News

Matthew Broderick and Alan Ruck are teaming up for a new movie!

The two actors will be reuniting on screen in The Best Is Yet to Come, their first project since starring as best friends in the 1986 comedy Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, Deadline reports.

Keep reading to find out more…

Deals are reportedly still in the final stages, but filming is looking to take place this summer.

In the upcoming movie, they are set to once again “play best friends who, through a colossal misunderstanding that creates a ticking clock, hop in a car to find the estranged son of one of them and also try to do all the things that life has prevented them from doing.”

It is an adaptation of a French film of the same name, released in 2019, which was directed by Alexandre de La Patelliere and Matthieu Delaporte.

The new version will be written and executive produced by Allan Loeb,...

Exclusive: Ferris Bueller’s Day Off stars Matthew Broderick and Alan Ruck are negotiating to reunite in The Best Is Yet to Come, a comedy that Allan Loeb scripted and Jon Turteltaub will direct. The film is backed by MRC, and Lionsgate is in talks to distribute. It is based on the French film of the same title.

Amy Baer is producing through her Gidden Media banner, and the executive producer is Dimitri Rassam, who produced the 2019 original through his company Chapter 2. Loeb also will be an EP.

The last time Broderick and Ruck held the screen together, the latter played the disillusioned son of a wealthy man, a dad who seemed to prize his 1961 Ferrari 250 Gt California Spyder more than his son. That led the kid to launch the classic car out a glass window, a dilemma even his best pal Ferris (Broderick) is hard pressed to fix. Here,...

In the end, Emilia Pérez went two for 13. Jacques Audiard’s unclassifiable Mexican cartel transgender musical went into the 97th Academy Awards as the theoretical frontrunner. It’s 13 nominations — for best picture, director, actress, supporting actress, adapted screenplay, international feature, cinematography, film editing, makeup/hairstyling, original score, sound and two for original song — were the most ever for a non-English-language film, beating the 10 noms each for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon and Roma, and within touching distance of the all-time record held by All About Eve, Titanic and La La Land, which earned 14 each.

But when the votes were counted, Emilia Pérez walked away with just two awards: A best supporting actress nod for Zoe Saldaña and the best original song honor for “El Mal.”

We all know why. Emilia Pérez suffered the most spectacular derailing of an Oscar campaign in recent memory. There was just a week between the Jan.

Jacques Audiard’sEmilia Pérez was named best French film of the year at the 50th César awards on Friday night (February 28), taking home seven awards from 12 nominations.

The Mexico-set musical crime thriller that won the jury prize and shared best actress award at Cannes Film Festival last May also earned a best director and adapted screenplay prize for Audiard and awards for cinematography, original music, visual effects, and sound. The film has sold some 1.2million tickets at the French box office since its August 2014 release for Pathé.

Scroll down for the full list of winners

Stars Karla Sofia Gascon and...

Jacques Audiard’sEmilia Pérez was named best French film of the year at the 50th César awards on Friday night (February 28), taking home seven awards from 12 nominations.

The Mexico-set musical crime thriller that won the jury prize and shared best actress award at Cannes Film Festival last May also earned a best director and adapted screenplay prize for Audiard and awards for cinematography, original music, visual effects, and sound. The film has sold some 1.2million tickets at the French box office since its August 2014 release for Pathé.

Scroll down for the full list of winners

Stars Karla Sofia Gascon and...

“Emilia Pérez” won Best Film from the French 2025 César Awards, a major win for the Netflix film ahead of the Oscars. Jacques Audiard’s movie had earned 13 Oscar nominations but then fell out of frontrunner status.

The film also won both Best Director and Best Adapted Screenplay for Jacques Audiard, though Zoe Saldaña, who has dominated the awards circuit all year, lost in an upset to Hafsia Herzi for the film “Borgo.” Saldaña though was nominated alongside Karla Sofía Gascón in the Best Actress category, and not in Best Supporting Actress.

In all, “Emilia Pérez” took home seven Césars out of 12 nominations, including Best Visual Effects, Best Sound, Best Original Music, and Best Cinematography. “The Count of Monte Cristo,” a new version of the Dumas revenge tale, led all nominees with 14, and it won two.

While the Césars this year largely did not resemble the Oscars, a few others won...

Jacques Audiard’s Oscar contender Emilia Pérez was the big winner at the 50th César Awards, France’s equivalent of the Oscars, taking best film and best director among multiple honors.

Audiard won best director and best adapted screenplay for Emilia Pérez, and the film also took honors for best sound, best cinematography, best visual effects and best original music.

But Emilia Pérez star Karla Sofía Gascón, who walked the red carpet at the Paris gala, returning to the spotlight for the first time since the eruption of the controversy surrounding her offensive resurfaced tweets, lost out in the best actress race to Hafsia Herzi, who won for her role as a female prison guard in Stéphane Demoustier’s drama Borgo.

