TAFFF 2026

THE AMERICAN FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL ANNOUNCES FULL

LINEUP OF SCREENINGS FOR THE 30TH ANNIVERSARY EVENT

INCLUDING:

• MINOTAUR - France’s Official Oscar Entry

• ALL OF A SUDDEN - French Co-Production and Japan’s Official Oscar Entry

• COWARD - French Co-Production and Belgium’s Official Oscar Entry

• FJORD - French Co-Production and Romania’s Official Oscar Entry

• STRAWBERRIES - French Co-Production and Morocco’s Official Oscar Entry

The Best of New French Cinema and Series To be Showcased

(31 Feature Films, 11 Series, 4 Documentaries and 14 Shorts)

For Awards Consideration at the DGA Theater Complex, November 3-8

Following the recent announcements of the Series, Documentaries and Short Films competitions as well as the Opening Film (Los AngelesPremiere of IN WAVES presented in association with Netflix), The Franco-American CulturalFund (FACF) today revealed the full lineup of films and series to compete for the 2026 TAFFF Awards during the 30th American French Film Festival (TAFFF), taking place from November 3-8, 2026, at the Directors Guild of America (DGA) Theater Complex on Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood. TAFFF Award Winners will be announced during a closing ceremony at the DGA on November 8.

“Since 1997, the Franco-American Cultural Fund, founder of The American French Film Festival, has brought more than 1,200 French films and series into the Hollywood spotlight and given thousands of French artists, from newcomers to well-known directors, to writers, composers, actors, and producers, the opportunity to present their work before their American peers in the heart of Hollywood,” said Taylor Hackford, director, former DGA president and FACF Board member. “This year, there will be another spectacular selection and delegation to celebrate the 30th anniversary event at the Directors Guild of America, making TAFFF the second oldest film festival in the city of Angels.”

“For 30 years, The American French Film Festival has established itself as a leading and unmissable international platform on the global circuit for promoting French films and series. Supporting filmmakers from their earliest short films to eventual Oscar recognition, creating a platform where both established and emerging talent can present their work, being the first to launch a series competition alongside feature films, and consistently championing female filmmakers, are just a few of the many meaningful milestones I cherish with TAFFF,” said François Truffart, Executive Producer and Programmer of the festival since 2004. “We work year-round with distributors to promote French releases across the U.S. and have created the largest American community dedicated to French cinema and series. It is truly an honor and privilege to see all of our efforts come to fruition and to introduce American audiences including guest members of the DGA, WGA, and this year, SAG-AFTRA, to an exclusive and diverse lineup, during the heart of awards season.”

“This year's selection is a cinema of resistance,” said Anouchka van Riel, Deputy Director, TAFFF. “Individuals stand up to systems that exist to grind them down: a corporate machine in A GOOD LITTLE SOLDIER and MINOTAUR, a courtroom built by men in WOMEN ON TRIAL, an online mob in FORSAKEN, and an exploitative labor chain in STRAWBERRIES. Running alongside that is a quieter thread about care, illness and what we owe one another, from the friendship forged against cancer in ALL OF A SUDDEN to the love story at the heart of IN WAVES. Between those who fight and those who care, the lineup returns to one question: at a time when intelligence is becoming artificial, what remains human? These films answer with the things no machine has learned (yet): to refuse, and to care. IN WAVES, set in Los Angeles and carried by surfing and friendship, anchors our High School Program, now in its 18th year, with more than 43,000 students welcomed to date. This year, 3,000 students from 60 schools will attend for free, including two public schools traveling from Utah, who will experience first-hand exposure to French films followed by a Q&A. It is our way of handing French cinema, and the questions it asks, to the next generation.”

The entire lineup for the 30th anniversary festival includes 60 films and series, with 31 fiction features, 11 series, four documentaries and 14 short films, many of which are either North American or U.S. Premiere presentations. 58 will be up for The American French Film Festival Awards. Almost half of the program (24 films and series) will be presented at TAFFF after premiering at the latest editions of the Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Locarno and Toronto International Film Festivals. 19 films and series will be presented at the Festival before their release in France and 18 films and series will be presented in association with US distributors.

