The American French Film Festival will begin its 30th edition on November 3 at the DGA Theater Complex in Los Angeles. Running through November 8, the six-day event will present 60 French films and series, including numerous North American and U.S. premieres, in one of its largest lineups to date.

The festival will open with In Waves, an animated feature directed by Phuong Mai Nguyen and produced by Silex Films. Based on AJ Dungo’s 2019 graphic novel, the film follows a young skateboarder and surfer whose relationship is tested by serious illness. Stephanie Hsu and Will Sharpe provide the voices, while Netflix holds global rights outside France.

Deputy Director Anouchka van Riel said the festival has expanded considerably since its early years, evolving from a focus on niche cinema into an industry event and a bridge between the French and U.S. film sectors. The selection’s stronger presence of mainstream productions reflects that broader ambition.

This year’s program includes five films competing in the International Feature Oscar race: France’s submission Minotaur, which won the Cannes Grand Prix, as well as Romania’s Fjord, Belgium’s Coward, Japan’s All of a Sudden and Morocco’s Strawberries. Van Riel described the lineup as evidence of France’s growing importance in international co-productions.

Other featured titles include Pierre Salvadori’s Cannes opener The Electric Kiss; All About Corinne, starring Isabelle Huppert and Sandrine Kiberlain; Guillaume Canet’s psychological thriller Karma, with Marion Cotillard; and Antonin Baudry’s two-part historical epic De Gaulle.

The festival will close with The American Dream, a comedy-drama written and directed by Anthony Marciano. Based on the true story of French NBA agents Bouna Ndiaye and Jérémy Medjana, the film follows the pair’s work representing players including Victor Wembanyama, Rudy Gobert and Nicolas Batum.

Organizers say the selection also reflects a growing interest in stories about resistance and individuals confronting powerful systems. Van Riel pointed to Minotaur, Women on Trial and A Good Little Soldier as examples, while Executive Producer and Programmer François Truffart emphasized the political dimension often found in French cinema.

Founded in 1997 as COLCOA, the festival is produced by the Franco-American Cultural Fund, a partnership involving the Directors Guild of America, the Motion Picture Association, SACEM and the Writers Guild of America. It is also supported by Unifrance, France’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and L’ARP.

The event has expanded beyond its annual Los Angeles screenings. Since 2004 or 2005, according to Truffart, it has worked to support the U.S. distribution of French films, collaborating with distributors throughout the year. Its free TAFFF Library offers information on more than 1,000 French films and series available or soon to be available on U.S. platforms.

The festival’s organizers describe cultural exchange between the French and American industries as a central objective. Its program includes workshops for filmmakers, and board member Taylor Hackford said he would like to see those exchanges grow to involve larger numbers of French and Hollywood professionals.

The American French Film Festival will take place from November 3 to 8, 2026.

Sources: Deadline.