Gascón, who is Spanish, skipped Spain’s national film awards, the Goyas, earlier this month following the backlash over her past social media posts. Netflix removed the actress, the...

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

2025 Sundance Film Festival

While Sundance Film Festival kicked off last week in Park City, those across the country can now experience the festival from home through this Sunday with online offerings. As of this publishing, there’s still online tickets available for some of my favorites of the festival, including Blknws: Terms & Conditions, The Perfect Neighbor, Two Women, Zodiac Killer Project, Obex, Mr. Nobody Against Putin, Cutting Through Rocks, 2000 Meters to Andriivka, and Predators. Check out all our coverage here and we’ll be sharing much more in the coming days.

Where to Stream: Sundance.org (through Sunday)

Babygirl (Halina Reijn)

Premiering with much fervor at the Venice Film Festival, Halina Reijn’s Bodies Bodies Bodies follow-up Babygirl finds Nicole Kidman...

The 2025 César Awards, France’s premier film celebration, has unveiled its nominations, with “The Count of Monte Cristo” leading the pack with an impressive 14 nods. The announcement sets the stage for a star-studded ceremony on February 28 at the Olympia Concert Hall in Paris.

The epic adaptation directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patellière dominated the French film landscape in 2024, drawing nearly 10 million viewers and establishing itself as the country’s top cinematic export. Close behind is Gilles Lellouche’s “Beating Hearts,” a modern Romeo and Juliet reimagining that secured 13 nominations and attracted over five million moviegoers.

Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez” continues its awards season success with 12 César nominations, including best film and acting nods for Karla Sofía Gascón and Zoe Saldana. The film has already claimed four Golden Globes and is a strong contender in the international film circuit.

The nominations highlight both achievements and challenges in French cinema.

The Count of Monte Cristo, Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière’s retelling of the classic French revenge tale, is the front-runner for this year’s César Awards, scoring 14 nominations, including in the best film and best directing categories.

The period drama, starring Pierre Niney, beat out Jacques Audiard’s Oscar frontrunner Emilia Pérez, which got 12 noms, and Beating Hearts, Gilles Lellouche’s contemporary reimagining of Romeo and Juliet featuring François Civil and Adèle Exarchopoulos, which earned 13 nominations.

Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patelliere’s lavish adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic was the biggest French box office hit of last year, drawing close to 10 million viewers for a $40 million local take. Globally, the film has grossed more than $75 million.

Sean Baker’s Palme d’Or winner, and Oscar contender, Anora, is up for the Cesar for best foreign film, against Academy Award hopefuls including Coralie Fargeat’s The Substance,...

Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre De La Patelliere’s epic literary adaptation The Count Of Monte-Cristo leads the nominations for France’s Cesar Awards with 14.

There were also strong showings from Gilles Lellouche’s Beating Hearts with 13 and Jacques Audiard’s Oscar and Bafta-nominated Emilia Perez with 12.

Scroll down for the full list of nominations

The Count Of Monte-Cristo and Emilia Perez are in the running for best film alongside Boris Lojkine’s Souleymane’s Story, Alain Guiraudie’s Misericordia and Emmanuel Courcol’s The Marching Band.

All of the films nominated for best film had their world premiere at the...

“The Count of Monte Cristo,” a three-hour epic adventure adapted from Alexandre Dumas’s literary classic, is leading the race at the Cesar Awards, France’s equivalent to the Oscars, with a whooping 14 nominations. “Beating Hearts,” Gilles Lellouche’s sprawling crime romance, follows shortly with 13 nominations.

A favorite in the Oscar race, Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Perez” is nominated for 12 Cesar Awards, including best film and actress for Karla Sofía Gascón and Zoe Saldana. The French awards show has highlighted international performers before, notably Kristen Stewart, who won a Cesar nod in 2015 for her supporting role in Olivier Assayas’ “Cloud of Sils Maria.”

It’s worth noting that the two Cesar frontrunners — “The Count of Monte Cristo” and “Beating Hearts” — were also France’s second and third highest grossing local films in 2024. Both movies are produced by Mediawan-owned banners, Chapter 2 and Chi-Fou-Mi (the latter produced “Beating Hearts...

The Count of Monte Cristo has topped the nominations for France’s prestigious César awards, followed by Beating Hearts and Oscar frontrunner Emilia Pérez.

The film has made it into 14 categories in the nominations, which were announced in Paris on Wednesday morning. Beating Hearts clinched 13, followed by Emiia Pérez with 12.

Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de la Patelliere’s lavish and fast-paced adaptation of Alexandre Dumas’ classic novel starring Pierre Niney was one of France’s top performing movies at the local box office in 2024, drawing close to 10M spectators and its top international export.

Gilles Lellouche’s modern Romeo and Juliet tale Beating Hearts – co-starring François Civil and Adèle Exarchopoulos – has also performed well at home, drawing more than five million spectators.

The 12 nominations for Jacques Audiard’s Cannes Jury prize-winning musical film Emilia Pérez continue its buzzy awards season run which has seen it clinch four Golden Globes and...

