What's On at the Institut français
Enjoy the latest French productions alongside bold classics and animated gems, UK premieres and exclusive Q&As. Discover newcomers and watch your favourite actors on the big screen, from Isabelle Huppert to Romain Duris, from Laure Calamy to Fabrice Luchini.
The French Film Festival is back at Ciné Lumière from 1-12 November with an exciting programme of French and Francophone films, mostly UK Premieres, some of them attended by talents, such as directors Justine Triet, Catherine Breillat Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar and Laurent Nègre.
Packed with more than 45 screenings, this 31st edition of the festival features award-winning films, including this year’s Palme d’Or Anatomy of a Fall. Don’t miss the two previews of the film before its general release later in November and meet director Justine Triet on 2 November.
Other highlights include Golden Bear Winner On the Adamant by Nicolas Philibert and The Taste of Things, starring Juliette Binoche, which won Trần Anh Hùng the Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival.
See you soon at the Festival!
⇾ Discover the full programme
⇾ Watch the festival's trailer
⇾ Book your ticket(s)
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French Film Festival – Highlights
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Divertimento
1 & 11 Nov
Inspired by the life of conductor Zahia Ziouani, Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar's Divertimento follows 17-year-old Zahia and her twin sister, Fettouma on their fight against discrimination and prejudice to enter the classical music world. Despite their underprivileged suburban background and Algerian roots, they struggle arduously to approach their dreams.
+ Q&A with Marie-Castille Mention-Schaar (onsite) and Zahia Ziouani (online) on 1 Nov
⇾ Watch the trailer
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Anatomy of a Fall
Previews 2 & 5 Nov - Release from 10 Nov
Only the third film directed by a woman to get the top prize in Cannes, Justine Triet’s 2023 Palme d’Or-winning Anatomy of a Fall is a gripping psychological thriller, starring Sandra Hüller. A celebrated writer is put on trial when her husband falls to his death from their secluded chalet. What starts as a murder investigation soon becomes a journey into the depths of a destructive marriage.
+ Q&A with director Justine Triet on 2 Nov
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The Course of Life
4 & 8 Nov
A famed and successful scriptwriter, Noémie (Agnès Jaoui) is invited to deliver a masterclass to final year students of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de l’Audiovisuel in Toulouse. She will initiate them to the art of writing a screenplay as a way to intertwine life and cinema.
+ live virtual Q&A with Agnès Jaoui (tbc) on 4 Nov
⇾ Watch the trailer
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Marinette
4 & 9 Nov
The film follows the fight to spread awareness on women’s rights in sport of one of the world’s greatest stars of football, Marinette Pichon. From a difficult past of abuse and homophobia, came a desire to make a difference in the recognition of French women’s football, homosexuality, and equal opportunity.
+ live virtual Q&A with Virginie Verrier and Marinette Pichon on 4 Nov
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A Forgotten Man
Preview on 8 Nov - Release from 16 Nov
Spring 1945: Swiss Ambassador to Germany Heinrich Zwygart flees bombed-out Berlin after eight years of service in the capital of the Reich. This is the end of a terrible mandate, during which he had to make fatal compromises to preserve the neutrality and security of his country. He survived the war, but will he manage to live in peace?
+ Q&A with Laurent Nègre and Michael Neuenschwander on 8 Nov
⇾ Watch the trailer
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Last Summer
7 Nov - 20.35
In her first film since 2013, Catherine Breillat goes back to her favourite themes of transgression and the complexity of power (and age) dynamics. Successful lawyer Anne (Léa Drucker) lives a seemingly happy life with her husband Pierre and their young, adopted daughters until the arrival of Theo, Pierre’s troubled son from a previous marriage.
+ live virtual intro & Q&A with Catherine Breillat
⇾ Watch the trailer
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French Film Festival – Stars on Screen
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The Taste of Things
3 & 5 Nov
1885. Peerless cook Eugenie (Juliette Binoche) and famous gourmet Dodin (Benoît Magimel) concoct the most delicious dishes to the wonderment of illustrious chefs. Best Director Award at the Cannes Film Festival this year, Trần Anh Hùng serves up an intense and poetic celebration of the pleasure of the palate, mind and heart, which will represent France at the 2024 Academy Awards.
⇾ Watch the trailer
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The Animal Kingdom
3 & 6 Nov
In the long-awaited follow-up to his debut Les Combattants, writer-director Thomas Cailley offers a visionary flight of imagination on the relation between humans, animals and nature, with a dazzlingly poetic use of effects, and superb performances from Romain Duris and Paul Kircher. A strange condition sweeps the world, as people begin sprouting wings, scales, tentacles… Meanwhile a father and son travel south to confront their own trauma.
⇾ Watch the trailer
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Two Tickets to Greece
5 - 10 Nov
Recently divorced, Blandine is struggling to get back to her life. Her loud and fearless former best friend Magalie (Laure Calamy) resurfaces and imposes herself on a trip to Greece they’ve always dreamed of as teenagers. When they reach their destination, they realise the dreamy holidays won’t go as they had planned since they have now a very different approach to life!
