A new name, a second city, and a bigger stage for French-language cinema. From November 13 to 18, 2026, the Bay Area French Film Festival (BAFFF) brings five films to San Francisco and Mountain View, marking a new chapter for a festival that has been growing since 2023. Previously the SF French Cinema Days, the festival is now taking a significant step forward: a new identity, a new destination in Silicon Valley, and the ambition to make French-language cinema a regular fixture on the Bay Area cultural calendar.
Welcome to the Bay Area French Film Festival (BAFFF)!
Behind this fourth edition are two local nonprofits, French Talent USA and the French American Cultural Society (FACS), joining forces to bring French-language films to audiences on both sides of the Bay.
And while the festival is expanding geographically, its spirit remains the same: bringing people together around cinema, discovering stories and perspectives from the French-speaking world, and creating moments of cultural exchange that go beyond the screen.
Five films, two cities, plenty of stories
There’s another reason to pay attention to this year’s lineup: these are brand-new films, some so recent they haven’t even been released in France yet. For Bay Area audiences, BAFFF offers a rare opportunity to discover the latest in French-language cinema, sometimes ahead of moviegoers in France itself.
The 2026 selection takes audiences through different worlds and genres. History takes center stage with De Gaulle – Resistance, while Women on Trial (L’Affaire Marie-Claire) explores a landmark chapter in French society. De la Comédie Française offers a glimpse into one of France’s most celebrated cultural institutions, while Another Day (Garance) and Family Quiz (Camembert) round out a program that moves between intimate stories and lighter moments.
The same five films will screen at two theaters: the Vogue Theatre in San Francisco, November 13–15, and the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema in Mountain View, November 14–18.
It’s also an opportunity for French-speaking families, Francophiles, and curious moviegoers to experience films that don’t always make it to American theaters. And there’s no need to be fluent in French: every screening comes with English subtitles.
For a region with such a vibrant French and Francophone community, BAFFF is more than another date on the cultural calendar. It’s a chance to give cinema in French a bigger screen, a wider audience, and perhaps a new annual tradition.
BAFFF 2026 – Bay Area French Film Festival
November 13–18, 2026
San Francisco | November 13–15
Vogue Theatre – 3290 Sacramento Street, San Francisco
View San Francisco programMountain View | November 14–18
Alamo Drafthouse Cinema – 2575 California Street, Suite 99, Mountain View
View Silicon Valley program5-Film Festival Pass: $120 on sale now 10/24 8am PST
Tickets: $25 per screening on sale from 10/24 8am PSTAll films in French with English subtitles.
