In Edinburgh, the French Film Festival UK opens not with red carpets but with Fantômas. The 1913 silent serial, screened with live piano and cello accompaniment, is a fitting overture for an event that prizes atmosphere over ceremony.
From 6 November to 14 December, 62 films will move between more than 40 venues — the same programme flickering across screens from Glasgow to Plymouth, Aberdeen to Bristol, village halls to multiplexes alike.
Old ghosts, new visions
The festival’s 33rd edition balances reverence and curiosity in roughly equal measure. Richard Linklater’s Nouvelle Vague — a monochrome, French-language reimagining of Godard’s Breathless — shares top billing with François Ozon’s adaptation of The Stranger and Julia Ducournau’s Alpha, starring Tahar Rahim and Golshifteh Farahani. They sit beside Cédric Klapisch’s Colours of Time and Rebecca Zlotowski’s A Private Life, which features Jodie Foster speaking fluent French.
There’s no shortage of established directors: Diane Kurys, Cédric Jimenez, Stéphane Demoustier, Hafsia Herzi and Thierry Klifa all appear in the “Panorama” strand, while first-time filmmakers fill the “Discovery” section with leaner, riskier work. It’s a programme that treats heritage as something alive rather than embalmed.
It’s a programme that treats heritage as something alive rather than embalmed.
At a Glance
Dates: 6 November – 14 December 2025
Edition: 33rd
Films: 62 titles, including 32 UK premieres
Venues: Over 40 cinemas and community sites across the UK
Opening event: Fantômas (1913) with live piano and cello at the Dominion Cinema, Edinburgh
Key strands: Panorama, Discovery, Quebec Focus, Gaumont Celebration, Marcel Pagnol Retrospective, Documentary, Animation, Classics
Education: 25,000 school pupils expected to attend screenings nationwide
Website: frenchfilmfestival.org.uk
Edinburgh at the centre
Edinburgh remains the festival’s quiet capital. The Dominion Cinema hosts the Gaumont opening, while the Institut français d’Écosse and Filmhouse contribute screenings, discussions and education events. The Fantômas performance, scored live by Jane Gardner and Caroline Salmon, lends a note of gothic spectacle.
Elsewhere, community and school screenings extend the reach. More than 25,000 pupils will attend French-language films nationwide — part of a long-running educational strand that treats cinema as a living language rather than a school exercise.
Heritage revisited
Two anniversaries frame the season: 130 years of Gaumont Studios and 130 years since the birth of Marcel Pagnol. The Pagnol tribute revisits Jean de Florette and Manon des Sources, while his earlier works — The Baker’s Wife and Topaze — remind audiences of his dry wit and craftsmanship. A small restoration programme features Dominik Moll’s Harry, He’s Here to Help, still queasy a quarter-century on.
Francophone and international
A Quebec focus broadens the view, with Denys Arcand’s Testament, Sophie Deraspe’s Shepherds, and Valérie Lemercier’s Aline leading five titles from La Belle Province. Documentaries include Gilles Perret’s César-winning The Bertrand’s Farm and Christophe Gargot’s Doves in Zero Gravity, while the animation strand brings back Josep, Arco and Nina and the Hedgehog’s Secret.
“With this 33rd edition the true diversity of French-language cinema has never been as strong and as vibrant as in this year’s selection.”
A festival with reach
If the French Film Festival UK stands apart, it’s because of its geography. The same films pass through city arthouses and rural halls, giving audiences a shared experience that few cultural events now manage. It’s a modest model, but an enduring one.
Festival Director Richard Mowe described this year’s line-up as “an embarras de richesses — an overwhelming choice.” He added: “With this 33rd edition the true diversity of French-language cinema has never been as strong and as vibrant as in this year’s selection. We are delighted to partner with so many incredible cinemas and cultural institutions across the UK to platform the brilliance of French and francophone cinema.”
The French Film Festival UK 2025 opens nationwide on 6 November, beginning in Edinburgh before touring to more than 40 venues across the UK. Full programme listings and booking details are available at frenchfilmfestival.org.uk
Featured Image: L-ETRANGER-F-OZON-Photo-02-(c)-Foz – Gaumont – France 2 Cinema
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