The 28th French Film Festival returns to the Czech Republic this November, offering a rich programme of premieres, award-winning films, and tributes to cinema icons Émilie Dequenne and Alain Delon. Screenings will take place across Prague and five other Czech cities at the end of the month.
A staple of Prague’s cinematic calendar, the French Film Festival runs this year from 20 to 26 November. Fans of French cinema can enjoy screenings at iconic venues including Kino 35 at the French Institute, Lucerna, Světozor, and Edison Filmhub. The festival also extends beyond the capital, with screenings in České Budějovice, Hradec Králové, and Ostrava from 20 to 23 November, and in Brno from 21 to 26 November.
The festival’s opening ceremony will take place on Thursday, 20 November 2025, at Lucerna Cinema, featuring the Czech premiere of Colours of Time (La venue de l’avenir) by Cédric Klapisch. Set between past and present, the film transports viewers to 19th-century Paris. Across 134 screenings, the festival will present a total of 43 films.
This year, the festival will showcase 14 premieres across five Czech cities. Many have already gained recognition at the Cannes Film Festival, including Stéphane Demoustier’s The Great Arch (L’Inconnu de la Grande Arche), which explores the construction of Paris’s La Défense district, and Amélie Bonnin’s musical Leave One Day (Partir un jour), which opened Cannes earlier this year.
French cinema luminaries feature prominently in the programme. Isabelle Huppert stars in Thierry Klifa’s drama The Richest Woman in the World (La femme la plus riche du monde), inspired by the heiress of a cosmetics empire, while Sandrine Kiberlain shines in Guillaume Nicloux’s biopic The Divine Sarah Bernhardt (Sarah Bernhardt, la divine). Mélanie Laurent and Guillaume Canet deliver commanding performances in The Flood (Le Déluge), Gianluca Jodice’s historical account of the final days of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette.
Tributes form a festival highlight. French actress Émilie Dequenne, who passed away in the spring at just 43, will be honoured with four of her films: Close, See You Up There (Au revoir là-haut), Love Affair(s) (Les Choses qu’on dit, les choses qu’on fait), and the charming romance Mr. Blake At Your Service (Complètement cramé).
The festival will also celebrate Alain Delon, marking what would have been his 90th birthday. Delon’s charisma and extraordinary performances helped shape European cinema in the latter half of the 20th century, establishing him as a symbol of French film. Four of his most iconic films – Any Number Can Win (Melodie En Sous-Sol), The Swimming Pool (La Piscine), The Love Cage (Les Félins), and The Black Tulip (La Tulipe noire) – will be screened in tribute.
In a special screening, the festival will pay homage to French New Wave pioneer Jean-Luc Godard with Breathless (À bout de souffle), presented alongside Linklater’s New Wave (Nouvelle Vague).
The full programme and further information are available on the festival’s official website: www.festivalff.cz.
28th French Film Festival 2025
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