Hosted by the American Film Institute, AFI FEST is one of the only large-scale North American film festivals offering free access to the general public. Dedicated to international auteur films, and well-positioned in the run-up to the Oscars, this event is closely associated with the AFM, the world's biggest film market, which is held at the same time a few kilometers further west in Santa Monica.

Once again this year, the various film selections at AFI FEST will offer viewers the chance to see numerous French productions and co-productions, accompanied by a delegation of French artists, including Jacques Audiard, Alice Winocour, Louise Bourgoin, Deniz Gamze Ergüven (and her leading actresses Gunes Sensoy, Doga Zeynep Doguslu, Elit Iscan, Tugba Sunguroglu & Ilayda Akdogan), Kent Jones, and Jayro Bustamante.

Melvil Poupaud will also be in attendance for the gala premiere of By the Sea by Angelina Jolie, while Juliette Binoche will present The 33, an American-Chilean film by Patricia Riggen.

French films selected (majority-French productions are shown in bold print):

World Cinema

• My Golden Days by Arnaud Desplechin
• Dheepan by Jacques Audiard
• In the Shadow of Women by Philippe Garrel
• Chronic by Michel Franco
• Mountains May Depart by Jia Zhang-Ke
• No Home Movie by Chantal Akerman
• Tale of Tales by Matteo Garrone
• Comoara (The Treasure) by Corneliu Porumboiu
• The White Knights by Joachim Lafosse

New Auteurs

• Mustang by Deniz Gamze Ergüven
• Evolution by Lucile Hadzihalilovic
• Disorder by Alice Winocour
• Mediterranea by Jonas Carpignano
• Ixcanul Volcano by Jayro Bustamante
• Land and Shade by César Augusto Acevedo

Cinema Legacy's Selection

• Hitchcock/Truffaut by Kent Jones

American Independent

• Bob and the Trees, de Diego Ongaro (Etats-Unis/France)

Short films

• E.T.E.R.N.I.T. by Giovanni Aloi
• Mother(s) by Maïmouna Doucouré
• Tuesday by Ziya Demirel

Visit the AFI Fest website for all further information.