Photos: French Film Festival UK to Return for 34th Edition Across 40+ UK Venues

The French Film Festival UK returns for its 34th edition from 6 November – 14 December 2026, with a programme of contemporary French and francophone cinema, award-winning films, compelling new voices and landmark classics. Screening at more than 40 venues across the UK, the festival brings audiences a selection of films celebrating the vitality, imagination and range of French-language filmmaking.

Among the major highlights are All of a Sudden, the latest film from acclaimed Japanese director Ryusuke Hamaguchi, whose leading actresses Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto shared the Best Actress award at Cannes; Coward (Les Braves), Belgian director Lukas Dhont's First World War drama, which is Belgium's Oscar contender and whose two leads shared Cannes' Best Actor award; and Violette, the return to cinema of Jean-Pierre Jeunet, director of Amélie, after a 13-year absence. The programme also features The Birthday Party, Léa Mysius' thriller starring Monica Bellucci and Benoît Magimel, and The Money Maker, Jean-Paul Salomé's historical crime drama about a Polish master counterfeiter.

This year's programme has a particularly strong historical dimension, reflecting on war, collaboration, moral responsibility and the lasting impact of conflict. From the First World War setting of Coward to the moral complexities of the Occupation explored in Notre Salut and Rays and Shadows, the festival examines how individual choices and collective memory shape the present.

The Money Maker opens the festival at Filmhouse in Edinburgh with director Jean-Paul Salomé in attendance, with further screenings at Glasgow Film Theatre and The Gate, Notting Hill, London. Based on the true story of Jan Bojarski, a Polish engineer who fled to France during the Second World War and became a master forger, the period thriller follows a man whose counterfeiting skills earned him the nickname the 'Cézanne of counterfeit money'.

Among the most anticipated films is Coward, which sees Lukas Dhont return to Cannes Competition following the success of Girl and Close. Set just behind the front line in 1916, the film tells a story of male love and tenderness amid the brutality of the First World War. Also examining the legacy of wartime France is Notre Salut (A Man of His Time), starring Swann Arlaud. Awarded Best Screenplay at Cannes, Emmanuel Marre's drama draws on family correspondence to explore bureaucracy, collaboration and self-deception under the Vichy regime.

The Showcase strand brings together major international names and some of the year's most anticipated films. Alongside Hamaguchi's All of a Sudden, Dhont's Coward and Jeunet's Violette, audiences can discover Whispers in the Woods, Vincent Munier's César-winning documentary; Les Misérables, Fred Cavayé's non-musical adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic, starring Vincent Lindon; and a contemporary reimagining of The Phantom of the Opera, featuring Romain Duris. The selection also includes Dominik Moll's Case 137 and the Call My Agent inspired backstage comedy Comédie Française.

The Femmes First strand has a strong representation of women's stories, perspectives and creative voices. Highlights include The Birthday Party, in which Monica Bellucci and Benoît Magimel lead a family gathering that descends into menace; Jeanne Herry's Another Day, starring Adèle Exarchopoulos as a young actress confronting addiction and anxiety; Agnès Jaoui's Crescendo, a drama about power, accountability and generational conflict in the world of opera; and Women on Trial, which revisits the landmark 1972 case involving lawyer Gisèle Halimi and the fight for women's reproductive rights in France. The strand also features A Woman's Life, starring Léa Drucker as a hospital surgeon whose ordered existence begins to unravel.

The Panorama strand explores the breadth of contemporary French filmmaking, from literary adaptations and historical epics to crime, fantasy and comedy. Among its highlights are The Money Maker; Rays and Shadows, Xavier Giannoli's examination of collaboration and propaganda during the German Occupation; When the Night Falls, directed by Daniel Auteuil, which recounts the rescue of Jewish children from the Vénissieux internment camp in 1942; and The Phantom of the Opera, which relocates Gaston Leroux's story to contemporary Paris.

Documentary also celebrates cinema itself. In Construction Site, Jean-Stéphane Bron documents the transformation of a landmark Paris cinema into the Pathé Palace, following architect Renzo Piano and the people whose work brings the cinema-going experience to life. Thierry Frémaux, director of the Cannes Film Festival, celebrates the Lumière brothers in Lumière, le cinéma, bringing together more than 100 films in a journey through the origins of the medium.

Nature takes centre stage in Whispers in the Woods, in which wildlife photographer Vincent Munier returns to the forests of the Vosges, where his father first introduced him to the natural world, and shares that experience with his own son. The film won the 2026 César awards for Best Documentary and Best Sound.

Animation offers a wide-ranging selection, from Michel Gondry's Maya Give Me a Title, inspired by the imagination of his daughter, to Jim Queen, a queer animated fantasy set in Paris's LGBTQIA+ scene, and Blaise, a comedy about a dysfunctional family. The programme also includes Michel Ocelot's The Black Pharaoh, the Savage and the Princess and the family adventure Nina and the Hedgehog's Secret.

The Classics strand pays tribute to Jean Gabin, 50 years after his death in November 1976, with two special screenings. Henri Verneuil's Any Number Can Win, co-starring Alain Delon, and Jean Grémillon's Stormy Waters offer audiences the chance to rediscover Gabin's screen presence. The selection also includes Marcel Carné's Bizarre, Bizarre, Agnès Varda's Jacquot de Nantes, and Claude Chabrol's A Judgment in Stone.