Jacques Audiard’s Mexico-set musical Emilia Perez swept France’s Lumiere Awards on Monday evening (January 20), winning five prizes including best film.

The Oscar and Bafta hopeful was the frontrunner going into the 30th edition of the awards with six nominations, and took home prizes for nearly all of them including best director, best screenplay, best score for Camille and Clément Ducol, and best actress for Karla Sofía Gascón.

Audiard set a new record at this year’s Lumieres, winning best film for a third time after 2006’s The Beat That My Heart Skipped and 2019’s The Sisters Brothers, and...

Jacques Audiard’s musical film Emilia Pérez swept the 30th edition of France’s Lumière Awards on Monday evening, winning Best Film, Director and Screenplay as well Actress for Karla Sofia Gascón and Music for Camille and Clément Ducol.

The wins add further steam to the Cannes Jury Prize winner’s awards season run following its quadruple Golden Globes triumph and European Film Awards victory, where it also clinched Best Film, Director, Screenplay and Actress for Gascón.

The movie is currently on six of the 10 announced category shortlists for the 97th the Academy Awards and nominated in 11 categories for the 2025 Baftas film awards.

Further awards seasons hopefuls also featured in the Lumière prizes, with Mati Diop’s Berlinale Golden Bear winner Dahomey – which made it into Best International Feature Film (for Senegal) and Documentary Academy Award shortlists – won Best Documentary.

Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis’s Flow – which is also on...

Movies from around the world shone brightly in 2024, showing how great storytelling speaks to audiences everywhere. From the sun-drenched streets of Mexico to the neon-lit lanes of Tokyo, filmmakers created rich stories that left viewers spellbound. The year’s releases opened windows into worlds both familiar and fantastical, packed with heart-stopping drama, laugh-out-loud humor, and jaw-dropping images.

2024 brought an astonishing range of films. A French musical challenged conventions about gender and identity. A Latvian animated odyssey merged visual splendor with emotional depth. These films earned acclaim from audiences while collecting awards at Cannes, Berlin, and Venice, sparking passionate discussions along the way.

Our selection process for the top 10 focused on several key elements: critical reception, festival recognition, audience response, and distinctive creative vision. Each film carved its own place in cinema history. The selections include an underground political drama filmed secretly in Iran and a comedic exploration through Brooklyn’s grittier corners.

Greek-French filmmaker Costa Gavras, Japanese director Miike Takashi and Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof, whose latest film “The Seed of the Sacred Fig” is Oscar shortlisted, have joined the roster of speakers at International Film Festival Rotterdam for the upcoming 54th edition, running from Jan. 30 – Feb. 9.

IFFR will present two strands of conversations: Big Talks, featuring dialogues between world-renowned figures from diverse disciplines, and Tiger Talks, offering explorations of film-related themes and addressing various issues including feminism, the legacy of colonialism, and cinema’s sociopolitical role.

Additional talks will take place during the Rtm Day, IFFR’s program dedicated to Rotterdam on Jan. 31.

Furthermore, the IFFR Pro Dialogues program of industry-focused discussions will be held during the IFFR Pro Days, running between Jan. 31 – Feb. 5.

Also during the festival, IFFR will welcome further special guests to present their titles in selection, including Payal Kapadia (“All We Imagine as Light”), Jan-Willem van Ewijk (“Alpha.

Bille August-directed TV series “The Count of Monte Cristo,” featuring an international cast led by Sam Claflin (“Peaky Blinders”) is reaping stellar ratings in Italy, scoring on average a whopping 26% primetime share on the country’s state broadcaster Rai.

The first episode of August’s high-end adaptation of the Alexandre Dumas classic, which the two-time Palme d’Or winning director of “Pelle the Conqueror” and “Smilla’s Sense Of Snow” shot in Paris, Torino, Rome and Malta, drew more than 5 million viewers Monday on Rai’s Rai-1 flagship station, reaching peaks of more than 32% of the country’s total TV audience and marking Rai’s best ratings for a TV series in nearly a year.

Claflin stars as young sailor Edmond Dantes who is falsely accused of treason and is imprisoned without trial in the Château d’If, a grim island fortress off Marseille before escaping to seek revenge.

French movies had a banner 2024 on home turf with a 44% market share at the French box office, which broke a 15-year record; meanwhile, Gallic films saw a 11% year-on-year drop in international revenues, according to figures unveiled by the National Film Board (Cnc) and Unifrance during the Rendez-Vous in Paris market on Monday.

During the first 50 weeks of 2024, French movies generated 222.8 million euros ($227.2 million) from 33.4 million admissions outside France. Taking into account tickets sales during the second half of December, Unifrance anticipates the final box office for international will be closer to 38 million admissions and 250 million euros ($255.2 million) in revenues.

While it doesn’t represent France in the Oscar race, “The Count of Monte-Cristo,” a three-hour epic adventure film adapted from Alexandre Dumas’ classic, ranks as the biggest French film export in 2024.

