The New Orleans French Film Festival is one of the longest-running international language festivals in the U.S., celebrating contemporary and classic Francophone cinema.

For its 28th edition, the festival broadens its definition of French cinema with a lineup of emerging talents and acclaimed auteurs from the Francophone world. All films will be presented in French with English subtitles.

Schedule:

10:00 AM: Contempt at Prytania Theatre

Jean-Luc Godard’s subversive foray into commercial filmmaking is a star-studded Cinemascope epic. Contempt (Le Mépris) stars Michel Piccoli as a screenwriter torn between the demands of a proud European director (played by legendary director Fritz Lang), a crude and arrogant American producer (Jack Palance), and his disillusioned wife, Camille (Brigitte Bardot), as he attempts to doctor the script for a new film version of "The Odyssey."

12:00 PM: Holy Cow (Vingt Dieux) at Prytania Theatre

After the tragic death of his father, 18 year old Totone is thrust into the unexpected and very adult role of looking after his younger sister and their failing family farm in the Jura section of France. He assumes even more responsibility when he enters a cash competition for the best Comte cheese made in this western part of the French Alps. A “verité” look at the hardscrabble life of French agriculture, this is simultaneously a moving love story and above all an ode to the love of cheese.

2:00 PM: Meeting with Pol Pot (Rendez-vous avec Pol Pot) at Prytania Theatre

1978, Democratic Kampuchea (Cambodia). Three French journalists are granted a rare audience with Khmer Rouge leader Pol Pot, invited to witness what appears to be an ideal socialist state. But beneath the carefully curated façade, the regime is unraveling—war with Vietnam looms, paranoia spreads, and a vast, hidden genocide is underway. As the cracks begin to show, their reporting mission turns into a harrowing descent into the heart of darkness.

Freely inspired by journalist Elizabeth Becker’s 'When the War Was Over,' this gripping political thriller exposes the chilling reality behind one of history’s most brutal regimes.'

4:15 PM: The Shepherd and the Bear at Prytania Theatre

Set against the breathtaking French Pyrenees, The Shepherd and the Bear explores the growing tensions between tradition and change as brown bears return to a long-standing shepherding community. An aging shepherd struggles to find a successor while protecting his flock, while a teenage boy becomes captivated by the bears’ power, drawn into their world.

With stunning cinematography and a moving score, Max Keegan’s debut feature is a visually rich and deeply felt folktale about the fragile balance between heritage and nature in a rapidly changing landscape.

6:45 PM: French Music Shorts at Prytania Theatre

Descended from slaves in the former French colony of Saint-Domingue (Haiti), Creoles faced discrimination in South Louisianan society—too black for some, too French for others. They developed their own style of music: Zydeco. Delton Broussard and Calvin Carrière give us a taste of it, and singer Inez Catalon talks and sings about her life in Kaplan.

8:45 PM: Sunday Reception at BK Historic House and Gardens

oin us for a special Sunday Reception at the historic BK House (1113 Chartres St.), cohosted with #CreateLouisiana and The Nous Foundation, as we celebrate this year’s #CreateLouisiana grant recipient, Musique(s)! by Cory St. Ewart.

Enjoy an evening of music, light bites, drinks and the opportunity to connect with fellow film enthusiasts.

8:45 PM: Wild Diamond (Diamant brut) at Prytania Theatre

Liane, 19, lives with her mother and sister in Fréjus in the south of France. Consumed by aspirations of beauty and stardom, she auditions for a reality show called “Miracle Island.”

Buy Tickets