French cinema is travelling farther across Indonesia this November. From legendary cultural figures to contemporary films fresh from Cannes, the 28th Festival Sinema Prancis will bring 20 films to audiences in 19 cities, turning cinemas and cultural spaces into meeting points for storytelling, discovery and creative exchange.
Running from 19 November to 1 December 2026, the festival is organised by the Embassy of France in Indonesia and the Institut français d'Indonésie (IFI), under the theme “Icons.” With 63 screening venues nationwide, this year's edition also highlights the growing creative partnership between France and Indonesia, extending beyond film screenings into education, professional development and industry collaboration.
Celebrating the Icons Who Shaped French Culture
This year's theme pays tribute to personalities whose creativity and ideas have left a lasting mark on French culture. The selection includes Monsieur Aznavour, celebrating the life and musical legacy of singer Charles Aznavour; Sarah Bernhardt, la Divine, honouring the legendary actress who transformed the performing arts; and Fanon, exploring the intellectual legacy of Frantz Fanon.
The programme also looks behind the scenes of France's celebrated theatre tradition with De la Comédie-Française, while the two-part historical epic De Gaulle follows Charles de Gaulle during the pivotal years of the Second World War. A special tribute to actor Jean Gabin, marking 50 years since his death, will bring classics such as Un singe en hiver and Mélodie en sous-sol back to the big screen.
Alongside these tributes, audiences can discover newer French productions, including films featured at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival. Léa Mysius's Histoires de la nuit (The Birthday Party), Arthur Harari's fantasy thriller L'Inconnue (The Unknown), and Guillaume Canet's psychological thriller Karma offer a glimpse of the diversity of contemporary French filmmaking.
French director François Truffaut once reflected that what led him to filmmaking was “the desire to structure a fictional story.” That enduring belief in the power of storytelling is at the heart of a festival that brings different generations, genres and cinematic perspectives together.
From Jakarta to Ubud, the Big Screen Travels
The festival's reach extends well beyond Indonesia's major metropolitan centres. Screenings will take place in Ambon, Bandar Lampung, Bandung, Denpasar, Jakarta, Jombang, Kendari, Magelang, Malang, Makassar, Medan, Pontianak, Salatiga, Semarang, Sidoarjo, Surabaya, Surakarta, Ubud and Yogyakarta.
The programme will be hosted at Cinema XXI theatres, IFI and Alliance Française centres, as well as partner venues. This wider network gives audiences in different regions the opportunity to experience French cinema without having to travel to Jakarta.
For this year's festival ambassador, French-Indonesian actor Maxime Bouttier, the expanding reach is an important part of the festival's appeal. During the press conference in Jakarta, he highlighted film as one of the many ways young people can learn about different cultures and develop a better understanding of other countries.
Bouttier will attend festival screenings in Jakarta and Yogyakarta. Although his own appearances will be limited to those two cities, he welcomed the festival's expansion to more locations across Indonesia, giving more audiences the opportunity to discover French cinema. His appointment also reflects the cultural connections at the heart of the event. Born in France and raised partly in Bali, Bouttier has built his career in Indonesian entertainment while maintaining a strong connection to his French heritage.
The opening night on 19 November will feature the Indonesian premiere of Le Fantôme de l'Opéra (The Phantom of the Opera), directed by Alexandre Castagnetti. The film will be screened simultaneously at eight Cinema XXI theatres in Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Medan, Denpasar, Makassar and Semarang, with the director attending the Jakarta screening.
Castagnetti will be joined by French animation director Julien Chheng, who will present his feature film Muyi, la légende du village des femmes at IFI Jakarta on 22 November. The programme will continue with encounters at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia in Bandung and BINUS University Alam Sutera, giving students opportunities to explore animation and filmmaking with an international guest.
Indonesian filmmaker Edwin will also join a discussion following the screening of Histoires de la nuit on 25 November, opening a conversation about adapting literature for the screen. Reflecting on the expressive possibilities of cinema, Edwin told The Jakarta Post: “It is non-verbal. It is more complicated than words, it has to be told in a movie.” His perspective captures the festival's wider invitation to explore how different cultures can connect through images and stories.
Beyond Screenings: A Growing Creative Partnership
Festival Sinema Prancis is also part of a wider effort to build a stronger audiovisual partnership between Indonesia and France. The relationship gained new momentum through the Borobudur Declaration on Joint Cultural Strategy, adopted by Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Prabowo Subianto in May 2025, followed by the first Strategic Cultural Dialogue in Paris in July that year.
Co-production, professional training and international distribution are increasingly central to this collaboration. In December 2025, French Culture Minister Rachida Dati reported that six Indonesian filmmakers were participating in a film co-production training programme, with further training planned in France. At the 2025 Indonesia–France Film Lab, ten selected film projects were also presented, creating opportunities for emerging Indonesian filmmakers to connect with international industry professionals.
The momentum continues in 2026 with the third Indonesia–France Film Lab, taking place at the JAFF Market in Yogyakarta from 25 to 30 November. Its programme will include a scriptwriting workshop led by France's renowned film school La Fémis, alongside mentoring, masterclasses and professional networking sessions designed to connect Indonesian projects with French producers.
The partnership will also extend to Paris in December through the Southeast Asia Film Forum, scheduled for 9–13 December. According to Carol Meyer, Cultural Attaché at the Embassy of France in Indonesia, Timor-Leste and ASEAN, the forum will bring together participants from Indonesia, Vietnam, the Philippines and Thailand, with Indonesia serving as the lead participating country. The initiative is intended to strengthen connections between French and Southeast Asian film professionals and explore opportunities for future projects and co-productions.
Meanwhile, the partnership between IFI and Cinema XXI is creating a more direct route for French productions to reach Indonesian audiences. Three major titles—Le Fantôme de l'Opéra, De Gaulle: Résistance and De Gaulle: Liberté—will receive Indonesian festival premieres before entering commercial release across Cinema XXI theatres, with release dates to be announced. Short films by students from SAE Indonesia will also screen ahead of the festival's opening and closing films, giving young local creators a place on the programme.
One Festival, More Stories to Discover
With 20 films, 19 cities and 63 venues, Festival Sinema Prancis 2026 offers more than a celebration of French cinema. It brings audiences, filmmakers and emerging talents into a shared creative space, where iconic stories can inspire new voices and cultural exchange can lead to future collaborations.
This November, the invitation is simple: find a screen, discover a story and experience French cinema, larger than life.
The Festival Sinema Prancis 2026 screening schedule will be updated on the official website as details become available: https://www.ifi-id.com/festival-sinema-prancis-2026/#/
