Boston French Film Festival

The Boston French Film Festival returns with an exciting lineup that captures the textures, tensions, and petits bonheurs (small joys) of contemporary French life. The festival opens with Three Friends, Emmanuel Mouret's bittersweet comedy about love, infidelity, and emotional entanglement among a trio of women. Catherine Deneuve leads The President's Wife, a sly comedy about politician Bernadette Chirac's bid to step out from her husband's shadow. Winner of the 2024 Jury Prize and Best Actor award in the Un Certain Regard section of Cannes, Souleymane's Story is a gripping portrait of life on the margins. Holy Cow brings charm to the lineup with a tale about a teenage cheesemaker chasing a contest prize, while Night Call delivers high-stakes thrills as a locksmith races through Brussels during a night of unrest. Alexandre de La Patellière and Matthieu Delaporte's sweeping new adaptation of The Count of Monte Cristo reminds us that French cinema, like the country's literature, still revels in grand tales of betrayal, justice, and revenge.

Together, these films offer a vivid snapshot of a society in motion—ever-evolving while remaining rooted in the passionate pursuit of artistic and intellectual truth. Grab some French wine and cheese at Taste and join us for these evocative stories.

Schedule of Events:

11:00 am–12:45 pm - Night Call (La nuit se traîne)

Directed by Michiel Blanchart (France and Belgium, 2024, 97 min.). French with English subtitles.

Smart, stylish, and full of surprises, Night Call is a propulsive thriller following Mady (Jonathan Feltre), a student by day and locksmith by night who receives an emergency call from a young woman to open a lock. But the door the young woman wants to open isn’t hers, and neither is the bag of cash she runs off with. Mady finds himself in trouble with a ruthless mob boss (Romain Duris), who blames Mady for the missing cash and will stop at nothing to retrieve his stolen goods. In a city teeming with protests, Mady has only one night to prove his innocence and save his neck. With expert pacing, a charismatic lead turn from rising star Jonathan Feltre and a chilling appearance by Duris, Night Call might just be the perfect action thriller.

"An inventive debut.… Confident, inventive, and as grippy as duct tape throughout." —Guardian

Members
$12.00

Nonmembers
$15.00

2:30 pm–4:15 pm - Holy Cow (Vingt dieux)

Directed by Louise Courvoisier (France, 2024, 92 min.). French with English subtitles.

A breakout hit in French cinemas, this refreshing comedy follows 18-year-old Totone (first-time actor Clément Faveau) who, following the untimely death of his father, is unexpectedly thrust into adult responsibilities—caring for his younger sister, keeping their struggling Jura farm afloat, and navigating the hard realities of rural life. When he learns of a regional competition offering €30,000 for the best Comté cheese, he throws himself into an unlikely plan to secure their future—one curd at a time.

Winner of the Youth Award in Cannes’s Un Certain Regard section, as well as the Cesar Awards for Best First Film and Most Promising Actress, Holy Cow is a warmhearted coming-of-age tale that celebrates both the hardscrabble rhythms of French agricultural life and the deep emotional ties that bind family, land, and tradition. Director Louise Courvoisier—who grew up in the Jura region—draws on nonprofessional local actors to craft a film as rooted and flavorful as the cheese at its center.

"Holy Cow proves that having realism in storytelling doesn’t mean you have to be gloomy. An uplifting, scrappy comedy that should delight independent cinema fans." —City AM

Members
$12.00

Nonmembers
$15.00

Location: Harry and Mildred Remis Auditorium (Auditorium 161)

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