The 68th San Francisco International Film Festival (SFFILM Festival) is back with a full 10 days programmation this year, from April 17-27, 2025,. It is set to captivate audiences with a diverse lineup of over 150 films from more than 50 countries. This year’s festival promises an immersive cinematic experience, showcasing the best of global filmmaking, including many French powerful movies.
Here’s a glimpse into the French / Francophone films that will be featured, each offering a unique perspective and narrative. This French selection showcases compelling stories that explore identity, belonging, and societal tensions through powerful narratives and diverse perspectives. From intimate personal journeys to urgent political dramas, these films offer a captivating glimpse into contemporary French cinema.
GHOST TRAIL
Director: Jonathan Millet
Cast: Adam Bessa, Tawfeek Barhom, Julia Franz Richter
Director Jonathan Millet masterfully balances the tension of a political thriller with a deeply personal story of loss and survival in this tale of a Syrian exile haunted by his past. A former literature professor once incarcerated in Damascus’s notorious Sednaya prison, Hamid works with a covert group hunting war criminals, while engaging in a relentless quest to find the guard who tortured him. As he follows a lead at a Strasbourg university, Hamid must maintain his cover while confronting the weight of his trauma. Meanwhile, weekly phone calls with his mother, now a refugee in Beirut, offer a fragile link to a life that no longer exists. César-award nominee Adam Bessa delivers a magnetic performance as the tormented Hamid; his scenes with Tawfeek Barhom as his suspected tormentor, crackling with suspense. Ghost Trail shifts subtly from a gripping tale of pursuit to a sobering meditation on exile, justice, and the cost of vengeance. —Amir George
April 18 at 5:30pm at the Bampfa in Berkeley
April 20 at 1pm at Presidio Theater – San Francisco
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WINTER IN SOCHKO
Director: Koya Kamura
Cast : Roschdy Zem, Bella Kim, Mi-hyeon Park
In a snowy seaside town on South Korea’s east coast, a mysterious new guest at her boardinghouse upends an introspective young woman’s life. Soo-ha (newcomer Bella Kim) is restless to experience more of the outside world that for now she can only glimpse through the tourists who visit. She’s also hungry to solve the mystery of her paternal parentage, a secret her mother never divulged. When moody French artist Kerrand (played by the venerable Roschdy Zem) arrives for a long-term stay, his presence upends Soo-ha’s life as she wrestles with her sense of self and finds herself drawn to the enigmatic guest. Writer/director Koya Kamura makes an impressive feature debut with this adaptation of Elisa Shua Dusapin’s award-winning novel, skillfully rendering the story’s perceptive intricacies to bring forth a visually alluring meditation on identity, longing, and the ephemeral nature of life. —Jordan Klein
April 21 at 6:00pm PremierTheater, 1 Letterman Dr – # B- San Francisco
April 26 at 7:45pm at at the Bampfa in Berkeley
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MAGMA
Director: Cyprien Vial
Cast: Marina Foïs, Théo Christine
The struggles between scientists, community members, and local politicians spills over like the titular substance that threatens the Caribbean island of Guadeloupe in Cyprien Vial’s dramatic thriller. When a team of scientists led by Katia (Marina Foïs) records the biggest magmatic surge in 50 years on the small island, a struggle ensues among politicians who want to evacuate, locals who can’t afford to stop working or shut down their businesses, and the researchers themselves who are forced to admit the inexactitude of volcanology. Particularly torn is Katia’s assistant Aimé (Théo Christine) who grew up on the island and is well aware of the frustrations stemming from the fact that the mostly Black populace is dictated to by white European officials. Vial keeps a keen eye on all three personal elements of the story while never losing sight of the island’s grand volcano, known as La Soufrière, whose majestic power will always have the last word. —Rod Armstrong
Monday, April 21 at 8:30pm at the Marina theater
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–> Magma is the SFFILM Festival recipient of the Sloan Science on Screen Award, a recognition that celebrates the compelling depiction of science in a narrative feature film
SUDAN, REMEMBER US
Director: Hind Meddeb (a Paris-based French-Tunisian-Moroccan)
