the films presented at the Festival that will be a contender for recognition during the upcoming Awards season. 

Nouvelle Vague is produced by Laurent Pétin and Michèle Pétin (Halberstadt). The film is distributed in the United States by Netflix and in France by ARP Sélection. 

The full line-up of the 29th edition of The American French Film Festival will be announced on September 30. 

About The American French Film Festival 

The American French Film Festival, “A Week of French Film & Series Premieres and Awards in Hollywood,” is produced by the Franco-American Cultural Fund (FACF)—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).

TAFFF is presented in association with CNC - Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée, Unifrance, The Consulate General of France in Los Angeles, Villa Albertine, with the support of Air Tahiti Nui, Champagne Louis Roederer, ELMA, L’Oréal, TV5 Monde, and Variety. The TAFFF Education Program is presented in association with ELMA.

For more information, visit: www.tafff.org

TAFFF 2025 - Opening

REBECCA ZLOTOWSKI’S A PRIVATE LIFE (VIE PRIVÉE) STARRING JODIE FOSTER TO OPEN THE 29TH ANNUAL AMERICAN FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL 

Festival Extended to Seven Days - October 28 to November 3

The American French Film Festival (TAFFF) will open it’s 29th annual edition on October 28 with the Hollywood premiere of filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski’s psychological thriller A Private Life (Vie privée), starring Oscar-winning actress Jodie Foster, and the César Award-winning Daniel Auteuil, Virginie Efira, Vincent Lacoste, and Mathieu Amalric. The film’s Opening Night screening is presented in association with Sony Pictures Classics. The announcement was made today by The Franco-American Cultural Fund (FACF), the originator of TAFFF. 

A Private Life will kick off a seven-day festival, which has been extended by a day from its original six-day schedule: running October 28 to November 3 at the renowned Director’s Guild of America Theater Complex in Los Angeles.  The film will also be presented on Wednesday, October 29 as part of the regular schedule and be among those competing for the 2025 TAFFF Awards, awarded during a ceremony in Paris held after the Festival. 

“The American French Film Festival is the place for French films and series to shine at the beginning of awards season in Los Angeles,” notes Taylor Hackford, Board member of the Franco-American Cultural Fund and former President of the Directors Guild of America (DGA). “This year will be another phenomenal lineup, and we couldn’t be happier to kick things off with Rebecca Zlotowski’s tour-de-force, A Private Life. Jodie Foster gives a riveting performance - masterfully delivered as if French were her first language. The film is representative of what makes this Festival shine - a collaborative effort between the French and the Americans.  It will no doubt be one of the contenders presented at TAFFF for the awards season this year.”

A Private Life is the story of renowned psychiatrist Lillian Steiner (Foster) who is deeply troubled when she learns of the death of one of her patients. Convinced that it was murder, she decides to investigate. The film has a dream cast; most notably in its magical pairing of Jodie Foster and Daniel Auteuil, as a divorced pair whose profound affection and lingering lust may be the most-touching payoff of this clever whodunit.

In January of this year, writer/director Rebecca Zlotowski was honored with the Unifrance French Cinema Award, honoring filmmakers who have contributed to making French cinema shine abroad. A Private Life premiered as part of the Official Selection at this year's Cannes Film Festival. It will be presented at TAFFF as the Opening Film and Official Los Angeles Premiere, before its release in France and in the US. 

A Private Life is produced by Frédéric Jouve (Les Films Velvet), Rebecca Zlotowski (Buenos Hair), and France 3 Cinema. The film is distributed in the United States by Sony Pictures Classics. 

The entire lineup for this The American French Film Festival this year will be announced on September 30th.

About The American French Film Festival 

The American French Film Festival is produced by the Franco-American Cultural Fund (FACF)—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).

TAFFF is presented in association with CNC - Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée, Unifrance, The Consulate General of France in Los Angeles, Villa Albertine, with the support of Air Tahiti Nui, Champagne Louis Roederer, ELMA, L’Oréal, TV5 Monde, and Variety. The TAFFF Education Program is presented in association with ELMA.