A new film from acclaimed director François Ozon, a retelling of the classic Les Les Misérables, and a darling of the 2025 Cannes Film Festival are among the films picked for the 2026 Alliance Française French Film Festival.
The Perth season will screen from 12 March to 15 April, 2026. Here’s the first films announced from the program.
The Stranger
The festival will feature the Australian premiere of director François Ozon’s latest film The Stranger, an adaptation of the Albert Camus novel. It’s a gripping is a gripping telling of the landmark novella about a detached young expatriate on trial for murder in 1930s French-colonised Algeria.
Shot in black and white, the films stars Benjamin Voison, Rebecca Marder, Pierre Lottin, Denis Lavant, and Swann Arlaud. Ozon’s previous films include Swimming Pool, 8 Women and Under the Sand.
Couture
Set during Paris Fashion Week, Alice Winocour’s Couture stars Angelina Jolie, Ella Rumpf, Louis Garrel, Garance Marillier and Guillaume Marbeck.
It tells the story of three different women whose lives are suddenly thrown together. Between these three women from vastly different backgrounds, an unexpected solidarity begins to form. Beneath the glamorous surface of haute couture lies.
Dog 51
Cédric Jimenez delivers a sci-fi thriller, and this will be the first time it’s screened in Australia.
In a futuristic Paris divided by social classes, an artificial intelligence named ALMA oversees society. This supreme AI, a true statistical superpower, uses the police and an army of drones to enforce the law and track potential criminals even before they can act.
What is Love?
From director Fabien Gorgeart comes the comedic What is Love? starring Vincent Macaigne, Laure Calamy, Lyes Salem, Mélanie Thierry and Céleste Brunnquell.
Marguerite sees no reason to refuse her ex-husband Fred when he asks for an official Catholic Church annulment of their marriage. They share a teenage daughter, she has since rebuilt her life with a new partner and a young child, and she is even genuinely pleased to learn that Fred hopes to remarry Chloé, the woman who now shares his life.
To satisfy the Church authorities, the former spouses must prove that their marriage was destined to fail from the beginning. What begins as a simple administrative formality slowly turns into an unexpected emotional journey. As Marguerite and Fred revisit old memories, moments of tenderness, and the cracks that once separated them, emotions they believed long resolved begin to resurface.
The film is described as a warm and insightful exploration of love’s complexities and the fragile possibilities of new beginnings, carried by humour, humanity, and a glow that sends audiences out of the cinema smiling.
Leave One Day
Adapting her 2021 César Award-winning short film of the same name, the debut romantic dramedy from promising writer/director Amélie Bonnin stars Juliette Armanet as a rising Parisian chef who’s forced to reconnect with her small town upbringing during an unexpected trip home.
Cécile (Armanet) is about to open her own gourmet restaurant and finally realise her dream when she has to rush back home after her father – the cook at a small rural truck stop – becomes unwell. Between the family emergency and the launch of her project, Cécile must deal with a return to her roots that is more complicated than she imagined, and when she runs into her teenage love, old memories and sensations resurface, and she finds her certainties shaking.
Making waves as the first debut feature ever selected to open the Cannes Film Festival in its 78 year history, Leave One Day is not to be missed.
The Party’s Over
In The Party’s Over freshly graduated corporate lawyer, Mehdi is looking forward to a peaceful summer in the luxurious South of France estate of his future in-laws.
But his vacation quickly takes an unexpected turn, when upon his arrival, a dispute erupts between his fiancée Garance’s family and the villa’s caretakers, Tony and Nadine. At the heart of the conflict is a class issue.
Coming from a modest background Medhi can completely relate to the situation, but he hopes to land an internship at his future father-in-law Philippe’s law firm, so he embarks on a bold attempt to negotiate peace between the two parties. The film is described as a dark comedy.
Jean Valjean
Victor Hugo’s masterpiece Les Misérables is one of the most beloved novels of the 19th century, but arguably has been tarnished by its many musical adaptations.
Fortunately, the fabulous Grégory Gadebois has re-teamed with his Delicious writer/director Éric Besnard for this authentic and emotionally affecting retelling that charts the origin story of the tale’s legendary protagonist.
With this exquisitely filmed exploration of justice, empathy and moral redemption, Besnard’s reflective and intimate drama – and Gadebois’ towering performance – bring new depth to Hugo’s hero, a spurned man transformed by kindness and compassion.
As the festival travels across the country it will bring the films to huge audiences.
Set to showcase more than 6,000 screenings of the crème de la crème of contemporary French film across 17 cities, the anticipated 37th edition of the festival continues its partnership with Palace Cinemas and Luna Palace Cinemas to meet the growing Aussie appetite and curiosity in French culture.
The festival will also screen in Bunbury from 25 to 29 March.
Alliance Française French Film Festival CEO Frédéric Alliod said 2026 had an impressive selectin of films.
“As we look ahead to the 2026 edition of the Alliance Française French Film Festival, I am proud to unveil a selection of titles that invite Australian audiences to travel through French cinema, across time, continents and emotions. From powerful true stories and bold contemporary voices to comedies, period dramas and unforgettable romances, this year’s programme reflects the extraordinary vitality and diversity of French cinema.
“We remain deeply committed to championing women on screen and behind the camera, celebrating new talents alongside cinema legends, and offering films that move, surprise and inspire. More than ever, the festival is a celebration of French storytelling in all its richness, openness and emotion, and a platform for intercultural exchange and dialogue with our loyal Australian audiences.” Alliod said.
This year’s festival marks the first for new Alliance Française de Perth General Manager Alexandre Allais who shared her excitement.
“The Alliance Française French Film Festival has long been a highlight for Perth’s cultural calendar, and it’s a pleasure to be part of it in my first year as General Manager. Our audiences have a strong connection to French cinema, and we hope this festival also sparks the curiosity of those who may be attending for the very first time.
“Cinema is a powerful and welcoming way to experience another culture and the festival creates a shared space for audiences to explore French life, language and storytelling together.”
The full festival line-up will be announced on Wednesday 28 January, 2026, with tickets available from Thursday 5 February, 2026. Get all the details at the 2026 Alliance Française French Film Festival site.
