Celebrate Francophonie Month at the 29th Annual New Orleans French Film Festival

Celebrate Francophonie Month with a selection of films, featuring exceptional contemporary and classic Francophone cinema from Europe, Africa, the Caribbean, and North America.

The New Orleans French Film Festival is among the longest-running international language film festivals in the U.S. The festival’s 2026 lineup brings together emerging talent and celebrated directors from across the French-speaking world. Screenings will take place at Prytania Theatre Uptown and other venues across the city (see the full schedule and venue information below). All films will be presented in French with English subtitles.

Additionally, the festival will feature two special free lectures at the Résidence de France (2406 Prytania Street, New Orleans, LA 70130) in New Orleans on Tuesday, March 24, 2026:

• 4:30 PM – In Search of Edmond Dédé
  Filmmaker and researcher Marguerite de Bourgoing will explore Edmond Dédé’s (1827–1901) transatlantic life and legacy. Drawing on archival, intertextual analysis, and clips from her documentary-in-progress, she traces the myths, omissions, and cultural forces that shaped the story of the New Orleans–born Black composer trained in Paris and celebrated in Bordeaux—and the long road to his rediscovery. His grand opera Morgiane, believed lost for more than a century, resurfaced recently and finally premiered in 2025 through a collaboration between Opera Creole and Opera Lafayette. He remains one of the most fascinating—and long overlooked—figures in 19th-century music.
• 5:30 PM – Dreaming in Cinema: The Life and Legacy of Jean Cocteau
  Visionary filmmaker and artist Jean Cocteau remains one of the most singular figures in 20th-century art. In this special conversation, preeminent Cocteau scholar Chloë Cassens explores his boundary-defying career and enduring influence on cinema. From the dreamlike imagery of Beauty and the Beast to the mythic modernism of Orpheus, Cassens unpacks how Cocteau transformed poetry into film language—blurring reality and fantasy, theater and cinema, life and art.

Click here to get your tickets.

Full Lineup

Thursday, March 19

• Opening Night Patron Party — 5–7 PM — The Columns
• Colors of Time, Cédric Klapisch — 7:15–9:31 PM — Prytania Theatre

Friday, March 20

• Built on Zydeco, Milton Arceneaux, Dustin Cravins — 6:15–7:10 PM — Prytania
• Theatre
• French Music Festival: From Zydeco to Electro — 7–10 PM — Alliance Française
• Nino, Pauline Loquès — 8–9:38 PM — Prytania Theatre

Saturday, March 21

• Orpheus, Jean Cocteau — 11:45 AM–1:30 PM — Prytania Theatre
• Dahomey, Mati Diop — 1:45–2:55 PM — Prytania Theatre
• Chopin, Chopin!, Michał Kwieciński — 3:15–5:29 PM — Prytania Theatre
• Silent Rebellion, Marie-Elsa Sgualdo — 6–7:39 PM — Prytania Theatre
• CinéSuisse Salon — 8–10 PM — Private Residence
• The Piano Accident, Quentin Dupieux — 8–9:30 PM — Prytania Theatre

Sunday, March 22

• Cafe & Croissants — 10–11:30 AM — L’Union Française
• Beauty and the Beast, Jean Cocteau— 10–11:51 AM — Prytania Theatre
• Leave One Day, Amélie Bonnin — 12:15–1:55 PM — Prytania Theatre
• Shorts Film Block — 2:30–4:07 PM — Prytania Theatre
• Peak Everything, Anne Émond — 5–6:42 PM — Prytania Theatre
• The Stranger, François Ozon — 7:30–9:34 PM — Prytania Theatre

Monday, March 23

• Cocteau on Screen — 10 AM–12 PM — Loyola University
• Film Louisiana Workshop — 12–1:30 PM — Loyola University
• Cocteau-Inspired Pop Up Film Set — 1–3 PM — Loyola University
• Stay REEL Soirée presented by Mubi — 2–4:30 PM — Loyola University
• REEL FUTURES Screening: Dahomey, Mati Diop — 3:30–4:38 PM — Loyola
  University
• Inked: Our Stories Remarked & The Most Precious of Cargoes, Dara Bratt— 7–8:49
  PM — Prytania Theatre

Tuesday, March 24

• In Search of Edmond Dédé — 4:30–5:20 PM — Résidence de France
• Dreaming in Cinema: The Life and Legacy of Jean Cocteau — 5:30–6:15 PM —
  Résidence de France

Wednesday, March 25

• Beauty and the Beast, Jean Cocteau — 10–11:51 AM — Prytania Theatre