TAFFF 2026: French cinema rewarded in Hollywood for the 30th anniversary of the festival

The American French Film Festival closed its 30th edition on Sunday, November 8 in Los Angeles, with an awards ceremony celebrating French cinema in all its diversity. Between awards, thank-you speeches and a screening of The American Dream in the presence of Raphaël Quenard, a look back at this last evening.

For the first time, the TAFFF awards were presented directly in Hollywood, at the Directors Guild of America, and not in Paris. Filmmakers, producers and professionals from French and American cinema gathered there to discover the winners of this 30th edition. A ceremony which opened with a reminder of the links between the two countries, as the United States celebrates 250 years of its independence this year.

Short films open the charts

The awards ceremony began with the short films. Diegoby Melissa Silveran, was rewarded, as was God is shyby Jocelyn Charles. Two very different proposals, between awakening to sexuality for the first and fantastic animation for the second, which testify to the diversity of the works presented this year.

Alice And Nannies distinguished

Then it’s time for the series, including Alicedirected by Virginie Verrier and Guillaume Lonergan. Producer Caroline de Jenlis took the stage to thank the teams behind this fiction dedicated to Alice Guy, a cinema pioneer whose role has long been forgotten.

Nanniesby Savina Dellicour, was also rewarded. The director was present alongside actress Alexia Giordano to receive the award.

Dom La Nena pays tribute to Forest song

The documentary The Song of the Forestsby Vincent Munier, was also among the winners. In the absence of the director, Dom La Nena (photo below), who composed the music for the film, took the stage to speak on behalf of the team.

“He took us into his forest, into his cabin, into his refuge“, she said, evoking “an invitation to take the time to breathe, to look at the wonders of the forest, to listen to the sounds of nature“.

The composer also returned to the particularity of her work: “For us, it was quite a unique experience and a big challenge, because the film already had its own music, which was the music of the forest, the music of nature.“. The whole challenge was therefore to find how to accompany this sound material without taking over it.

Green Eyes attracts American students

The American Students Award went to the Green eyesby Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh. Before announcing the result, one of the students thanked his French teacher and the festival for allowing him to discover the film for free.

He notably welcomed “the poignant and beautiful story of a sister who saves her brother in the context of immigration“. A distinction for the directors of Gagarinwhich continue to explore social issues through stories where reality mixes with imagination.

The Women’s House And La Gradiva critically acclaimed

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association (LAFCA), a partner of the festival for eighteen years, then revealed its two winners. Although the members of the jury admitted to having sometimes very different cinematic tastes, they explained that they quickly reached a consensus.

The prize for best first film was awarded to The Women’s Houseby Mélisa Godet, who follows the daily life of a team of caregivers supporting women victims of violence.

The critics’ prize was awarded to La Gradivaby Marine Atlan. Having come to present her film a few days earlier, the director had already returned to Paris at the time of the announcement.

The Battle of Gaulle wins the public prize

It is The Battle of Gaulleby Antonin Baudry, which won the audience award for best feature film. An award which particularly touched the director, present alongside Rehman Nizar Ali, editor of both parts of the film.

“Receiving a prize awarded by the public means a lot to me. I made this film for the people, and being rewarded by them is really important to me. It matters a lot” he said.

After thanking the producers, the film teams and the festival organizers, Antonin Baudry wanted to share this reward with his editor, whom he also presented as a friend.

The day before, during the American premiere of the diptych, the two men had already been able to measure the enthusiasm of the Hollywood public, who had given them a seven-minute standing ovation at the end of the screening.

The American Dream to conclude this edition

The evening ended with the screening of American dreamby Anthony Marciano, in the presence of Raphaël Quenard. Inspired by the true story of two French people who became agents of NBA stars, the film concluded this 30th edition with a story which also links France and the United States.

After six days of screenings and meetings, TAFFF closes its anniversary edition, continuing its ambition to introduce French cinema to American audiences.