The movie, produced by Dimitri Rassam’s Mediawan-owned banner Chapter 2 and sold internationally by Pathé, has grossed an...

On the heels of a 2024 box office which saw French movies clinching a near record market share, the Gallic film and TV promotion org Unifrance is expanding its Rendez-Vous With French Cinema, a mini-market gathering local sales agents and 500 international buyers from roughly 40 countries.

The 27th edition of the Paris Rendez-Vous, which is dedicated to French films and TV content, is taking place this year in a new location, at the Pullman Paris Montparnasse, boasting panoramic views of the city of lights. The new space will allow French film and TV companies to be set up in a single location and spark dealmaking activity.

“Three years after our merger with TV France International, it’s great to see everyone under the same banner and in a unique location. It creates a vibrant atmosphere,” says Unifrance’s managing director Daniela Elstner, who previously led the Paris-based sales company Doc & Film International before joining the org.

Happy tunes at the French box office: The Musicians to open UniFrance Rendez-Vous with French Cinema in Pari Photo: UniFrance As denizens of the French film industry gather in Paris this week for the annual UniFrance Rendez-Vous with French Cinema the omens are brighter than they have been for many a year.

The last 12 months have seen two diverse successes – the feel-good comedy A Little Something Extra, directed by comedian Artus, with a cast of non-professional actors with disabilities and the epic swashbuckler The Count of Monte Christo, based on the Alexandre Dumas classic and directed by Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte with a dashing star turn from Pierre Niney. Among others both are being heavily touted for Lumière and César awards.

Figures released by the Cnc (the national film body) indicate that almost half the tickets sold last year at the French box office were for French...

For 17 million film fans on Letterboxd, Denis Villeneuve’s Dune: Part Two was the spice of 2024.

The popular movie-reviewing app has published its annual year in review, a ranking of the most popular and beloved films of the past 12 months, as determined by user ratings. Villeneuve’s sci-fi blockbuster topped the charts as the highest-rated, most popular, and most obsessively rewatched film of 2024. Unsurprisingly, the Canadian helmer was also Letterboxd’s most-watched director of the year. The site’s users ranked the sequel to Villeneuve’s 2021 Dune: Part One even higher than the original, giving Dune: Part 2 a 4.4 out of 5 average rating, compared to 3.9 for the first movie.

“I’m gonna sleep well tonight,” said director Denis Villeneuve in response to the news. “The idea that there’s a community, the Letterboxd community of film lovers, cinephiles, that are sharing film lists and their love and their passion, it...

The Count of Monte Cristo, written and directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière, has achieved the highest Rotten Tomatoes score for a historical adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' titular novel from 1844. Starring Pierre Niney as Edmond Dantès, the film brings Dumas' iconic tale of betrayal and vengeance to life. The story follows the adventures of Dantès, a sailor wrongfully imprisoned at the behest of a malicious conspiracy. After 14 years of captivity, he escapes, uncovers a hidden treasure, and assumes the identity of the Count of Monte Cristo to exact revenge on those who wronged him.

The 2024 adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo has shattered expectations by securing a 98% critics' score and 91% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes, making it the best-rated adaptation of the story. Over a dozen adaptations, including beloved films and miniseries, have brought The Count of Monte Cristo to screens for decades, but Delaporte and Patellière version’s rich storytelling,...

After surging back from the pandemic with a 16% growth in 2023, France’s box office continued to grow in 2024 with €1.36 billion ($1.41 billion) grossed from 183.1 million admissions sold, a 0.5% year-on rise, according to Comscore and the National Film Board (Cnc).

While the increase may appear modest, it nevertheless solidifies France as Europe’s healthiest theatrical market, and one that shows the biggest signs of post-covid recovery even in a year that saw the country host the Olympic Games. Elsewhere in Europe, ticket sales dipped in 2024, per Comscore France.

The market share of French movies reached 44.4% compared to 36.7% for American movies, according to the Cnc, which notes that “it’s one of the highest level for local releases ever recorded.”

A wide-ranging duo of French movies beat Hollywood heavyweights to take the first two slots of this year’s box office chart: “A Little Something Extra” (“Un p’tit truc en plus”), a...

Brandy Corbet’s The Brutalist from A24 hammered its way into theaters this weekend with one of the best limited openings of 2024 (no. 3 after Anora and Kinds of Kindness). It sold out nearly 30 showtimes in New York and Los Angeles for a gross of $266.8k on four screens for a per screen opening of $66.7k.

The majority of audiences were under 35 and almost half heard about the film via Letterboxd as the online film-centric social network continues to be a defining force for indie word-of-mouth in the post-Covid era.

Corbet’s third feature centers on Adrien Brody’s László Toth, a Brutalist architect from Hungary attempting to rebuild his life in postwar America. Initially forced to toil in poverty, Toth soon wins a contract that will change the course of the next 30 years of his life.

