Young French Cinema

The YOUNG FRENCH CINEMA program is one of the most convenient entry points to Contemporary French directors. It offers a selection of today’s best films and filmmakers. The program mainly focuses on rising talents, from high-profile independent works to quirky comedies, animated features tackling history, powerful documentaries about the world around us and exciting shorts.

This program stands as proof that the young generation of contemporary French filmmakers is – now more than ever – a true melting pot, with a global vision and an amazing ability to combine different cultural influences. The work of this new generation of filmmakers is innovative in both style and storytelling and touches on a wide range of subject matters. Most of the films selected in this program have premiered in the US in one of the top US festivals, but are not currently distributed in the US.

Contact: Adeline Monzier, adeline.monzier@unifrance.org and Sandrine Neveux, sandrine.neveux@villa-albertine.org

Discover the 2024 edition here.

Review of the 2022 edition:

Due to the pandemic context, the YFC 2022 selection was offered both physically (2/3) and virtually (1/3), through Eventive and other virtual platforms. The program included 10 feature films, including a documentary, and 7 short films from emerging French filmmakers. All the selected features premiered in major international film festivals in 2021, including Cannes, Locarno, TIFF …. 80% of the selection was directed by women. 90 virtual and physical screenings have been scheduled in 30 different places (theaters, film societies, universities, French Institutes), generating a revenue of 19 000$ for French producers and distributors alike. Theaters programmed an average number of 3 to 4 films, compared to 2 films in the previous years. Films circulated in sixteen American states: California, Connecticut, North Carolina, DC, Georgia, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Missouri, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington, Wisconsin and British Columbia (Canada).

Discover the brochures of all the editions!