On Screen This December: Film & TV in New York

Brazil, 1977. Marcelo, a technology expert in his early 40s, is on the run. He arrives in Recife during carnival week, hoping to reunite with his son but soon realizes that the city is far from being the non-violent refuge he seeks.

The film premiered in the main competition at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where it garnered widespread acclaim and emerged as the festival’s most awarded film, earning Wagner Moura the Best Actor award and Mendonça Filho the Best Director award.

Vahid, an unassuming mechanic, is suddenly reminded of his time in an Iranian prison when he has a chance encounter with Eghbal, a man he strongly suspects to be his sadistic jailhouse captor. Panicked, Vahid rounds up a few of his fellow ex-prisoners to try and confirm Eghbal’s identity.  Master filmmaker Jafar Panahi creates a deeply felt moral thriller, where high stakes tension combines with unexpected flurries of humor and thoughtful, sometimes devastating, questions regarding persecution and revenge. Winner of the 2025 Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival.

The world is a perplexing, peaceful mystery to Amélie until a miraculous encounter with chocolate ignites her wild sense of curiosity. As she develops a deep attachment to her family’s housekeeper, Nishio-san, Amélie discovers the wonders of nature as well as the emotional truths hidden beneath the surface of her family’s idyllic life as foreigners in post-war Japan. Adapted from the autobiographical novel by Amélie Nothomb and brought to life in the completely original animated style of directors Mailys Vallade and Liane-Cho Han, Little Amélie or the Character of Rain tells a tender, poignant and visually stunning story about the healing power of human connection.

Animal Tales of Christmas Magic is a collection of five short, animated films celebrating the holiday season. A stork and fox join forces to save Santa’s home, a brave little chick stands up to a flock of crows on her very first Christmas, and creatures of the forest gather to observe the wonder of the northern lights. Filled with warmth and whimsy, each story captures the joy of coming together in moments of celebration. With minimal dialogue, this program is accessible to all!

In the Israeli city of Haifa, four stories intertwine as members of a close-knit Arab family perform their dutiful roles while each harboring a secret that exposes both their true desires and worst fears. Oscar®-nominated for his debut drama AJAMI (a 2010 FF premiere), Palestinian filmmaker Scandar Copti crafts a suspenseful, intricately structured drama that draws the viewer into shared humanity with the characters—conflicts around sex, money, fidelity to clan, and personal freedom—while also painting a vivid portrait of the complexities of Arab-Jewish relationships in cosmopolitan Israel.

For the past 17 years, Villa Albertine resident Marie Losier has captured the dynamic and provocative essence of Peaches, the trailblazing feminist queer icon.

This intimate portrait offers a deep dive into the life of an inspiring, taboo-shattering artist. Discover Peaches’ electrifying concerts, her close bond with her sister and how her boundless energy, fearless exploration on and off stage, has transformed every phase of her life into a captivating work of art.

Q&As with director Marie Losier from December 3 – December 5!

Returning to New York from Thursday, November 28 until Sunday, December 14, the 33rd African Diaspora International Film Festival (ADIFF NYC) once again invites audiences to experience the world through the lens of the African Diaspora. This year’s edition showcases a rich and diverse selection of films from Africa, the Caribbean, Latin America, North America, and Europe — works that not only entertain but also engage deeply with questions of identity, memory, and cultural belonging. Through its program, the festival continues its long-standing mission of amplifying voices often underrepresented in mainstream cinema, highlighting the plurality and creativity of Black storytelling across continents.

Among this year’s highlights are two remarkable films: The Ants, the latest work by Moroccan director Yassine Fennane, and Fanon, Jean-Claude Barny’s much-anticipated biopic tracing the life and times of the revolutionary psychiatrist and philosopher Frantz Fanon. Both films promise to spark dialogue about colonial legacies, forms of resistance, and the complex intersections of history, politics, and personal experience that continue to shape the diasporic imagination.

Jean-Claude Barney will be in attendance for a Q&A on December 14!

Created and curated by Professor Anna-Caroline Prost, Voices of Francophone Cinema is back for a smashing fifth edition featuring some of the most cutting-edge films from the Francophone World. This year’s edition, made possible with the support of Albertine Foundation, celebrates and investigates the multi-faceted theme of “Nos libertés – Our Freedoms” to rebuild life after trauma, to expand the limits of our possibilities, to examine, questions and transform our society, to understand our past, to experience joy and rebirth…This month, NYU presents Misericordia, an unusual and surprisingly funny film from Alain Giraudie. Jérémie returns to his hometown for the funeral of his former boss, the village baker. He decides to stay for a few days with Martine, the man’s widow. A mysterious disappearance, a threatening neighbor, and a priest with strange intentions make Jérémie’s short stay in the village take an unexpected turn.

One evening, on December 24, somewhere in a gray suburb, young Abdou, a dreamy pizza delivery boy, meets the real Santa Claus, whose name is Marcel. The old man is worn out and tired, and a silly scooter accident compromises his rounds. Thanks to Abdou, who enlists the help of some unusual characters from his neighborhood, the deliveries will go ahead as planned. In a big mess, Christmas is saved, with music and songs!

A fictionalized account of the making of Jean-Luc Godard’s 1959 film Breathless, that uses the same style, color, aspect ratio, and language as the original film. A celebration of the French New Wave and its impact, this biopic focuses on Godard, his style, and his legacy.

Following the sudden death of his father, a hard-partying dairy farmer, 18-year-old Totone (Clément Faveau) is reluctantly thrust into adulthood in Louise Courvoisier’s warm and gently comic debut feature. Premiering in the Un Certain Regard section at the Cannes Film Festival, the film charts Totone’s unconventional path to responsibility as he takes a job at a nearby dairy farm, falls for the farmer’s daughter, and hatches a plan to save his family by entering a regional cheese competition—with a 30,000 Euro prize for the best Comté.

Rooted in the landscapes and rhythms of rural Jura, where Courvoisier herself was raised, the film blends a cast of non-professional local actors with an affectionate, lived-in realism. Equal parts coming-of-age fable and pastoral portrait, this charming and flavorful story celebrates both the emotional messiness of growing up and the earthy traditions of French agricultural life—sure to delight cinephiles and cheese lovers alike.

This December, Anthology Film Archives — the international center dedicated to the preservation, study, and exhibition of independent, experimental, and avant-garde cinema — will present several French productions, including the U.S. theatrical premiere of Peaches Goes Bananas by Villa Albertine resident Marie Losier (in person December 3 – 5), followed by Une simple histoire by Marcel Hanoun and Encore by Paul Vecchiali.

The Metrograph — the independent two-screen theater on Manhattan’s Lower East Side, renowned for its meticulous curation of rare archival prints, repertory cinema, retrospectives, and international films — will present several French productions, including works by celebrated directors such as Jean-Luc Godard, Olivier Assayas, and Luc Moullet.

Discover our roundup of this month’s must-see programs available on the international French-language network, TV5 Monde.