From left: Matthieu Penchinat as Raoul Coutard, Guillaume Marbeck as Jean Luc Godard, Aubry Dullin as Jean-paul Belmondo and Zoey Deutch as Jean Seberg in 'Nouvelle Vague.' Courtesy of Netflix Share on Facebook Share on X Share to Flipboard Send an Email Show additional share options Share on LinkedIn Share on Pinterest Share on Reddit Share on Tumblr Share on Whats App Print the Article Post a Comment Following its role in last year's historic run for awards season sensation Emilia Pérez, the American French Film Festival returns with a 2025 lineup boasting a pair of projects with Hollywood pedigrees, alongside an array of potential breakouts. As the world's largest film festival dedicated to French cinema and television series, TAFFF, which kicked off on Tuesday and runs through Nov. 3, represents a collaboration between the French and U.S. film and television industries that was established when the Franco-American Cultural Fund began in 1996. Celebrating the partnership between French association SACEM and the U.S. guild organizations - namely, the Directors Guild of America, the Motion Picture Association and the Writers Guild of America West - the screenings and events for the 29th annual installment take place at the DGA Theater Complex in Los Angeles. Related Stories Movies Camerimage: 'Anemone' to Open 2025 Festival TV Sky News' Sophy Ridge, Wilfred Frost on Their New Breakfast Show for the Digital Age Among the 70 film and TV titles selected for this year's edition is opening-night selection A Private Life, with French filmmaker Rebecca Zlotowski's mystery feature showcasing Jodie Foster's first role entirely in the French language. Foster, a two-time Oscar winner who speaks fluent French, received a lifetime achievement award at the screening. Additionally, the centerpiece screening featured Oscar-nominated director Richard Linklater's latest narrative film, Nouvelle Vague, which chronicles the making of Jean-Luc Godard's classic New Wave movie Breathless. Marking Linklater's first film shot entirely in French, Nouvelle Vague screened Thursday, where Linklater accepted the Franco-American Cultural Fund Award for the project that stars American actress Zoey Deutch (playing Jean Seberg) and French performers Guillaume Marbeck (Jean-Luc Godard) and Aubry Dullin (Jean-Paul Belmondo). Jodie Foster in 'A Private Life.' Courtesy of George Lechaptois "It's right smack in the center of what our DNA is, which is cultural and creative exchanges between France and the United States," TAFFF deputy director Anouchka van Riel tells The Hollywood Reporter about Nouvelle Vague, adding that an American director leading a French cast and crew offers "an amazing mix for what we are seeking: cultures feeding each other through creativity." Other standout titles at this year's festival include Jafar Panahi's It Was Just an Accident, which won the Palme d'Or after premiering at Cannes and became France's selection for the international feature Oscar. Also screening at TAFFF are the Isabelle Huppert-led The Richest Woman in the World and the Brigitte Bardot-focused documentary Bardot, along with various TV series and short films. In addition to its screenings, a highlight of TAFFF's programming is a DGA-sponsored filmmaker panel with Linklater, Jason Reitman (Saturday Night) and recent Oscar winner Sean Baker (Anora). Former DGA president Taylor Hackford, the Oscar-nominated Ray director, moderates the conversation. "The subject is the vitality of the feature film and why we must fight to rejuvenate the experience of going into the cinema and seeing a film on the big screen," Hackford says. "These are people who are working directors, facing an existential crisis in our business. To have that group exchanging with their equals in France is really what the Franco-American Cultural Fund is all about." Jafar Panahi's It Was Just an Accident Courtesy of Cannes Film Festival While they are pleased to include splashy names, TAFFF's organizers pride themselves on introducing fresh filmmaking voices to the American market. Making its debut at the festival this year is the New Horizons program, highlighting work from rising and seasoned French filmmakers who express a unique cinematic vision. Among the titles on the roster are Valérie Donzelli's At Work, which won best screenplay for Donzelli and Gilles Marchand at the Venice Film Festival, and Claire Denis' The Fence, starring Tom Blyth and Mia McKenna-Bruce. "What's important is to show that the voice of French artists is not a monolith, and that voice is diverse," emphasizes van Riel. "The majority of the audience - and I'm not only speaking general audience but also industry people - might think of France right now as Emily in Paris. Well, guess what? We are not only the Eiffel Tower." Van Riel singles out two titles to illustrate that point, including director Hafsia Herzi's The Little Sister, which focuses on a lesbian teen navigating life with a Muslim family. The movie d