photos by Philip Guerette courtesy of TAFFF
In its 29th edition, the American French Film Festival (TAFFF), returned to the DGA theater complex in Los Angeles from October 28 - November 3. Presented by the Franco-American Cultural Fund (FACF), the annual celebration of French films, formerly known as COLCOA, featured an exclusive program with more than 70 films competing for the 2025 Awards in three categories: Cinema, Television and Short Films; North American, International and World Premieres; panel discussions; and an educational program that presented screenings to hundreds of students from local high schools. All screenings were free to DGA members, and the Guild has supported the festival since its founding in 1996.
A partnership of the DGA, the Motion Picture Association, France’s Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (SACEM), and the Writers Guild of America, West, the FACF promotes cultural exchange between French and American filmmakers.
This year’s festival featured screenings with DGA Director-members moderating conversations with French Directors — and sometimes their casts and teams — including Karyn Kusama speaking with Rebecca Zlotowski on the festival’s opening night film, A Private Life; Ryan Fleck with Enya Baroux on Bon Voyage Marie; Michael Sucsy with Alex Lutz on Connemara; Jonathan Mostow with Ken Scott on Once Upon My Mother; Uta Briesewitz with actor Benoît Magimel on Cédric Anger’s The Hunt and DGA Past President and current FACF Board member Taylor Hackford with Richard Linklater for the Los Angeles Premiere of Nouvelle Vague.
The week also included a workshop in the Guild’s Los Angeles Boardroom with Directors Sean Baker, Richard Linklater and Jason Reitman, moderated by Hackford.
About the Franco-American Cultural Fund
The Franco-American Cultural Fund (FACF) was founded in 1996 to foster cultural exchange between American and French filmmakers through a partnership of the Directors Guild of America, the Motion Picture Association, France’s Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (SACEM), and the Writers Guild of America, West. The American French Film Festival, a program of the FACF, is produced in association with France’s Writers, Directors and Producers Association (L’ARP), the Los Angeles Film and TV Office of the French Embassy, and Unifrance.
