After a 2025 season that saw audiences packing out theatres like it was the hottest ticket in town, the festival returns with swagger, style, and a lineup dripping in prestige. We’re talking 24 films, across 24 locations, over four weeks; a full-bodied celebration of everything that makes French cinema so dangerously irresistible.

Following a breakout 2025 season that saw packed theatres and repeat audiences leaning into the festival experience, 2026 arrives with serious momentum. Festival Director Fergus Grady points to a growing appetite among Kiwi audiences for bold, international storytelling, and this year’s programme looks to deliver exactly that – an eclectic mix of box office sensations, Cannes standouts, and award-winning performances.

“The response last year was incredible. We’re seeing audiences really embrace the festival experience, coming back multiple times and trusting the programme to deliver something special each visit. This year’s line-up continues that tradition, with something for everyone to discover,” said Grady.

Opening the festivities for this year is Colours of Time from Cédric Klapisch, a sweeping, emotionally-charged drama that dances between past and present, threading together family legacy, artistic revolution, and the intoxicating spirit of Paris at the dawn of Impressionism. It’s lush, it’s layered, and it’s exactly the kind of film you want to sink into with a glass of red in hand.

But that’s just the entrée.

This year’s programme is stacked with heavy hitters. Pierre Niney brings intensity to Guru, while Angelina Jolie adds international firepower to Couture. While the incomparable Isabelle Huppert delivers ice-cold brilliance in The Richest Woman in the World, diving headfirst into scandal, wealth, and power.

There’s prestige behind the camera too, with François Ozon bringing his signature touch to a reimagined The Stranger, while a bold new take on Les Misérables explores the origins of Jean Valjean with fresh emotional weight.

This isn’t just a film festival – it’s a full-blown cinematic affair. Seductive, stylish, and unapologetically French, the L’Oréal French Film Festival Aotearoa is ready to sweep audiences off their feet all over again.

See the full programme here, and make sure you book your tickets because with a festival of this magnitude, tickets won’t last long. À bientôt au cinéma!

Image: L’Oréal French Film Festival Aotearoa

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Coinciding with the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations between France and New Zealand, the French Government recently awarded the Festival’s owner, Simon Werry, with the title of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres. The award recognises significant contribution to the development of arts, music and literature, an honour besieged on only a handful of New Zealanders including Sir Peter Jackson, Witi Ihimaera and Dame Fiona Kidman.

The 2025 edition features 23 hand-selected films, showcasing the very best of contemporary French cinema – from epic blockbusters and Cannes favourites to dramas, romances and quirky comedies.

Festival Highlights Include:

The Count of Monte Cristo – a rip-roaring adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ timeless classic, packed with action and adventure.

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life – A charming love letter to the beloved author, this story follows a solitary bookseller chasing her dream of becoming a writer — a heartfelt nod to Jane Austen in the year marking her 250th birthday.

Beating Hearts – a bold and emotional blockbuster following star-crossed lovers that’s taken French box offices by storm.

Boléro – a visually stunning film following Maurice Ravel’s journey to create the iconic music piece, set against the backdrop of 1920s Paris.

My Brother’s Band – a sensation at Cannes and one of France’s biggest box office films of the year, two very different siblings separated by fate are reunited by their love of music.

Holy Cow – a must-see for cheese lovers, this delightful Cannes selection dives into France’s passion for fromage with warmth and humour.

Monsieur Aznavour – a lavish portrayal of the life and career of singer Charles Aznavour.

Festival Director Fergus Grady commented: “We’re thrilled to bring this year’s festival to more locations than ever before, and to mark a special milestone in France – New Zealand relations. Whether you’re a seasoned cinephile or simply curious about French culture, there’s something for everyone in this year’s line-up.”

Vive le cinéma!

The hugely popular French Film Festival Aotearoa returns to screens nationwide from 28 May.

French Film Festival Aotearoa 2025 Full Programme Line-up includes:

OPENING NIGHT FILM

Monsieur Aznavour: From his poor childhood to his rise to fame, from his triumphs to his failures, from Paris to New York, this film follows the exceptional journey of devoted artist, Monsieur Aznavour.

