CLASSIC – The American French Film Festival in Los Angeles https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org The American French Film Festival in Los Angeles Fri, 20 Feb 2026 23:16:00 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 SAMBA TRAORE ../../../samba-traore/ Fri, 20 Feb 2026 23:10:11 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=26375 COMING  TO THEATERS IN 2026 BEFORE A DIGITAL RELEASE.

SAMBA TRAORE

| 1992, re-released in 2026 (Digitally Restored Version) – 85′ – A Burkina Faso/France/Switzerland co-production, Drama, Classics, Co-Produced by France.
Written by: Idrissa Ouedraogo.
Directed by: Idrissa Ouedraogo.
Starring: Mariam Kaba, Bakary Sangaré, Abdoulaye Komboudri, Irène Tassembedo, Moumouni Compaore, Krin Casimir Traore.
In More, Dyula, French with English subtitles.
Official Selection Berlin International Film Festival 1993 (Winner Silver Bear).
A Film Movement release. |

The only surviving accomplice of a gas station robbery gone bad, Samba Traoré flees the scene of the crime with a suitcase full of cash for his native village in rural Burkina Faso. There he attempts to make a fresh start while hiding how he came by his new fortune from those around him. Despite marrying the beautiful Saratou, earning the affection of her ten-year-old son, and opening a bar with his childhood friend, Samba’s newfound happiness is put to the test as he struggles to cope with the moral crisis of his crimes. Considered a masterpiece of West African cinema – and recently named one of the top 10 films of all time in Luca Guadagnino’s Sight and Sound list – Samba Traoré is a “taut study of guilt” (Film Comment), wrestling with both Samba’s desire for redemption and his fear of retribution. Silver Bear-winning filmmaker Idrissa Ouédraogo’s empathetic direction imbues the story with “extraordinary humility” (The New York Times), recognizing in Samba the many contradictions of modern life in Burkina Faso. Samba Traoré was selected for Locarno Heritage Online’s Histoire(s) du Cinéma restoration program.

]]> PICKPOCKET ../../../pickpocket/ Fri, 20 Feb 2026 23:01:55 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=26369

PICKPOCKET

| 1963 – 76′ – CLASSIC, Drama, Thriller, CRIME.
Written by: Robert Bresson.
Directed by: Robert Bresson.
Starring: Martin LaSalle, Marika Green, Pierre Leymarie, Jean Pelegri, Kassagi, Pierre Etaix, César Gattegno, Dolly Scale.
Official selections Berlin International Film Festival 1960 & San Sebastian International Film Festival 1960.
In French with English subtitles.
A The Criterion Collection release. |

Michel (Martin La Salle) takes up pickpocketing on a lark and is arrested soon after. His mother dies shortly after his release, and despite the objections of his only friend, Jacques (Pierre Leymarie), and his mother’s neighbor Jeanne (Marika Green), Michel teams up with a couple of petty thieves in order to improve his craft. With a police inspector (Jean Pélégri) keeping an eye on him, Michel also tries to get a straight job, but the temptation to steal is hard to resist. Robert Bresson’s incomparable story of crime and redemption is the work of a director at the height of his powers, an elegantly crafted, tautly choreographed study of humanity in all its mischief and grace. This cornerstone of the French master’s legendary career follows a young pickpocket who spends his days working the streets, subway cars, and train stations of Paris. As his compulsive pursuit of the thrill of stealing grows, however, so does his fear that his luck is about to run out.

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]]> STATE OF SIEGE ../../../state-of-siege/ Tue, 03 Feb 2026 22:23:23 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=26117

STATE OF SIEGE

| 1973 – 122′ – Drama, Thriller, Period & History, Classic .
Written by: Costa-Gavras, Franco Solinas.
Directed by: Costa-Gavras.
Starring: Yves Montand, Renato Salvatori, Jacques Weber, Jean-Luc Bideau, Maurice Teynac, Yvette Etievant, Nemesio Antúnez, André Falcon.
In French with English subtitles.
A The Criterion Collection release. |

An urban guerrilla group, outraged at the counterinsurgency and torture training clandestinely organized by the CIA in their country, abducts a U.S. official to bargain for the release of political prisoners; soon the kidnapping becomes a media sensation, leading to violence. The electrifying State of Siege piercingly critiques the American government for supporting foreign dictatorships, while also asking difficult questions about the efficacy of radical violent acts to oppose such regimes.

