After a standout 2025 marked by packed theatres and widespread sell-outs, the L’Oréal French Film Festival Aotearoa celebrates its 20th edition by bringing the magic of French cinema back to audiences across Aotearoa from May 27.
Releasing its full programme today, the festival guarantees a compelling line-up of standout, hand-selected films including French box-office hits, Cannes favourites and award-winning talent including Pierre Niney in Guru, Angelina Jolie in Couture, Pierre Lottin in the modern take on the Alfred Camus classic The Stranger, and Isabelle Huppert in The Richest Woman in the World – all with that unmistakable French flair that audiences continue to fall in love with year after year.
Festival Director Fergus Grady commented, “The response last year was incredible. We’re seeing audiences really embrace the festival experience, coming back multiple times and trusting the programme to deliver something special each visit. This year’s line-up continues that tradition, with something for everyone to discover.”
Opening the festival this year is the acclaimed drama from Cédric Klapisch (The Spanish Apartment, Back to Burgundy)Colours of Time, following four estranged cousins who are reunited by the unexpected inheritance of a house in Normandy, uncovering the extraordinary story of their ancestor in 19th century Paris – a city alive with invention, early photography and the rise of Impressionism.
Other highlights include The Richest Woman In The World – the modern day scandal of billionaire L’Oréal heiress, Liliane Bettencourt; Award-winning François Ozon’s, The Stranger, a story of a young expatriate on trial for murder in 1930s French-colonised Algeria and a poignant new adaptation of Victor Hugo’s masterpiece Les Misérables, charting the origin story in Jean Valjean, the beloved tale’s iconic protagonist.
L’ORÉAL FRENCH FILM FESTIVAL AOTEAROA IS IN CINEMAS ACROSS THE COUNTRY FROM MAY 27 TO JUNE 28.