The Extras strand offers further opportunities to discover acclaimed films from previous editions and titles that audiences may have missed on their original release. Highlights include Jeanne Herry's César-winning All Your Faces, the musical drama Divertimento, the comedy Guess Who's Calling?, Xavier Giannoli's award-winning Lost Illusions, and Carine Tardieu's César-winning The Ties That Bind Us.

A distinctive part of the festival is its education programme, which brings French-language cinema directly into classrooms as well as onto cinema screens. Thousands of schoolchildren across the UK will have the opportunity to experience films in French, supported by specially curated educational activity.

Festival Director Richard Mowe said: 'With the phenomenal success of the two De Gaulle films at home and abroad, French-language cinema has been on a roll as never before over the last few months. Its richness, diversity and sheer originality is reflected in the official selection of the one and only French Film Festival UK which proudly is made in Scotland but shared across the nations. The films all speak for themselves: there is nothing left to say apart from our rallying cry over the decades: Vive le cinéma!'

The full programme, screening information and details of participating venues are available at www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk. Festival guests, special events and filmmaker appearances will be announced through the festival's social media channels.

Showcase

All of a Sudden / Soudain — Ryusuke Hamaguchi. Cannes Competition selection, with Virginie Efira and Tao Okamoto sharing the Best Actress award.

Coward / Les Braves — Lukas Dhont. A bittersweet First World War love story; its two leads shared Cannes' Best Actor award.

Violette / Changer l'eau des fleurs — Jean-Pierre Jeunet. The director of Amélie returns to cinema after 13 years with an adaptation of Valérie Perrin's international bestseller.

Whispers in the Woods / Le Chant des forêts — Vincent Munier. César-winning documentary celebrating wildlife, family and the natural world.

Les Misérables — Fred Cavayé. A major new, non-musical adaptation of Victor Hugo's classic, starring Vincent Lindon.

Case 137 / Dossier 137 — Dominik Moll. A timely police investigation drama starring Léa Drucker.

Comédie Française / De La Comédie-Française — Bertrand Usclat and Martin Darondeau. A fast-paced backstage comedy set at France's celebrated national theatre.

Femmes First

Another Day / Garance — Jeanne Herry, starring Adèle Exarchopoulos.

The Birthday Party / Histoires de la Nuit — Léa Mysius, starring Monica Bellucci and Benoît Magimel.

Crescendo / L'Objet du délit — Agnès Jaoui, exploring power and accountability in the world of opera.

A Woman's Life / La Vie d'une femme — Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet, starring Léa Drucker and Mélanie Thierry.

Women on Trial / L'Affaire Marie-Claire — Lauriane Escaffre and Yvo Muller, revisiting a landmark case in the struggle for reproductive rights.

Panorama

The Money Maker / L'Affaire Bojarski — Jean-Paul Salomé. A period crime thriller about the Polish 'Cézanne of counterfeit money', opening at Filmhouse, Glasgow Film Theatre and The Gate, Notting Hill, with the director in attendance.

The Phantom of the Opera / Le Fantôme de l'Opéra — Alexandre Castagnetti. A contemporary Paris-set reimagining starring Romain Duris.

Rays and Shadows / Les Rayons et les Ombres — Xavier Giannoli. A historical drama examining collaboration and propaganda during the Occupation.

When the Night Falls / La Troisième Nuit — Daniel Auteuil. The story of the rescue of Jewish children from the Vénissieux internment camp in 1942.

Discovery

Notre Salut / A Man of His Time — Emmanuel Marre. Starring Swann Arlaud, this Cannes Best Screenplay winner draws on wartime correspondence to explore collaboration and moral responsibility under the Vichy regime.

Documentary

Whispers in the Woods / Le Chant des forêts — Vincent Munier. Winner of the 2026 César awards for Best Documentary and Best Sound.

Construction Site / Le Chantier — Jean-Stéphane Bron. A portrait of the transformation of a landmark Paris cinema.

Lumière, le cinéma / Lumière! The Adventure Continues — Thierry Frémaux. A celebration of the Lumière brothers and the origins of cinema.

The Sentinels of Forgetting / Les Sentinelles de l'oubli — Jérôme Prieur. A journey through France's First World War memorials and collective memory.

Animation

Maya Give Me a Title / Maya, donne-moi un titre — Michel Gondry. Inventive animated adventures inspired by his daughter.

Jim Queen — Nicolas Athané and Marco Nguyen. A queer animated fantasy set in Paris.

Blaise — Dimitri Planchon and Jean-Paul Guigue. A deadpan comedy about family dysfunction.

The Black Pharaoh, the Savage and the Princess / Le Pharaon, le Sauvage et la Princesse — Michel Ocelot. Three visually distinctive animated fairy tales.

Classics

A special tribute to Jean Gabin, marking 50 years since his death, featuring:

Any Number Can Win / Mélodie en sous-sol — Henri Verneuil, starring Jean Gabin and Alain Delon.

Stormy Waters / Remorques — Jean Grémillon, starring Jean Gabin.

Also screening:

Bizarre, Bizarre / Drôle de drame — Marcel Carné.

Jacquot de Nantes — Agnès Varda.

A Judgment in Stone / La Cérémonie — Claude Chabrol.

Extras

Further highlights include All Your Faces, Divertimento, Guess Who's Calling?, Jim's Story, Lost Illusions, Ride Away, Sarah Bernhardt, Three Friends and The Ties That Bind Us.

Event Details

Festival dates: 6 November – 14 December 2026

Website: www.frenchfilmfestival.org.uk