The sweeping film premiered in Venice where Corbet won Best Director and has built throughout the fall season.

Like his most celebrated novel “The Three Musketeers,” Alexandre Dumas’s iconic tale “The Count of Monte Cristo” has been adapted so often in so many different cultural contexts—from the silent era to the American blockbuster to the plethora of Indian interpretations—that it becomes easy to forget a critical element that defines the writer’s oeuvre: Dumas was, in fact, very French. Bringing the story back to its home country, directors Alexandre de la Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte choose to remind viewers of this essential reality by embracing the story in true French fashion, with a cheeky wit in the face of its own posh self-seriousness.

Having seen great success penning last year’s duology adapting Dumas’s most famous story, de la Patellière and Delaporte upgrade themselves to the directors’ chair for “The Count of Monte Cristo” as they relay the tragedy of Edmond Dantès, the prototypical framed man.

Fewer new openings but important ones for the indie world as the year soon to close welcomes the trio of Brady Corbet’s much-nominated The Brutalist with Adrien Brody, Pedro Almodovar’s first English outing The Room Next Door starring Julianne Moore and Tilda Swinton, and a new rendition of revenge thriller The Count Of Monte Cristo. All three are starting in limited release.

Aardman Animations’ latest, Wallace & Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, is a lighter note in a handful of theaters ahead of its Netflix debut.

The Brutalist opens in four theaters in New York and LA with 70mm and Imax special engagements including Q&a’s with Corbet, co-writer Monda Fastvold and cinematographer Lol Crawley, notable for using large format VistaVision cameras in the film, which expands in January.

Corbet’s third feature centers on László Toth (Brody) a Brutalist architect...

The Count Of Monte Cristo is a classic novel that has been adapted many times for the screen, and though many might remember the title from assigned reading in high school, this new French take on the story is quite different. Of course, The Count of Monte Cristo hits the beats of revenge that are vital to the story, but it isn't afraid to use the narrative by Alexandre Dumas as a jumping-off point rather than a strict guideline. With a budget of over $46 million, this addition to the book's storied history is an epic worth committing to.

The target of a sinister plot, young Edmond Dantès is arrested on his wedding day for a crime he did not commit. After fourteen years in the island prison of Château d’If, he manages a daring escape. Now rich beyond his dreams, he assumes the identity of the Count of Monte...

Taking on the classics is never easy, let alone adapting a book that’s already been translated to the big screen at least 21 times. Indeed, the book itself has been subject to multiple revisions and restructurings, and there’s so much of it that no film could realistically take on the whole thing. Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière’s version trims down the story substantially, reworks elements that have aged badly and keeps the central themes intact. Though some of its predecessors are impressive, it is perhaps the most impressive version to date.

The film premièred at Cannes and went on to make several high profile festival appearances, as well as becoming the second biggest hit of the year in France. Its combined promise of adventure, romance and costume drama gives it wide appeal, and it manages to deliver at that level without sacrificing artistic depth. This is due in.

On the heels of back-to-back hits such as “The Count of Monte-Cristo,” ambitious French producer Dimitri Rassam is launching Yapluka, a new European financing and distribution powerhouse with the backing of French industry leaders, including Pathé, M6 and Rodolphe Saadé’s CMA Media.

Rassam, whose production company Chapter 2 is owned by Mediawan, most recently partnered with Pathé on bigscreen adaptations of Alexandre Dumas’ literary jewels, including “The Count of Monte-Cristo,” which thrived at this year’s French box office, grossing over $75 million internationally so far (ahead of of its U.S. release), as well as the two-part adventure saga “The Three Musketeers.”

With these movies, Rassam, who is passionate about history, accomplished the rare feast of luring mainstream audiences, notably young adults, for costume movies shot in French. “The Count of Monte-Cristo” is now in its 24th week in French cinemas and has so far sold over 9.3 million admissions. It...

“The Count of Monte Cristo” is the new France-produced, live-action feature adaptation of the classic novel by Alexandre Dumas, directed by Alexandre de La Patellière & Matthieu Delaporte, starring Pierre Niney as ‘Edmond’, Anaïs Demoustier as ‘Mercédès’, Bastien Bouillon, Anamaria Vartolomei, Laurent Lafitte and Julien De Saint, releasing December 20, 2024 in theaters:

"...in early 19th century France, 'Edmond Dantes' is betrayed, framed and falsely jailed. But while on a prison island, he befriends a fellow inmate who educates him...

"...and tells him where to find a 'fortune'.

"Following his escape Dantes re-emerges as a wealthy man in Paris society...

"...primed to take revenge…

“…against the corrupt government law-makers who tried to destroy his life, love and freedom...”

Click the images to enlarge...

Jacques Audiard’s musical film Emilia Pérez is the frontrunner at the nomination stage for the 30th edition of France’s Lumière awards.

The prizes, which are regarded as the French equivalent of the Golden Globes, will be voted on by members of the international press hailing from 38 countries this year.

