American French Film Festival Announces Winners as New York Prepares for Diversity Event

The American French Film Festival announced its annual award winners during its closing ceremony on Nov. 8, with films selected by festival audiences, film critics, industry professionals, and student juries.

Award Winners

"De Gaulle" won both the Audience Award and the top honor for best film. Written by Antonin Baudry and Bérénice Vila, the movie is directed by Antonin Baudry and features Niels Schneider, Benoît Magimel, and Anamaria Vartolomei. Meanwhile, the Critics Award for best film went to "La Gradiva," which was written by Marine Atlan and Anne Brouillet, directed by Marine Atlan, and stars Colas Quignard, Antonia Buresi, Mitia Capellier-Audat, and Suzanne Gerin. Several other films also earned top prizes across different categories. "A Place For Her" took home the First Feature Award, and "Whispers In The Woods" won the Documentary Film Award. The American Students Award went to "The Green Eyes," while "Alice: Pioneer Of Cinema" received the Audience Series Award. "Swapped" won the Jury Series Award, "Diego" secured the Audience Short Film Award, and "God is Shy" picked up the Jury Short Film Award.

Upcoming Festival

Looking ahead, The Distribution Collective is hosting the Diversity and Inclusion Film Festival at New York's Lincoln Center campus from Nov. 13 to Nov. 15. Special programming features a Universal Studio Group panel on Nov. 14 with actors Hanako Greensmith, Zeeko Zaki, and David Ajala. The panelists will discuss carrying forward the legacy of Wolf Entertainment shows.

Context

Film festivals serve as important platforms for filmmakers to showcase their work to different audiences and industry groups before wider commercial release. Events like these highlight both established cinema and independent projects through specialized juries and public voting.