The French Film Festival returns for its 29th edition between March 20-30, 2025, bringing a selection of outstanding French auteur films to audiences in Bucharest, Arad, Brașov, Brăila, Cluj-Napoca, Constanța, Iași, Sfântu Gheorghe, Sibiu, Suceava, Târgu Mureș, and Timișoara. The festival marks the opening of the French Spring TOGETHER cultural season, a highlight of the Centennial celebrations of the French Institute in Romania, commemorating a century of cultural, scientific, and educational collaboration between France and Romania.
This year’s edition, titled Échos, explores the ways in which stories and images resonate across generations. With a selection of 27 films across four sections, the program intertwines essential works with emerging talent, showcasing the richness and dynamism of contemporary French cinema.
The Panorama section features internationally acclaimed films such as L’Histoire de Souleymane by Boris Lojkine, a Cannes award-winning portrayal of identity and resilience, and Le Roman de Jim by Jean-Marie and Arnaud Larrieu, a poetic road trip in search of a missing father. Spectateurs! by Arnaud Desplechin, presented at the Berlinale, offers an intimate reflection on cinema through the perspective of a director played by Mathieu Amalric. Cannes competition entry Diamant Brut by Agathe Riedinger delivers a sharp critique of reality TV and celebrity culture, while Quand vient l’automne by François Ozon, awarded for its screenplay at the San Sebastian Festival, delves into family tensions through an intimate thriller.
The Young Talents – Feature Film Competition presents four films by rising directors, competing for a €1,000 prize awarded by the French Embassy. Among the highlights is Vingt Dieux by Louise Courvoisier, a Un Certain Regard selection at Cannes, depicting a rural teenager’s struggle to support his younger sister. Mon Inséparable by Anne-Sophie Bailly sensitively portrays the bond between a single mother and her son with disabilities, while Hiver à Sokcho by Koya Kamura immerses audiences in a dreamlike atmosphere where past and present intertwine. Rabia by Mareike Engelhardt offers a gripping, immersive exploration of exile, radicalization, and identity.
Dedicated to younger audiences, the Young Public section introduces children and teenagers to the magic of French auteur cinema, while the Young Talents – Short Film Competition spotlights five emerging filmmakers, with several of the selected works coming from the Clermont-Ferrand International Short Film Festival. A jury of young Romanian critics will select the winning director, who will receive a residency at the Résidence de Poche of the French Institute in Romania.
The film Monsieur Aznavour opens the French Film Festival on Thursday
In Bucharest, the festival will open on March 20 at Cinema Elvire Popesco with a screening of Monsieur Aznavour | Mr. Aznavour, directed by Grand Corps Malade and Mehdi Idir. During the event, audiences will have the opportunity to meet some of the filmmakers whose works will be screened in the capital, including Ludovic and Zoran Boukherma, directors of Leurs Enfants après eux (March 26, 8:00 PM) and Teddy (March 27, 6:00 PM); Mareike Engelhardt, director of Rabia (March 27, 8:30 PM); and Clara-Maria Laredo and Marc Antonu Mozziconacci, actors in À son image by Thierry de Peretti (March 29, 5:00 PM). Another highlight is the pre-premiere of Vingt Dieux on March 21 at 5:30 PM, while on March 28, Trois Amies will be screened at Cinema Elvire Popesco at 8:30 PM.
The French Film Festival is organized by the French Institute in Romania in Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Iași, and Timișoara and co-organized by various cultural institutions across the country. It is presented by Orange, with Groupama as a partner, and benefits from the support of the Embassy of Armenia in Romania, Goethe-Institut, and RFI Romania. Tickets are available here.
