The Alliance Francaise French Film Festival comes to QLD for its 37th edition!
The French Film Festival has hit Queensland! Kicking off last week in Brisbane and hitting the Gold Coast next week, the festival runs until the 8th of April.
It’s the nation’s largest film festival and celebration of French film outside France sees festivalgoers embark on a unique cultural journey featuring French box-office smash-hits, star-studded adaptations, Hollywood stars and Cannes masterpieces.
This year’s festival was opened by Cédric Klapisch’s acclaimed La Venue De L’avenir (Colours Of Time), a playful homage to France’s rich artistic heritage and changing social mores. Starring Suzanne Lindon, Vincent Macaigne, Cécile de France and Paul Kircher, the comedic drama follows the lives of cousins who inherit an old house in rural Normandy and retrace the steps of their ancestors in 19th century Paris.
Closing the festival is Johann Dionnet’s Avignon (Rodrigue In Love). The must-see romantic comedy is set in the heart of the country's most famous theatre festival, Avignon, and stars Baptiste Lecaplain, Alison Wheeler and Lyès Salem.
This year’s 38-film lineup features 10 films directed by female filmmakers and has no shortage of French star power, with icons such as Isabelle Huppert in La Femme La Plus Riche Du Monde (The Richest Woman In The World) and Laure Calamy in Classe Moyenne (The Party’s Over!) and C’est quoi L’amour ? (What is Love?), as well as exciting newcomers like Amélie Bonnin with Partir Un Jour (Leave One Day) and Enya Baroux in On Ira (Bon Voyage, Marie). Adding to the program’s line-up of powerhouse female filmmakers will be Julia Ducournau’s striking Alpha, Cannes darling La Petite Dernière (The Little Sister) a coming-of-age drama by Hafsia Herzi featuring break-out star Nadia Melliti; Rebecca Zlotowski’s Vie Privée (A Private Life) showcasing the extraordinary Jodie Foster in her first French language leading role; La Tour de Glace (The Ice Tower) directed by Lucile Hadžihalilović and starring Marion Cotillard; and Barbara Schulz’s Le Secret de Khéops (Treasure Hunters: On The Tracks Of Khufu).
Direct from the Croisette will also be Cannes Film Festival stand-outs L’Inconnu de la Grande Arche (The Great Arch), the story of Otto von Spreckelsen, a real-life architecture teacher from Copenhagen who surprised the world when he won an open-call competition to design the Great Arch of La Défense; French coming-of-age drama Enzo; Dossier 137 (Case 137) a crime drama co-written and directed by Dominik Moll, starring Léa Drucker; and Amélie et la Métaphysique Des Tubes (Little Amélie or the Character Of Rain) an animation from filmmakers Maïlys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han.
Alliance Française French Film Festival CEO Frédéric Alliod said: “From powerful true stories and bold contemporary voices to comedies, period dramas and unforgettable romances, this year’s programme reflects the extraordinary vitality and diversity of French cinema. We remain deeply committed to championing women on screen and behind the camera, celebrating new talents alongside cinema legends, and offering films that move, surprise and inspire. More than ever, the festival is a celebration of French storytelling in all its richness, openness and emotion, and a platform for intercultural exchange and dialogue with our loyal Australian audiences.”
Joining the Festival as Patron in 2026, is director and long-time Francophile, Gracie Otto (Seriously Red, Heartbreak High, The Artful Dodger).
Otto said: “I am truly honoured to join the Alliance Française French Film Festival this year, a celebration that brings the richness, audacity and emotional resonance of French cinema to audiences across Australia. France has played a meaningful role in my life. I lived there for a time, I speak a little French, and I have long been inspired by the artistry, elegance and fearlessness of its filmmaking. Being part of this festival feels like reconnecting with a place and a cinema that have shaped my creative journey.
“I invite you to immerse your-selves in this year’s programme and discover the artistry, passion and imagination that continue to define French cinema.”
Alliance Française French Film Festival runs 3 March – 26 April 2026 across the country. To view the full program or to secure tickets, visit affrenchfilmfestival.org.