Several exclusive presentations are expected to make an impact at the festival this year:

● The first screening in the US of the epic box office phenomenon, DE GAULLE, in association with Samuel Goldwyn Films. Written and directed by Antonin Baudry, the biopic stars Simon Abkarian as General Charles de Gaulle, both of whom will be in attendance in a back-to-back marathon presentation on Saturday, November 7.

● The US premiere of the comedy hit, ALL ABOUT CORINNE, written and directed by Marc Fitoussi and featuring actress Isabelle Huppert, on Friday, November 6.

● The North American Premiere of Guillaume Canet’s psychological thriller, KARMA, on Wednesday November 4, in association with Pathe Films and starring Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard.

● The West Coast Premiere of Venice 2026 Official selection and best screenplay winner, A GOOD LITTLE SOLDIER, presented in association with Gaumont on Saturday, November 7, and written and directed by Stephane Brizé.

● The highly anticipated political thriller, JUPITER, written and directed by Alexandre Smia in his feature directing debut, will be presented at TAFFF on Sunday November 8, beforeits release in France.

A number of official entries for Best International Film at the Academy Awards® 2027 will be presented as French co-productions: MINAUTOR (France) written and directed by Andrey Zviagintsev (in attendance) (with MUBI), ALL OF A SUDDEN (Japan) written and directed by Ryūsuke Hamaguchi (with Neon), COWARD (Belgium) written and directed by Lucas Dhont (with Mubi), FJORD (Romania) winner Cannes Palme d’Or 2026, written and directed by Cristian Mungiu (with Neon), and STRAWBERRIES (Morocco) written and directed by Laïla Marrakchi.

The program will also highlight French animation with three feature films: IN WAVES written and directed by Phuong Mai Nguyen (opening film in association with Netflix), IRON BOY written and directed by Louis Clichy (with Sony Pictures Classics), and BLAISE written and directed by Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Gigne, in addition to four animated short films.

With the festival moving from Spring to Fall, TAFFF created a unique opportunity to bring the best of the French selections from Cannes to Hollywood. For 2026, that resulted in 19 films from various selections including the Cannes opening film, THE ELECTRIC KISS, a romantic comedy written and directed by Pierre Salvadori; GENTLE MONSTER, written and directed by Marie Kreuzer and starring Léa Seydoux; ROMA ELASTICA, written and directed by Bertrand Mandico and starring Oscar winner Marion Cotillard and Noémie Merlant; A WOMAN’S LIFE, directed by Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet and FORSAKEN, a social drama written and directed by Vincent Garencq. From Venice International Film Festival, three films will be featured at TAFFF including ONE MINUTE TO MIDNIGHT written and directed by Nicolas Pariser, and from Locarno Film Festival, five movies including their opening selection, THE GREEN EYES, written and directed by Fanny Liatard and Jeremy Trouilh.

Seven films will compete for the Best First Feature including A GIRL UNKNOWN, written and directed by Zing Zu, CONGO BOY, written and directed by Rafiki Fariala, LA GRADIVA written and directed by Marine Atlan, MADAME written and directed by Hélène Rosselet-Ruiz and A PLACE FOR HER, written and directed by Mélisa Godet.

Bringing a bit of levity to the festival, 14 comedies across cinema, series and short film competitions include JUST AN ILLUSION, the new film from Eric Toledano and Olivier Nakache, the writers directors of THE INTOUCHABLES, and featuring CALL MY AGENT Star, Camille Cottin. Written and directed by the masters of absurd, Nicolas Charlet and Bruno Lavaine, THE BETTER ME, stars Laurent Laffitte in a hilarious dual role. Plus, the Closing Night film (Sunday, November 8) THE AMERICAN DREAM, written and directed by Anthony Marciano, is a comedy-drama biopic based on the true story of real life French NBA agents, Bouna Ndiaye and Jérémy Medjana, who launched the careers and represented several elite French NBA players including Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert, and Nicolas Batum, and features performances by Jean-Pascal Zadi and Raphaël Quenard. Special Guests related to the film and the story will attend the closing night event.

The complete program is listed below, with detailed descriptions of the featured films and series available online at www.tafff.org. All films are presented with English subtitles or in English.

