French films! French language! French culture! It’s all happening again: Alliance Française French Film Festival—Australia, 4 March to 27 April

Image credit: AFFFF 2025 https://www.affrenchfilmfestival.org/

(For dates in your area in Australia, go to https://www.affrenchfilmfestival.org)

The program as always is diverse, with everything from the swashbuckling Count of Monte Cristo/Le Comte de Mont Cristo starring the fabulous Pierre Niney, to biopics Monsieur Aznavour, Saint-Ex/Saint-Exupéry looking at the true adventure story of the man who wrote The Little Prince, and The Divine Sarah Bernhardt/Sarah Bernhardt, La Divine starring the divine Sandrine Kiberlain.

Monsieur Aznavour is the opening night film, tracing the life and eventual success of the celebrated French singer Charles Aznavour. If you’ve never heard of him, it’s a must-see as he is a French icon (it’s not always about Serge Gainsbourg!); and if you have, this is a great opportunity to get a sense of who he was and his road to success.

Some of our favourite actresses Charlotte Gainsbourg, Melanie Laurent, Camille Cottin, and Laure Calamy feature this year.

• Gainsbourg stars in Meet the Leroys/Nous, Les Leroy (review below);
• Laurent in a period drama The Deluge,
• Cottin (Call My Agent!) in the romance drama Three Friends/Trois Amies and an unsettling historical drama No Chains No Masters/Ni Chînes Ni Maîtres that shows a dark history of France around its slave trade; and
• Calamy plays a more serious role than we are used to for her (think Call My Agent! and Antoinette in the Cevennes) in the dark comedy How to Make a Killing/Un Ours Dans Le Jura, a tale of accidental death and ethical dilemmas.

Kiberlain makes another appearance in the festival in Love Boat/La Petite Vadrouille, a comedy and romance, but not the usual rom-com. The bonus is that it also stars the always impressive Daniel Auteuil, who also directs and stars in the legal thriller The Thread/Le Fil.

Camille Razat from Emily in Paris stars in the drama Prodigies/Prodigieuses based on a true story about twin sisters competing and obsessing about becoming piano prodigies.

A worthy inclusion is from last year’s Melbourne Film Festival, The Story of Soulemayne/L’histoire de Soulemayne, which is reviewed here.

A couple of directors worth mentioning are the

• Oscar-winning Claude Lelouch’s At the End of the Day/Finalement, billed as a comedy-drama about a Parisian lawyer escaping to the countryside; and the
• more contemporary acclaimed director Francois Ozon’s drama When Fall is Coming/Quand Vient L’Automne, set in the splendour of autumn in Burgundy, is a mother and daughter tale of secrets, mistakes, and redemption. It comes direct from the San Sebastian Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize for best screenplay.

I’ve barely touched the surface – there are so many wonderful films to see at this festival; check out the lineup here.

The Alliance Française French Film Festival screens around Australia from 4 March to 27 April.

https://www.affrenchfilmfestival.org

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