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, followed by a reception:
Did you know that one of the most classically accomplished Black American composers of the 19th century—the first African American known to have produced an opera, and an artist who found success in both France and the United States while bridging the worlds of art music and popular music—was from New Orleans? Meet Edmond Dede. Born in 1827, trained in Paris, and celebrated in Bordeaux, Dédé remains one of the most fascinating—and long overlooked—figures of his era. 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.
In this multimedia presentation, French filmmaker Marguerite de Bourgoing shares her ongoing documentary research on Dédé, exploring his transatlantic life and examining how France—alongside America—shaped his reception and legacy. Drawing on 19th-century archival texts, intertextual analysis, and clips from her documentary-in-progress, the program traces the myths, omissions, and cultural forces that defined his story, and considers why his rediscovery resonates so powerfully today. Following the presentation, de Bourgoing will be joined in conversation by Sultana Isham—a New Orleans–based scholar, composer, and filmmaker who appears in the documentary—for a discussion on Dédé’s enduring significance.
Tuesday, March 24 at 4:30 PM
Résidence de France
2406 Prytania Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
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.
Chloë Cassens is the representative of the Severin Wunderman collection, the largest in the world of works by the artist Jean Cocteau. Her perspective on Cocteau is singular as she is Wunderman’s granddaughter. An in-demand expert and scholar of Cocteau, she has spoken to audiences at the Peggy Guggenheim Collection in Venice; L’Alliance in New York City; the British Film Institute in London; the Philosophical Research Society in Los Angeles; and many more. Chloë received a B.A. in Comparative Literature from Barnard College. She lives in Los Angeles and Paris.
The discussion will be moderated by Joe Mistrot from l’Union Française.
Tuesday, March 24 at 5:30 PM
Résidence de France
2406 Prytania Street
New Orleans, Louisiana 70130
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
– Reception — 6:30–7:30 PM — Résidence de France
Wednesday, March 25
– Beauty and the Beast, Jean Cocteau — 10–11:51 AM — Prytania Theatre