Each year one of the highlights of the French calendar in Australia is the Alliance Française French Film Festival which commences with the gala opening night of the 36th festival at Melbourne's Astor Theatre on March 5th. But it is not only here in Oz that French film is popular. 2024 was a record breaking year for attendance at the cinema in France, with a higher percentage of the population going to see a film there than in the US. 

I loved chatting to the fabulous people at the Alliance Française who are responsible for putting together the festival this year:

Frédéric Alliod - AFFFF25 CEO & Artistic Director

Marie-Hélène Predhom - Alliance Française Melbourne General Manager

Sara Harrington - Alliance Française Event Manager

French cinema is so much more than a cliché... it's quirky, fun & intelligent. Generally French films have a wonderful depth and the 42 films in this year's AFFFF25 are no exception! There are more than 5,500 screenings across the country in the 2025 festival with regional towns now benefitting from some AFFFF25 action!

Go to the LFF website for the links to the movies mentioned in this podcast chat, or just tune into to our great discussion about French film culture.

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Louise Prichard is the host of the Loulabelle's FrancoFiles podcast.
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