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]]> THE CONFESSION ../../../the-confession/ Tue, 03 Feb 2026 22:19:51 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=26114

THE CONFESSION

| 1970 – 120′ – Drama, Thriller, Period & History, Classic .
Written by: Jorge Semprún
Based on the Book by: Artur and Lise London.
Directed by: Costa-Gavras.
Starring: Yves Montand, Simone Signoret, Michel Vitold, Gabriele Ferzetti, Jean Bouise, Lajos Szabo, Gérard Darrieu, Monique Chaumette, Michel Robin, Antoine Vitez.
In French with English subtitles.
A Paramount release. |

Based on a harrowing true story from the era of Soviet bloc show trials, the film stars Yves Montand as a Czechoslovak Communist Party official who, in the early fifties, is abducted, imprisoned, and interrogated over a frighteningly long period, and left in the dark about his captors’ motives. Also starring Simone Signoret and Gabriele Ferzetti, the film is an unflinching, intimate depiction of one of the twentieth century’s darkest chapters, told from one bewildered man’s point of view.

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]]> Z ../../../z/ Tue, 03 Feb 2026 22:09:10 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=26109

Z

| 1969 – 127′ – Drama, Thriller, Period & History, Classic .
Written by: Jorge Semprún, Costa-Gavras, Ben Barzam.
Based on the Book by: Vassilis Vassikos.
Directed by: Costa-Gavras.
Starring: Yves Montand, Jean-Louis Trintignant, Irène Papas, Jacques Perrin, Charles Denner, Pierre Dux, Julien Guiomar, Georges Géret, Magali Noël, Bernard Fresson, Jean Bouise.
Official Selection Cannes  International Film Festival 1969 (Winner Best Actor Jean-Louis Trintignant), 2 Academy Awards winner (1970): Best Foreign Language film and Best Editing.
In French with English subtitles.
A The Criterion Collection release. |

A pulse-pounding political thriller, Costa-Gavras’s technically audacious and emotionally gripping masterpiece remains one of the most vital cinematic dispatches of the late sixties. This Oscar-winning film – loosely based on the assassination of Greek left-wing activist Gregoris Lambrakis – stars Yves Montand as a politician whose public murder amid a violent demonstration is covered up by officials, and Jean-Louis Trintignant as the tenacious magistrate determined not to let them get away with it.

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]]> LA FEMME PUBLIQUE ../../../la-femme-publique/ Sun, 11 Jan 2026 15:04:46 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=25739

COMING SOON TO THEATERS, BEFORE A DIGITAL RELEASE.

LA FEMME PUBLIQUE

| 1984 (Re-release in 2026) – 113′ – Drama, Classic, Erotic, Films & Literature.
Written by: Dominique Garnier, Andrzej Zulawski.
Based on the Book by: Dominique Garnier.
Directed by: Andrzej Zulawski.
Starring: Valérie Kaprisky, Francis Huster, Lambert Wilson, Patrick Bauchau, Giselle Pascal, Roger dumas, Jean-Paul Farré, Lucas Belvaux, Marianne Basler.
3 César Awards nominations (Best Actress (Valérie Kaprisky), Best Supporting Actor (Lambert Wilson), Best Adapted Screenplay).
In French with English subtitles. I
A Film Movement Classics release. |

Ethel, who makes a living posing nude, dreams of becoming an actress. Although her acting leaves much to be desired, she is noticed during an audition by the German director Lucas Kesling. He is preparing a highly personal adaptation of Dostoevsky’s The Possessed and offers her a role, soon making her his mistress…. She loses her grip on reality and descends into a hallucinatory world where art and life intertwine in a dizzying way. Presented in a new 4K restoration (40th Anniversary).

]]> ROSETTA ../../../rosetta/ Tue, 06 Jan 2026 21:03:46 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=25700

ROSETTA

| 1999 – 90′ –  A Belgium/France Co-Production. Drama, Classic, Co-Produced by France,
Written by: Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne.
Directed by: Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne.
Starring: Emilie Dequenne, Fabrizio Rongione, Olivier Gourmet, Anne Yernaux, Bernard Marbaix, Sophia Leboutte, Frédéric Bodson, Mireille Bailly, Valentin Traversi.
Official Selections: Cannes International Film Festival 1999 (Winner Palme D’or & Best Actress), Toronto International Film festival 1999, New York Film Festival 1999. Winner Cesar Award for Best Promised Actress (Emilie Dequenne).
In French with English subtitles.
A HBO Max release. |


Belgian 17-year-old Rosetta (Émilie Dequenne) lives in a dilapidated trailer that has no running water, with only her indigent and alcoholic mother (Anne Yernaux) for company. After losing her job at a food processing plant, the teen struggles to find work in a bid to avoid falling into the same traps as her mother, but is rebuffed at every turn. Only Riquet (Fabrizio Rongione), who works at a nearby waffle stand, seems to care for Rosetta, but even that budding friendship has a price.