They cover 13 categories spanning film, direction, screenplay, actress, actor, female revelation, male revelation, first film, animation, documentary, international co-production, cinematography and music.

Audiard’s Cannes Jury Prize winner Emilia Pérez has clinched six nominations, followed by Boris Lojkine’s Souleymane’s Story, which won the Un Certain Regard Jury Prize this year, and Alain Guiraudie’s Misericordia, with five nominations each.

Other frontrunners with four nominations each, include François Ozon’s When Fall Is Coming and Jonathan Millet’s Ghost Trail.

The winners will be announced in a ceremony at the Forum des images in Paris on January 20, 2025.

The full...

Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Perez has topped the nominations for France’s Lumière Awards.

The French-made, Spanish-language film earned six nominations for best film, director, screenplay, cinematography, music and actress for Karla Sofía Gascón in her starring role as the titular transitioning Mexican drug lord.

The Lumière nominations cap a strong week for Emilia Perez, which garnered 10 nominations for the 2025 Golden Globes,and was the big winner at the European Film Awards with five prizes.

Scroll down for full list of nominees

Boris Lojkine’s Souleymane’s Story, which tracks the daily life of an undocumented Guinean asylum seeker in Paris,...

“The Count of Monte Cristo” is the new France-produced, live-action feature adaptation of the classic novel by Alexandre Dumas, directed by Alexandre de La Patellière & Matthieu Delaporte, starring Pierre Niney as ‘Edmond’, Anaïs Demoustier as ‘Mercédès’, Bastien Bouillon, Anamaria Vartolomei, Laurent Lafitte and Julien De Saint, releasing December 20, 2024 in theaters:

"...in early 19th century France, 'Edmond Dantes' is betrayed, framed and falsely jailed. But while on a prison island, he befriends a fellow inmate who educates him...

"...and tells him where to find a 'fortune'.

"Following his escape Dantes re-emerges as a wealthy man in Paris society...

"...primed to take revenge…

“…against the corrupt government law-makers who tried to destroy his life, love and freedom...”

Click the images to enlarge...

The Franco-American Cultural Fund has unveiled the nine award winners from the American French Film Festival, which took place in Hollywood from Oct. 29- Nov. 3.

Taking home top prize for the audience award was “The Marching Band,” directed by Emmanuel Courcol. Boris Lojkine’s “Souleyman’s Story” took home the critics award while Louise Courvoisier’s “Holy Cow” nabbed the first film award. Taking home the American students award was “The Count of Monte Cristo” written and directed by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre De La Patellière. David Hertzog Dessites’ doc “Once Upon a Time Michel Legrand” won the documentary film award.

In the television category, “The Blissful” from director Stanislas Carré de Malberg won the TV movie award. Isaure Pisani-Ferry’s series “Becoming Karl Lagerfeld” won the TV audience award. “Samber” from creator and writer Alice Géraud won the jury series award and Émilie de Monsabert’s “Suzzane” won the short film award.

Jacques Audiard’s musical thriller “Emilia Pérez,” Coralie Fargeat’s body horror “The Substance” and Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Patellière’s epic adventure “The Count of Monte Cristo” have more in common than the fact that they’re directed by French filmmakers.

Despite being set in Mexico and Los Angeles, respectively, “Emilia Pérez” and “The Substance” both shot entirely in France, for the most part in studios in Paris.

France has been able to attract, host and retain a wide range of local and international productions, primarily thanks to its locations and crews, even if its tax incentives aren’t as competitive as in other popular filming destinations in Europe, such as London and Prague.

At a panel discussion at the American French Film Festival in Los Angeles, “The Count of Monte Cristo” producer Dimitri Rassam; Jay Roewe, SVP of production planning and incentives at HBO Max and Wbd; L.

One of the key initiatives of the American French Film Festival is its long-running education program, which provides 3,000 high school students each year with the opportunity to attend a screening and discussion with filmmakers at the DGA Theatre. For the festival, it’s a rare opportunity to help actively develop younger audiences and expose them to French cinema.

“At a time when everyone is on their phones and in-person interactions are declining, the American French Film Festival Education Program inspires students to truly engage,” says Anouchka van Riel, Deputy Director of Tafff. “Through our screenings and Q&As with French actors and filmmakers at the DGA Theatre, as well as in-class materials we develop with educators, this effective annual program continues to encourage thoughtful discussion and nurture a new generation of French film enthusiasts.”

This year will mark the 17th year of its High School Screenings Program, and the festival...

The American French Film Festival has long been considered the premiere U.S. event for launching French film and television content to American audiences and while last year’s edition was forced to cancel due to Hollywood’s dual strikes, this year the L.A.-based event is back and gearing up for what it expects to be one of its best editions yet.

The six-day festival, which kicks off its 28th edition on October 29 at the DGA Theater Complex, is bookended by two of the year’s buzziest French titles with Jacques Audiard’s Spanish-language musical-crime film Emilia Pérez set for opening night while Pathé’s French box office hit The Count of Monte Cristo set to close the event on November 3.