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The Origin of Evil
10 & 11 Nov
On the verge of financial collapse, Nathalie attempts to reconnect with her estranged wealthy father and his eccentric family. It soon turns out that someone is lying… Sébastien Marnier’s third film features a first class French cast including Laure Calamy, Jacques Weber, Dominique Blanc and Doria Tillier.
+ Q&A with Sébastien Marnier
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French Film Festival – The Films of Jean Eustache
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My Little Loves
5 - 10 Nov
Jean Eustache’s second and final narrative feature, My Little Loves, follows Daniel (Martin Loeb) as he navigates the bewildering world of early adolescence.
+ intro & film club on 5 Nov with film critic Roberto Oggiano
⇾ Book online
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The Mother and the Whore
12 Nov
After the French New Wave, the sexual revolution, and May ’68 came The Mother and the Whore, the legendary, autobiographical magnum opus by Jean Eustache that captured a disillusioned generation navigating the 1970s post-idealism within the microcosm of a ménage à trois.
⇾ Book online
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French Film Festival – Animated Gems
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Ernest & Celestine: Trip to Gibberitia
27 Oct - 4 Nov
When Ernest and Celestine arrive in Gibberitia, they are shocked to discover that all forms of music have been banned for many years, and a land once known across the world for its incredible musicians has fallen silent. It is up to them to bring music and happiness back to the land of bears.
+ recorded Q&A with directors Julien Chheng & Jean-Christophe Roger
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Shorts: Feathered Girls
11 Nov - 13.30
This programme of two short animated films celebrates adventures through the stories of Louise and Elie. In Louise et la légende du serpent à plumes, a little girl finds out that her pet lizard Keza could be the reincarnation of Quetzalcoatl, the legendary feathered serpent god. In Drôles d'oiseaux, Elie explores an island with the most fascinating birds.
⇾ Book online
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French Film Festival – Documentaries
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On the Adamant
3 - 11 Nov
Directed by Nicolas Philibert (Être et avoir) and awarded the Golden Bear at this year’s Berlin Film Festival, the film invites us to board The Adamant, a unique day-care facility for adults suffering from mental disorders.
⇾ Watch the trailer
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Four Daughters
5 & 8 Nov
In this astonishing and poignant film, director Kaouther Ben Hania blends documentary and fiction to tell the story of Olfa and her four daughters.
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By Heart
11 & 12 Nov
Director Benoit Jacquot invites us behind the scenes of the Festival d’Avignon where both Isabelle Huppert and Fabrice Luchini are premiering in the summer of 2021.
⇾ Watch the trailer
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What's on at Ciné Lumière
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20,000 Species of Bees
New Release - From 27 Oct
Estibaliz Urresola’s delicate debut feature 20,000 Species of Bees – for which its young star Sofía Otero won the Silver Bear for Best Leading Performance at 2023’s Berlin Film Festival – is a tender, heartfelt drama about an eight-year-old’s indelible summer holiday of self-discovery.
⇾ Watch the trailer
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Killers of the Flower Moon
New Release - Currently Showing
Based on a true story and told through the improbable romance of Ernest Burkhart (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Mollie Kyle (Lily Gladstone), Killers of the Flower Moon is an epic western crime saga, where real love crosses paths with unspeakable betrayal. Also starring Robert De Niro and Jesse Plemons, the film was directed by Academy Award winner Martin Scorsese.
⇾ Watch the trailer
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The Films of Powell and Pressburger
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Peeping Tom
27 Oct - 2 Nov
Powell’s portrait of a serial killer stars Karlheinz Böhm as the young cameraman who murders women with the sharpened end of his tripod while capturing their agonised final moments on film. The way Powell implicates the viewers’ own voyeurism makes it a uniquely disturbing and provocative experience.
⇾ Watch the trailer
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I Know Where I’m Going
28 Oct - 12 Nov
Powell and Pressburger’s romantic masterpiece sees Wendy Hiller’s headstrong character face a new destiny when the weather forecast decides to keep her apart from the rich old man she is meant to marry, leading her on an unexpected path of true love.
⇾ Watch the trailer
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London Indian Film Festival
26 - 30 Oct
The London Indian Film Festival returns to Ciné Lumière with four screenings, including previews of international festival hit movies alongside the ever-popular Satyajit Ray’s shorts programme and Rajiv Menon’s now classic, I Have Found It (Kandukondain Kandukondain).
⇾ Book online
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London Korean Film Festival
12 - 15 Nov
With the biggest programme dedicated to Korean cinema outside of the country itself, the London Korean Film Festival (LKFF) features the best and most anticipated films from Korea at Ciné Lumière and beyond.
⇾ Book online
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Happy Birthday Ms Deneuve
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The Hunger
Classic - 22 - 27 Oct
A cult film that can be watched time and again, The Hunger is a modern and ageless vampire tale: Miriam Blaylock (Catherine Deneuve) has been alive since Ancient Egypt, and she was already promising her lovers eternal life. John Blaylock (David Bowie), Miriam’s latest companion is suddenly seized by the same affliction that doomed all of her former lovers: he starts to rapidly age.