In addition to the program taking place at the DGA, TAFFF continues to host several industry workshops and meetings on behalf of the attending French delegation, thanks to involvement of FACF members (DGA, SACEM, MPA and WGA West) and Official Partners (CNC, Villa Albertine, Consulate General of France in Los Angeles, Unifrance).

ABOUT THE AMERICAN FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL AWARDS:

The American French Film Festival audience will be invited to vote in three categories: Cinema, Television and Shorts. For the 18th year, The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA) will partner with TAFFF for the Critics’ Award and the First Feature Award in the cinema category.

For the tenth year, a student jury consisting of high school and college students, will vote for The American Students Award. A professional jury will vote for the Jury Best Series Award, and another for the Best Jury Short Film Award. TAFFF Awards will be completed with audience votes in all categories. The 2026 Award winners will be announced on November 8 and presented in association with Air Tahiti Nui, AmaWaterways, LAist 89.3, Monsieur Marcel and Viking.

INFORMATION ON TICKETS AND RSVP:

Tickets are available for advance purchase online at www.tafff.org starting on October 8. The online box office and RSVP will be open until the night before each show at the festival. Tickets will be also available on site at the Directors Guild of America, 7920 Sunset Boulevard, Los Angeles CA 90046 during the event. For sold out shows, some tickets may become available 20 minutes before each screening. Please visit www.tafff.org for box office hours, week-long passes, and ticket prices. Discounts are available for members of American Cinematheque, ASC, ICG, Film Independent, and Women in Film. Limited opening night tickets will be available at the Box Office. Tickets are complimentary for DGA, WGAW and SAG-AFTRA guild members (+ one guest). All series screenings are free on a first-come/first-served basis with no reservation needed except for series screenings on Sunday in Truffaut theater, which require RSVP. On Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday, festival goers will be invited to attend professional panels for free, followed by a complimentary wine and cheese reception.

CONTESTS: Audiences attending the TAFFF screenings can win a trip for two to Paris by voting for the Audience Awards courtesy of AIR TAHITI NUI and MK2 Hotel. They can also win a European river cruise when voting for the best Documentary or Best Series, courtesy of Viking.

FULL LINE UP - TAFFF 2026

The 30th anniversary lineup includes the following feature films by noted writers/directors:

● A GIRL UNKNOWN SPECIAL SCREENING (Written and directed by Zou Jing)

(Greenwich Entertainment) (Presented at TAFFF before its release in France)

● A GOOD LITTLE SOLDIER WEST COAST PREMIERE (Written by Stéphane Brizé,

Coralie Amédéo, Olivier Gorce / directed by Stéphane Brizé - Winner Best Screenplay

Venice 2026) (Presented at TAFFF before its release in France)

● A PLACE FOR HER US PREMIERE (Written by Mélisa Godet and Catherine Paillé /

directed by Mélisa Godet)

● A WOMEN’S LIFE NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE (Written by Bourgeois-Tacquet and

Fanny Burdino / directed by Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet)

● ALL ABOUT CORINNE US PREMIERE (Written and directed by Marc Fitoussi / starring

Isabelle Huppert)

● ALL OF A SUDDEN SPECIAL SCREENING (Written by Ryūsuke Hamaguchi and Léa

Le Dimna / directed by Ryusuke Hamaguchi - Best Actress Award Cannes 2026 /

Japan's official entry for Best International Feature Oscars 2027) (Neon)

● THE AMERICAN DREAM LOS ANGELES PREMIERE (Written by Anthony Marciano,

Bouna Ndiaye, Jérémy Medjana / directed by Anthony Marciano)

● THE BETTER ME NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE (Written and directed by Nicolas

Charlet and Bruno Lavaine.

