The New Orleans French Film Festival is one of the longest-running international language festivals in the U.S., celebrating contemporary and classic Francophone cinema.

For its 28th edition, the festival broadens its definition of French cinema with a lineup of emerging talents and acclaimed auteurs from the Francophone world. All films will be presented in French with English subtitles.

Schedule:

9:30 AM: Cafe & Croissants at L'Union Française

Join us for Café & Croissants hosted by L'Union Française.

This event, offering delicious French pastries and coffee, is a wonderful prelude to our member matinee screening of The Jolly Forgers at 11:45am, taking place at the historic Prytania Theatre Uptown. Don’t miss this opportunity to enjoy a taste of France before settling in for a delightful cinematic experience.

11:45 AM: The Jolly Forgers (La fiancée du poète) at Prytania Theatre

Mireille manages her job as a waitress at the cafeteria of the Fine Arts in Charleville while making ends meet through small thefts and cigarette smuggling. When she inherits her sprawling family home, its upkeep proves overwhelming, prompting her to welcome three tenants.

As these strangers settle in, Mireille—long resigned to a quiet life without surprises—finds her world turned upside down by unexpected connections and complications. Infused with warmth, wit, and humanity, The Jolly Forgers is a touching exploration of love and friendship. Directed by the iconic Yolande Moreau in her triumphant return after a decade, the film captures the magic of rediscovering joy in life’s later chapters.

2:00 PM: Pointe Noire at Prytania Theatre

In the heart of Louisiana’s Cajun prairie, the small community of Pointe Noire confronts the lingering shadows of a 30-year-old double murder. Is the conviction of Joel Richard—a man on Death Row—a case of folk justice or a devastating miscarriage of justice?

Filmmaker and crawfisherman Louis Leger (Roy Dupuis) and criminal defense attorney Dolores Arceneaux (Myriam Cyr) join forces to unravel the truth behind the fateful night of the traditional courir de Mardi Gras. As they delve deeper, they uncover a hauntingly beautiful yet insular world shaped by genetic bottlenecking, secrecy, and resilience. With its rich cultural backdrop and gripping moral stakes, Pointe Noire is a profound exploration of justice, memory, and the unyielding quest for redemption.

4:45 PM: The Kingdom (Le Royaume) at Prytania Theatre

Set against the rugged beauty of Corsica in 1995, The Kingdom (Le Royaume) unfolds as a gripping blend of crime thriller and family drama. For Lesia, it’s her first summer as a teenager—a time of discovery abruptly shattered when she’s thrust into her father’s hidden world. Kidnapped by a stranger and brought to a secluded villa, she finds her father in hiding, entangled in a violent underworld feud.

As tensions mount and death looms, father and daughter are forced into a harrowing journey—on the run from danger and toward an understanding of one another. With breathtaking landscapes and pulse-pounding stakes, director Julien Colonna delivers a poignant exploration of family, resilience, and the bonds that endure in the face of betrayal and chaos.

7:00 PM: Dog on Trial (Le procès du chien) at Prytania Theatre

In this sharp and unconventional courtroom comedy-drama, Avril, a fiercely independent animal rights lawyer, takes on her most absurd case yet—defending Cosmos, a so-called "repeat offender" dog who's facing the death penalty. As she fights for justice in a legal system not designed for canine clients, Avril is forced to confront not just society’s disregard for animals, but also her own contradictions and complexities.

Blending humor, slapstick, and philosophical musings on justice and empathy, this Un Certain Regard selection from Cannes offers a bold feminist perspective—where Buñuel-esque surrealism meets legal drama, and a woman finally lets herself off the leash. Featuring a standout performance from the Palm Dog-winning Cosmos, this film is, as Premiere describes, “a meditation on the animal condition, both endearing and disconcerting.”

9:00 PM: The Balconettes (Les femmes au balcon) at Prytania Theatre

As a heat wave brings a Marseille neighborhood to the boil, three roommates gleefully meddle in the lives of their neighbors from their balcony. That is, until a late-night drink turns into a bloody affair...

Written in collaboration with Céline Sciamma, Noémie Merlant’s follow-up to her 2021 debut is a brazen, in-your-face-foray into genre, a whimsical investigation of the hidden mechanisms of the male gaze, and a prime example of feminist horror comedy – without an agenda.

Sometimes gory, sometimes playful, but always vengeful, this surprising gem allows its characters to reclaim, revise, and revolutionize their (forced) hypersexuality, slowly building a universe likened by the international critique to the early punkish but profoundly colorful films by Pedro Almodóvar.

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