Thriller – The American French Film Festival in Los Angeles https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org The American French Film Festival in Los Angeles Fri, 20 Feb 2026 23:12:11 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://wordpress.org/?v=6.9.1 THE BLACK WIDOW ../../../the-black-widow/ Fri, 20 Feb 2026 23:06:02 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=26372

COMING TO DIGITAL ON MARCH 24.

THE BLACK WIDOW

| 2026 – 4 x 52′ – Season 1 – Series, Drama, Thriller.
Created by: Franck Ollivier.
Written by: Franck Ollivier.
Directed by: Philippe Dajoux.
Starring: Odile Vuillemin, Joyce Bibring, Laurent Gamelon, Malik Elakehal El Miliani, Vincent Jouan, Fred Bianconi, Maïra Schmitt, Roméo Mariani, Yann Sundberg, Roby Schinasi, Cyril Lecomte, François-Dominique Blin.
In French with English subtitles.
A Mhz Choice release. |

Don’t try to meet her… Who is Isabelle? A murderer or a housewife? That’s what Captain Mathilde Delboscq, in charge of the investigation into Isabelle’s husband’s death, wants to understand… It’s the beginning of an inquiry, and then a dive into the life of a woman with a unique destiny.

 

 

 

]]> 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.

WATCH NOW

 

]]> 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.

WATCH NOW 

 

]]> 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.

WATCH NOW

]]> 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.

WATCH NOW

 

 

 

]]> RIVIERE-PERDUE ../../../riviere-perdue/ Sat, 31 Jan 2026 02:57:35 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=26085

RIVIERE-PERDUE

| 2026 – 6 x 52′ – Season 1 – Series, Drama, Crime, Thriller.
Created by: Eugénie Dard.
Written by: Eugénie Dard, Sylvain Caron, Elsa Vasseur.
Directed by: Jean-Christophe Delpias.
Starring: Barbara Cabrita, Nicolas Gob, Odile Vuillemin, Anne-Lise Hesme, Bruno Debrandt, Kamel Belghazi, Jean-Michel Tinivelli.
In French with English subtitles.
A Mhz Choice release. |

The story begins with a spectacular car accident on a winding mountain road that leads to a “miracle”: the reappearance of Anna, a teenager who vanished five years earlier. Her return reignites a cold case, as another girl named Lucie was kidnapped at the same time and remains missing. The investigation is led by Captain Alix Berg and Commander Balthus, who team up with local gendarme Victor Ferrer in a race against time to find Lucie and uncover where Anna has been held for half a decade. As they follow clues that lead them across the Spanish border, the detectives must navigate a web of secrets, suspicious family members, and unexpected twists. 

 

 

 

]]> BROCELIANDE ../../../broceliande/ Sat, 31 Jan 2026 02:31:49 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=26072

BROCELIANDE

| 2026 – 6 x 52′ – Season 1 – Series, Crime, Drama, Thriller.
Created by: Isabelle Polin, Eric Delafosse.
Written by: Isabelle Polin, Eric Delafosse,Thomas Boullé.
Directed by: Bruno Garcia.
Starring:  Nolwenn Leroy, Marie-Anne Chazel, Catherine Marchal, Thomas Jouannet, Arnaud Binard, Léonie Simaga, Medi Sadoun, Lorànt Deutsch, Matthieu Rozé, Bénédicte Choisnet.
In French with English subtitles.
A Mhz Choice release. |

After 20 years in Paris, Fanny (played by singer Nolwenn Leroy) returns to the Brocéliande region to clear her name and find the truth about her friend’s disappearance, which occurred after a night of partying. The story heavily features the legendary, atmospheric Brocéliande forest in Brittany, blending crime drama with local myths. A suspenseful, psychological mystery centered on memory, past trauma, and long-held secrets.

WATCH NOW

 

]]> UNCLAIMED ../../../unclaimed/ Tue, 27 Jan 2026 23:42:38 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=26042

UNCLAIMED

| 2021~2026 – 18 x 52′ – Season 1~3 – Series, Crime, Drama, Thriller.
Created by: Olivier Norek, Patrick Tringale, Christian Mouchart.
Written by: Patrick Tringale, Christian Mouchart, Christophe Joaquin, Jules Cordon, Mathieu Gleizes, Hélène Duchateau, Anouk Filippini, Hugo Nathan-Murat, Kristel Mudry, Sébastien Vitoux, Chris Briant.
Directed by: Chris Briant, Axel Laffont, Emilie Grandperret, Chloé Micout.
Starring: Guillaume Cramoisan, Nathalie Cerda, Déborah Krey, Quentin Faure, Cécile Rebboah, Jérémie Covillault, Hugo Brune, Marie Malia, Xavier Mathieu.
In French with English subtitles.
A Mhz Choice release. |

Darius is the leader of a police unit called “The Invisibles” which specializes in solving John and Jane Doe cases – bodies found with no identity, no story, no past. His team includes the big-hearted and sardonic Marijo (Nathalie Cerda, Spiral, Emily in Paris); former boxing champion Ben (Quentin Faure, Borgia); brilliant, bourgeoise rookie Duchess (Déborah Krey, The Art of Crime) and reconstruction specialist Angie (Cécile Rebboah, How Mom Turned to Armed Robbery). Their mission? Identify the bodies before they end up in an anonymous mass grave – and stop the killers before they get away with it. The team’s task is complicated by the fact that they only have seven days to identify the body and complete their investigation for each case – let the countdown begin!

WATCH NOW

 

]]> MURDER IN ../../../murder-in/ Tue, 27 Jan 2026 23:33:25 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=26036

SEASON 15 AVAILABLE ON DIGITAL ON FEBRUARY 24.

MURDER IN

| 2026 – 145 x 90′ – Season 1~15 – Series, Crime, Drama, Thriller, Mystery.
Created by: Various.
Written by: Various.
Directed by: Various.
Starring: Various.
In French with English subtitles. Also dubbed in English for the first seasons.
A Mhz Choice release. |

A gorgeous collection of more than 150 mysteries, each one set in a different picturesque region of France or city with a different high profile cast. 

WATCH SEASON 1~14 NOW

]]> THE ORPHANS ../../../the-orphans/ Tue, 27 Jan 2026 23:28:19 +0000 https://theamericanfrenchfilmfestival.org/?p=26033

THE ORPHANS

| 2026 – 95′ – Action, Thriller,
Written by: Nicolas Peufaillit, Olivier Schneider, Alban Lenoir, Jean-André Yerles.
Directed by: Olivier Schneider.
Starring: Alban Lenoir, Dali Benssalah, Sonia Faidi, Suzanne Clément, Anouk Grinberg, Naidra Ayadi, Romain Levi, Jean Kinsella.
In French with English subtitles, in English.
A Netflix Original release. |

Childhood friends Gabriel and Idriss have taken different paths: the former became a police inspector, while the latter joined organized crime. They reunite when their first love is involved in a suspicious road accident.

WATCH NOW

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