● BLAISE US PREMIERE (Written by Dimitri Planchon, Clémence Lebatteux / directed by

Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Gigne) (Presented at TAFFF before its release in

France)

● CONGO BOY WEST COAST PREMIERE (Written by Rafiki Fariala, Tommy Baron and

Boris Lojkine / directed by Rafiki Fariala) (Outsider Pictures) (Presented at TAFFF before

its release in France)

● COWARD LOS ANGELES PREMIERE (Written by Lukas Dhont and Angelo Tijssens /

directed by Lukas Dhont - Winner best Actors Cannes 2026 - Belgium’s official entry for

Best International Feature Oscars 2027) (Mubi) (Presented at TAFFF before its release

in France)

● DE GAULLE - PART I: RESISTANCE SPECIAL SCREENING (Written by Antonin

Baudry and Bérénice Vila / directed by Antonin Baudry) (Samuel Goldwyn Films)

● DE GAULLE - PART II: LIBERTY US PREMIERE (Written by Antonin Baudry and

Bérénice Vila / directed by Antonin Baudry) (Samuel Goldwyn Films)

● THE ELECTRIC KISS LOS ANGELES PREMIERE (Written by Pierre Salvadori, Benoît

Graffin, Benjamin Charbit / directed by Pierre Salvadori - Opening Film Cannes 2026)

● FJORD SPECIAL SCREENING (Written and directed by Cristian Mungiu - Palme d’Or

Cannes 2026 - Roumania’s official entry for Best International Feature Oscars 2027)

(Neon)

● FORSAKEN US PREMIERE (Written by Vincent Garenq, Alexis Kebbas, Mickaëlle Paty

/ directed by Vincent Garenq)

● GENTLE MONSTER SPECIAL SCREENING (Written and directed by Marie Kreutzer -

starring starring Léa Seydoux) (Netflix)(Presented at TAFFF before its release in France)

● THE GREEN EYES NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE (Written and directed by Fanny

Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh - Opening Film Locarno 2026)(Presented at TAFFF before its

release in France)

● IN WAVES LOS ANGELES PREMIERE (Written by Fanny Burdino and Samuel Doux /

directed by Phuong Mai Nguyen) (Netlfix)

● IRON BOY SPECIAL SCREENING (Written by Louis Clichy and Franck Salomé /

directed by Louis Clichy) (Sony Pictures Classics)

● JUPITER US PREMIERE (Written and directed by Alexandre Smia) (SND Groupe M6

France Televisions)

● JUST AN ILLUSION WEST COAST PREMIERE (Written by Olivier Nakache, Éric

Toledano and Nathalie Hertzberg / directed by Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano -

Starring Camille Cottin) (Menemsha Films)

● KARMA US PREMIERE (Written and directed by Guillaume Canet, starring Academy

Award winner Marion Cotillard)

● LA GRADIVA SPECIAL SCREENING (Written by Marine Atlan and Anne Brouillet /

directed by Marine Atlan) (1-2 Special)

● MADAME NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE (Written and directed by Hélène

Rosselet-Ruiz)

● MINOTAUR SPECIAL SCREENING (Written by Andrey Zvyagintsev and Simon

Liashenko / directed by Andrey Zvyagintsev - Winner Grand Prix Cannes 2026 - Official

France's Entry Oscars 2027) (Mubi)

● THE MONEY MAKER LOS ANGELES PREMIERE (Written by Jean-Paul

Salomé, Bastien Daret and Delphine Gleize / directed by Jean-Paul Salomé)

● ONE MINUTE TO MIDNIGHT NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE (Written and directed

by Nicolas Pariser)(Presented at TAFFF before its release in France)

● ROMA ELASTICA WEST COAST PREMIERE (Written and directed by Bertrand

Mandico - starring Academy Award winner Marion Cotillard)(Presented at TAFFF before

its release in France)

● STRAWBERRIES LOS ANGELES PREMIERE (written and directed by Laïla Marrakchi -

Official Morocco's entry Oscars 2027)(Presented at TAFFF before its release in France)

● WOMEN ON TRIAL NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE (written and directed by Lauriane

Escaffre and Yvo Muller, starring Charlotte Gainsbourg) (Menemsha Films)(Presented at

TAFFF before its release in France)

The Documentary selection includes four programs:

● INSIDE GAZA WEST COAST PREMIERE (Written and directed by Hélène Lam Trong)

● REBOUNDS: A HISTORY OF ELECTRO DANCE (4 x 26’) US PREMIERE. Written and

directed by Loïc Phil and Marianne Getti)

● WE ARE THE ORCHESTRA WEST COAST PREMIERE (Written and directed by

Philippe Béziat) (Outsider Pictures)

● WHISPERS IN THE WOODS WEST COAST PREMIERE (Written and directed by

Vincent Munier)