⇾ Book online
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Belle de jour
Classic - From 29 Oct
Séverine (Catherine Deneuve) is the elegant and privileged wife of a noted doctor. Frigid in all aspects, she is each afternoon the star attraction in a discreet brothel, behind her husband’s back… But how many of her activities are reveries and how many actually take place… even Buñuel cannot answer.
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Je t’aime moi non plus
Classic - From 6 Nov
A unique opportunity to discover a 4K restoration of Serge Gainsbourg’s ground-breaking film starring Jane Birkin. Padovan et Krassky drive their truck on a deserted road and decide to stop at an isolated snack-bar where a lonely Johnny (Jane Birkin) works and longs for love.
⇾ Book online
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La Piscine
Classic - From 3 Dec
While on holiday near St Tropez, Marianne and Jean-Paul enjoy lazing and making love around the pool. But things take a chillier turn when Marianne’s ex-lover shows up with his teenage daughter (Jane Birkin). The onscreen reunion of the former dream couple (Alain Delon and Romy Schneider) adds to the tension of this taut psychological drama.
+ intro & Film Club on 3 Dec with film critic Roberto Oggiano
⇾ Book online
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DELF/DALF Exam Sessions
Deadline for Registration: 27 Oct
Valid for life, the DELF/DALF is the official French certification delivered by the French Ministry of Education. It's a great asset to your CV and can give you access to a French-speaking university (DELF B2) and is required to obtain the French nationality (DELF B1 or TCF). Registration for the next session (December 2023) closes on 27 October.
⇾ Register now
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Intensive Premium
Online - From 30 Oct
Take your French to a proficient level in no time with our Intensive Premium courses starting from 30 Oct. This fast-track course combines live sessions with tutored assignments to brush-up your skills with a higher degree of correction and fluency.
⇾ Register now
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Reading Group on An Honourable Exit by Éric Vuillard
Book Club - 7 Nov - 19.00
In An Honourable Exit (Une sortie honorable), Éric Vuillard ferociously describes a conflict that dealt a fatal blow to French colonialism. The author, who was awarded the prestigious Prix Goncourt in 2017 for his novel L’Ordre du jour (The Order of the Day), continues here his fascinating exploration of History. Let's discuss the book!
⇾ Book online
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Manon Garcia: The Joy of Consent
Talk - 3 Nov - 18.30
French philosopher Manon Garcia investigates female submission through a philosophical lens and interrogates the legal and social parameters of consent in the age of #MeToo. On the occasion of the publication of her book The Joy of Consent: A Philosophy of Good Sex, she will be in discussion with Dr Adina Stroia.
⇾ Book online
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Fantastic Birds by Trio Arcadis and Grégoire Pont
Illustrated Concert - 17 Nov - 19.00
Violinist Amandine Ley, cellist Nicolas Saint-Yves and pianist David Violi from the Trio Arcadis are joined by illustrator Grégoire Pont for a unique illustrated concert. This programme with live animated illustrations features Ravel’s Trio in a-minor, op.50 and Rebinding of the birds, a new work written especially for the occasion by composer Claire-Mélanie Sinnhuber.
⇾ Watvh a video clip
⇾ Book online
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Music Rendezvous with La Féline
Concert - 24 Nov - 19.00
Join Agnès Gayraud, aka La Féline, for a special concert followed by a discussion with music journalist David McKenna. A French recording artist, philosopher and writer, she will present her latest album, Tarbes, a combination of folk with groove and electronic sounds which delivers a unique brand of carefully crafted French pop.
⇾ Watch video clips
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South Ken Kids Festival - Highlights
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Drawing Sentences
Live Event - 18 Nov - 16.00
Join renowned illustrators Magali Le Huche and Marion Puech for a twist on the Frenchest of all school exercices : the “dictée”! This live event will have you drawing the words and sentences dictated by our two professors, as they themselves work on their own drawings. By the end, all drawings – yours and theirs – will be exhibited!
⇾ Book online
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Impro!
Illustrated Concert - 18 Nov - 18.30
Voted best event of the South Ken Kids Festival for years, Impro! gathers guest illustrators Axel Scheffler, Magali Le Huche, Yuval Zommer, Marion Puech and more on stage for a wild, joyful and jazzy musical live creation to the sound of Tom Sochas on the piano and Thodoris Ziarkas on the double bass.
⇾ Book online
⇾ Explore the full programme
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Cantona Sings Eric
26 - 29 Oct - UK Tour
The King is back! Eric Cantona's first EP has just been released! Already compared to the musical greats, the Red Devils legend will embark on his first tour with two concerts in Manchester and one in London. Bravo Eric !
⇾ Book online
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Maud Le Pladec: Twenty-seven Perspectives
30 - 31 Oct - Sadler's Wells
Maud Le Pladec presents the UK premiere of Twenty-seven Perspectives, a nod to the exploratory work of conceptual Swiss artist Rémy Zaugg (1943-2005) – 27 esquisses perceptives (27 perceptive sketches) – in which he breaks down a Cézanne painting into its elementary pieces.
⇾ Book online
© Laurent Philippe
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