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]]> THE PROMISE ../../../the-promise/ Tue, 06 Jan 2026 20:47:10 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=25697

THE PROMISE

| 1996 – 93′ –  A Great Britain/France/Belgium Co-Production. Drama, Classic, Co-Produced by France,
Written by: Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne.
Directed by: Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne.
Starring: Jean-Michel Balthazar, Sophie Leboutte, Jérémie Renier, Olivier Gourmet, Rasmané Ouédraogo, Assita Ouedraogo, Frédéric Bodson.
Official Selections Director’s Fortnight – Cannes International Film Festival 1996, César Award Nomination for Best Foreign Film 1997.
In French with English subtitles.
A New Yorker Films / The Criterion Collection release. |

Igor (Jérémie Renier) is fifteen. He’s an apprentice mechanic, a karting fan and above all his father Roger’s son, involved, with him, in an illegal immigration racket. Igor takes to his father’s scams with natural verve and innocence, not asking too many questions. Yet, one day because of a promise made Igor is forced to choose. Can he come clean without betraying his father? The breakthrough feature from Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne is a brilliantly economical and observant tale of a boy’s troubled moral awakening. Filmed in their industrial hometown of Seraing, Belgium, the brothers bring an unerring eye for detail and a deep compassion for those on society’s lowest rungs to this absorbing drama. 

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]]> VIOLETTE NOZIERE ../../../violette-noziere/ Fri, 26 Dec 2025 23:53:40 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=25670

OPENING SOON IN THEATERS BEFORE A DIGITAL RELEASE.

VIOLETTE NOZIERE

| 1978 (New Release in 2026) – 130′ –  Drama, Period & History, Biopic, Thriller, Classic.
Written by: Odile Barski, Hervé Bromberger, Frédéric Grendel, Jean-Marie Fritere.
Directed by: Claude Chabrol.
Starring: Isabelle Huppert, Stéphane Audran, Jean Carmet, Jean-Francois Garreaud, Lisa Langlis, Bernadette Lafont, Mario David, Dora Doll.
Official Selection Cannes International Film Festival 1978 (Winner Best Actress ~ Isabelle Huppert). Four César Nominations 1979 (Winner Best Supporting Actress ~ Stéphane Audran).
In French with English subtitles.
A Film Movement Classics release. |

Paris, 1933: Violette Noziere (Isabelle Huppert) will turn 18. She lives with her parents, Germaine (Stéphane Audran) and Baptiste (Jean Carmet), in a very modest apartment cluttered with ungainly furniture and objects. Violette can’t stand the cramped quarters or the drab atmosphere at home. Baptiste Noziere is only interested in his card games, while Germaine clumsily tries to raise her daughter according to a petit-bourgeois ideal that excludes any hint of dreaming. So Violette escapes in her own way, leading a double life: an emancipated young woman on the outside, elegantly dressed, with easy money, but a butterfly who folds her wings and slips into her drab chrysalis when she returns to her parents’ house. Her encounter with Jean Dabin (Jean Francois Garreaud), a mediocre and unscrupulous man with whom she falls madly in love, will further widen the gap between her two lives.

 

 

]]> TESS ../../../tess/ Fri, 19 Dec 2025 23:53:28 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=25637

TESS

| 1980 (Digital restoration 2012) – 185′ –  Classic,  PERIOD & HISTORY, DRAMA, ROMANCE, FILMS & LITERATURE
Written by: Gérard Brach, John Brownjohn, Roman Polanski.
Based on the Book by: Thomas hardy.
Directed by: Roman Polanski.
Starring: Nastassja Kinski, Peter Firth, Leigh Lawson, John Collin, Rosemary Martin, Carolyn Pickles, Suzanna Hamilton, Caroline Embling
Official Selections: Cannes International Film Festival 1979 and 2012. Toronto International Film Festival 2012. 5 Academy Awards Nominations 1981 including Best Director. Winner Academy Awards for Best Art Direction and Best Costumes). 3 César Awards Winner 1980 (Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Director).
In English.
A The Criterion Collection release. |

In the Victorian period, a rural clergyman tells John Durbeyfield, a simple farmer, that he is descended from the illustrious d’Urberville family — now extinct. Or maybe not. Durbeyfield sends his daughter Tess to check on a family named d’Uberville living in a manor house less than a day’s carriage ride away. Alec d’Urberville is delighted to meet his beautiful “cousin” and seduces her with strawberries and roses. Actually, Alec has gotten his illustrious name and coat of arms by purchasing them. Tess also takes up the game of illusion when she finds, loses and finds again her true love Angel Claire.

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