Both films, say festival organizers, are reflective of the kinds of projects that Tafff wants to unveil to Hollywood audiences: Audiard’s Cannes-winning title Emilia Pérez is...

Ladj Ly, the French filmmaker whose bold feature debut “Les Misérables” won the jury prize at Cannes in 2019 and earned an Oscar nomination, is set to write and direct “Dumas: Black Devil.” The epic film is being produced by Dimitri Rassam’s Chapter 2 (a Mediawan company) and Pathé, the makers of French box office hit “The Count of Monte Cristo” and two-part adventure saga “The Three Musketeers.”

“Dumas: Black Devil” will also be produced by Srab Films, an Asacha Media Group company, which has been behind all of Ly’s movies, including “Les Misérables.” Pathé will distribute the movie and handle international sales. Although the budget has not been unveiled, it’s expected to be one of the most ambitious French projects to go into production in 2025. The cast will include major French and international stars.

Ly will adapt the lesser-known story of Thomas Alexandre Davy de la Pailleterie Dumas,...

The American French Film Festival returns for its 28th annual event at the DGA Theater Complex from Oct. 29 to Nov. 3. The festival will showcase 60 films and series, including 14 shorts and 14 series or TV movies. It will open with France’s official selection for Oscar consideration, “Emilia Pérez,” and close with the new rendition of the classic Alexandre Dumas novel “The Count of Monte Cristo” by Matthieu Delaporte and Alexandre de La Petelliére.

This marks the first time 16 of these features will be presented to an audience in Hollywood after premiering at the latest editions of the Berlin, Cannes, and Venice International Film Festivals. Additionally, 59 of the selected works will be up for the Tafff Awards.

The selection of films includes the comedy “A Nice Jewish Boy” by director Noé Debré, written by Michael Zindel, Agnès Jaoui, and Solar Bouloudnine; the political thriller “Death of a Corrupt Man,” directed by Georges Lautner and written by Lautner,...

The American French Film Festival unveiled the full-line up of its upcoming edition at a press conference at the Résidence de France in Beverly Hills on Wednesday, as the event returns after a one-year hiatus due to the Hollywood strikes.

The 28th edition, running October 29 to November 3 in the Director’s Guild of America Theatre Complex, will showcase 60 films and series, with 14 shorts, 14 Series and TV movies, and 32 feature films and documentaries, many of which are International, North American and U.S. premiere presentations.

As previously announced the event will be book-ended by Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez as the opening film and The Count of Monte Cristo, which will close the event.

The American French Film Festival was created and is produced by the Franco-American Cultural Fund, a collaboration between the Directors Guild of America (DGA), the Motion Picture Association (MPA), France’s Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers...

France has selected Jacques Audiard’s bold musical “Emilia Perez” to represent the country in the Oscars’ Best International Feature Film race, giving that category an instant frontrunner at the 97th Academy Awards.

The Netflix film, which caused a sensation at the Cannes Film Festival with its story of a Mexican drug lord undergoing sex reassignment surgery, is considered one of the year’s likeliest Best Picture nominees, making it a clear favorite in the international category as well.

It was chosen on Wednesday by a selection committee that had narrowed its choices to four: “Emilia Perez,” Payal Kapadia’s “All We Imagine as Light,” Matthieu Delaporte’s “The Count of Monte Cristo” and Alain Guiraudie’s “Misericordia.”

Last year, that committee chose “The Taste of Things” over “Anatomy of a Fall,” going with a ravishing romance over an edgier drama that had won the top prize in Cannes. “The Taste of Things...

France has picked Jacques Audiard’s Mexico-set musical Emilia Perez to represent the country in the best international feature category at the 2025 Academy Awards as it attempts to sing its way to a victory in the category for the first time in more than 30 years.

The primarily Spanish-language song-filled film is about cartel leader Emilia, who enlists an unappreciated lawyer to help fake her death so Emilia can live authentically as her true self.

It won both the Cannes Jury prize for director Audiard and a shared best actress award for its female cast Karla Sofía Gascón, Selena Gomez, Zoe Saldana...

France has selected Jacques Audiard’s Spanish-language musical Emilia Pérez to represent it in the Best International Feature Film category at the 97th Academy Awards.

The drama stars Karla Sofía Gascón as cartel leader Emilia who enlists the help of unappreciated lawyer Rita (Saldana) to help her fake her death so she can live authentically as her true self.

It premiered at Cannes, where it earned its four actresses – Gascón, Saldaña, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz – a collective Best Actress award, and also clinched the jury prize.

The film was selected from a short list of four films which also included swashbuckler The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte; French-produced Indian drama All We Imagine as Light by Payal Kapadia and Misericordia by Alain Guiraudie.

This year’s revamped selection committee featured sales agent Carole Baraton, producer Nadim Cheikhroua (Four Daughters), Venice Golden Lion...