CENTREPIECE FILMS

The Count of Monte Cristo: After 14 years in an island prison, wrongly accused Edmond Dantes manages a daring escape and assumes the identity of the Count of Monte-Cristo to exact his revenge on the three men who betrayed him.

Jane Austen Wrecked My Life: A desperately single bookseller, lost in a fantasy world, finds herself forced to fulfil her dreams of becoming a writer in order to stop messing up her love life.

CANNES SPOTLIGHT

My Brother’s Band: This wildly entertaining new film follows two very different siblings separated by fate and reunited by their love of music.

The Thread: Jean Monier is a disillusioned lawyer, appointed to defend Nicolas Milik, a man accused of murdering his wife. While everything points to his guilt, Monier takes up the case, convinced of his innocence.

Beating Hearts: Clotaire falls for his schoolmate Jackie, charmed by her fearless spirit and sharp wit. As first love blossoms between the two but gang violence entices him into a darker path and destroys everything when he is charged with a crime he didn’t commit.

Holy Cow: Suddenly having to care for his little sister, a young man must focus on the best chance he’s got to provide for them—entering a local cheese-making competition—in this award-winning French film

TRES DRAMATIQUE

The Stolen Painting: André Masson, specialist in modern art, receives a letter according to which a painting by Egon Schiele had been discovered in Mulhouse. He finds that the work has been missing since 1939. This discovery puts his career in danger.

Boléro: In 1928 Paris, choreographer Ida Rubinstein commissions Maurice Ravel to compose the music for her next ballet. Facing a crisis of inspiration, the composer revisits his life and dedicates himself to create a universal masterpiece, Boléro.

The Divine Sarah Bernhardt: 1915, Sarah Bernhardt is the world’s first star. Free. Modern. Divine. Eccentric. Visionary… Between legend and fantasy, Sarah Bernhardt tells us the love story that marked her life.

Three Friends: Joan’s love fades for Victor while Alice reassures her about her own unfulfilling relationship with Eric. Unbeknownst to Alice, Eric is involved with Rebecca. Their lives spiral after Joan leaves Victor, who goes missing.

The Deluge: In 1792, the imprisoned Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette face the end of monarchy and the birth of a new world in this untold story of revolution and reckoning.

Miss Violet: In 19th-century France, a determined Parisian teacher sent to a rural village must overcome resistance and her own past to prove that education can change lives.

TWISTS AND TURNS

How to Make a Killing: On Christmas Eve, Michael and Cathy witness a triple murder and end up with two million euros and a pistol, leading them into increasingly absurd situations to avoid suspicion.

The French Job: The plot centres on the trio of thieves who stole €100 million worth of works of art by Picasso, Matisse and Modigliani. While the paintings have never been recovered, this outrageous comedy tells a frenetic and madcap tale of what could have happened to these famous works

Saint-Ex: In 1930s Argentina, airmail pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry risks everything to search for his missing friend and fellow aviator lost in the Andes. The true story of the author behind the French classic The Little Prince.

When Fall is Coming: Michelle, a retiree in Burgundy, expects her grandson Lucas but a mistake ruins her plans. Her friend Marie-Claude’s son is released from prison, reviving Michelle’s purpose. From BAFTA-nominated French filmmaker, François Ozon.

L’AMOUR AND LAUGHTER

All Stirred Up!: A French chef in search of fame tries to help the young Lili-Beth win a culinary competition. But to do so he must contend with the hostility of an entire village towards Sonia, the intransigent local customs officer.

Riviera Revenge: On the sunny French Riviera, a quest for revenge spirals into a witty journey full of love, mischief, and unexpected surprises.

The Scammers: Two friends on a small island in Brittany discover the lottery winner is dead with the winning ticket. They plan a village-wide scam to take his place.

This Life of Mine: At 55, Barbie struggles with her identity, relationships, and the chaos of life, descending into darkness and absurdity.

The Love Boat: To overcome their financial problems, Justine, her husband and their whole group of friends organise a fake romantic cruise for Franck, a big investor, who is trying to seduce a woman.

Family Therapy: A successful psychoanalyst’s life is turned upside down by a very anxious and extremely clingy patient who starts dating his daughter.

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