France’s revamped Oscar committee has selected Jacques Audiard’s exhilarating redemption thriller “Emilia Perez” for the international feature film race. The movie won two major awards at the Cannes Film Festival and earned rave reviews.

“Emilia Perez” stars Karla Sofía Gascón as a fearsome drug lord who embraces her true self as a woman. The Spanish-language film earned one of Cannes’s longest standing ovations and went on to win the Jury Prize (in a jury presided over by Greta Gerwig), on top of a best actress prize for the ensemble cast, including Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez and Adriana Paz. The movie was bought by Netflix for the U.S. and the U.K. following its Cannes premiere.

Audiard is a revered French auteur who won a Palme d’Or with “Dheepan,” and was previously nominated for a foreign-language Oscar with “A Prophet” starring Tahar Rahim.

Although “Emilia Perez...

“The Count of Monte Cristo,” one of four films on France’s shortlist for the country’s official submission to the Academy Awards, will open on Dec. 20 in U.S. theaters. Samuel Goldwyn Films plans to campaign the three-hour adventure drama in all categories including best picture, with the release to roll out nationwide after its bow.

In the classic Alexandre Dumas story, Pierre Niney stars as young Edmond Dantès, who is arrested on his wedding day for a crime he did not commit. After 14 years in the island prison of Château d’If, he makes a daring escape and assumes the identity of the Count of Monte Cristo, taking revenge on the three men who betrayed him.

Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte wrote and directed the film, which co-stars Anaïs Demoustier and Anamaria Vartolemei.

“The Count of Monte Cristo” premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival,...

Maverick director Alain Guiraudie rarely makes concessions.

Through offbeat titles like 2013’s “Stranger by the Lake,” 2016’s “Staying Vertical” and 2022’s “Nobody’s Hero,” the French filmmaker has explored death and desire with an unflinching eye, offsetting social bemusement with an awe for nature. His work is defiant, queer, and idiosyncratic, which makes a recent bout of institutional support all the more surprising – especially to the auteur himself.

After launching out of at Cannes, Guiraudie’s latest film “Misericordia” – produced by Charles Gillibert’s CG Cinema and released in France by Les Films du Losange — then hit a fall festival grand slam, playing in Telluride, Toronto and New York before making the shortlist for France’s International Feature. Time will tell whether the newly revamped committee goes with Guiraudie’s psychosexual thriller over Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Pérez,” Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte’s “The Count of Monte Cristo...

Payal Kapadia’s Cannes Grand Prix winner “All We Imagine as Light” could find itself being in the enviable position of being the entry of choice at the Oscars’ international feature category from not one but two countries – France and India.

Earlier this week, “All We Imagine as Light” sparked a surprise as it turned up in the roster of four movies shortlisted by France’s Oscar committee; alongside Jacques Audiard’s “Emilia Perez,” “The Count of Monte Cristo,” an epic adventure film adapted from Alexandre Dumas’ classic, as well as Alain Guiraudie’s “Misericordia.”

Mainly produced by Thomas Hakim and Julian Graff through their France-based company Petit Chaos, the film secured distribution deals in most major territories months ago, including in the U.S. (where Janus Films and Sideshow will release it in the fall) and France (Condor Distribution), and is on track to become one of the most...

The American French Film Festival (previously called Colcoa) is back with a bang after being canceled last year due to the WGA and SAG/AFTRA strikes.

The 28th edition of the festival will play two of the year’s most buzzed-about French movies, Jacques Audiard’s redemption thriller “Emilia Pérez” and epic adventure film “The Count of Monte Cristo.” They’re also two of the four films submitted by France’s Oscars committee for the international feature film race.

“Emilia Pérez,” which won two prizes at Cannes and played at both Telluride and Toronto, will kick off festivities on opening night, as part of a red-carpet event presented in association with Netflix on Oct. 29; and “The Count of Monte Cristo,” a sweeping three-hour period film starring Pierre Niney in the titular role, be play on closing night on Nov. 3.

A genre-defying musical thriller, “Emilia Perez” won the jury prize at...

The American French Film Festival (Tafff) is returning after last year’s Hollywood strikes hiatus and has unveiled its opening and closing films.

The 28th edition, running October 29 to November 3 in the Director’s Guild of America Theatre Complex, will open with Jacques Audiard’s Emilia Pérez and close with The Count of Monte Cristo.

Both films are on the shortlist to be France’s submission for the Best International Feature Film, and could be in the running in other categories.

Jacques Audiard’s genre defying musical drama Emilia Pérez, about love and redemption, will be celebrated at The American French Film Festival with a gala, red-carpet Opening Night screening on October 29, presented in association with Netflix.

Written and directed by Jacques Audiard, the film world premiered at Cannes, where it earned the four actresses – Karla Sofía Gascón, Zoe Saldaña, Selena Gomez, and Adriana Paz – a collective “Best Actress” award,...