At the outset of Sudan, remember us, documentarian Hind Meddeb, travels to Khartoum, Sudan’s capital city, to record the jubilation following the overthrow of genocidal leader Omar Al-Bashir that ended his 30-year regime of terror. It is a transitory moment in which Meddeb captures joy and possibility before the country devolves into civil war. Amidst the ensuing violence, the filmmaker finds a spark of hope in the activism of four Sudanese youths who employ poetry, sit-ins, music, and art to demand democracy. The film serves as a portrait of their courage, joy, and unwavering belief in the promise of a better, more equitable future, as well as a depiction of not only the country’s political reality, but also of its formidable and brave citizenry. —Bedatri Choudhury
April 24 at 6:15pm at the Marina Theater – 2149 Chestnut St – San Francisco
April 26 at 3:pm pm at at the Bampfa in Berkeley
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THAT SUMMER IN PARIS
Director: Valentine Cadic
Cast: Blandine Madec, India Hair, Lou Deleuze
Thirty-year-old Blandine travels from Normandy to Paris to reconnect with her half-sister Julie and see her idol, a female swimmer, compete in the Olympics. But nothing goes quite according to plan in this constantly surprising and touching debut. Blandine could be described by some as awkward, but director and co-screenwriter Valentine Cadic demonstrates in a variety of significant ways that the young woman is comfortable in her skin. Turned away from the anticipated swim event due to an overly large backpack, and offered a not very warm welcome from Julie, she instead finds understanding and human contact from a friendly electrician and has moments of bonding with her niece Alma. Cadic is up to something subversive with this warm and empathetic character portrait—instead of presenting Blandine as a sad-sack type, the filmmaker creates a three-dimensional woman who comes to realize the strength she has within and the deep pleasure of her own company. —Rod Armstron
April 26 at 4 pm at the Marina Theater – 2149 Chestnut St – San Francisco
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THE QUIET SON
Directors: Delphine et Muriel Coulin
Cast: Vincent Lindon, Benjamin Voisin, Stefan Crepon
Pierre (Vincent Lindon) is a railroad repairman in northeastern France who discovers that his eldest son is hanging around a group of right-wing thugs in this carefully observed drama centered on family and politics. After the early death of their mother, Pierre raised the scholarly Louis and the more jockish Félix with blue-collar values but a progressive sensibility. So when the latter begins spouting nationalist rhetoric and develops a penchant for violence, Pierre tries to assert some parental authority. As familial bonds begin to fray, the film becomes a remarkable study of the poisonous vitriol that impacts certain present-day political forces. Vincent Lindon has an air of world weariness that makes him perfect to play the father who wonders where he went wrong and he’s matched by the nuanced script by Delphine and Muriel Coulin, who return to SFFILM after their equally excellent features 17 Girls (Festival 2012) and The Stopover (Festival 2017). —Rod Armstrong
April 26 at 8:30 pm at the Marina Theater – 2149 Chestnut St – San Francisco
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SUKKWAN ISLAND
Director: Vladimir de Fontenay
Cast: Swann Arlaud, Woody Norman, Alma Pöysti
Take a close look at the director’s name… Does it sound familiar? That’s right—Vladimir de Fontenay is none other than the nephew of Arnaud de Fontenay, our cinema partner and founder of French Première!
Father-son bonding amid the majesty of nature takes a dark turn in this visually exhilarating adaptation of a novella by David Vann. Unhappily separated from his wife, Tom (Swann Arlaud, Anatomy of a Fall) hopes for more time with their teenage son Roy (Woody Norman, C’mon C’mon). His ambitious idea is to spend an extended period of time in a cabin on a remote island in Alaska where they will brave the elements, hunt, fish, and hopefully build a stronger relationship. Things get complicated when Tom starts displaying manic tendencies and Roy, in addition to concerns over his dad’s unpredictable behavior, starts missing his mom and his friends. In addition to rich performances from Arlaud and Norman, and the beauty of Amine Berrada’s images (with Norway standing in for Alaska), writer/director Vladimir de Fontenay explores profound issues of imagination with a framing device involving an older Roy visiting this island that looms so large in his memory. —Rod Armstrong
April 27 at 2:00pm PremierTheater, 1 Letterman Dr – # B- San Francisco
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SOULEYMANE’S STORY
Director: Boris Lojkine
Cast: Abou Sangaré, Nina Meurisse
Eight nominations, four César awards—including Best Emerging Actor for Abou Sangaré at the 2025 Césars—L’histoire de Souleymane is an independent film that deeply moved the audience at this year’s 50th César Awards ceremony! Especially Abou Sangaré’s speech, as his personal journey as an asylum seeker echoes in the role of Souleymane that he portrays.
Meet Souleymane, an undocumented Guinean immigrant in France striving to build a new life and apply for asylum. To earn money Souleymane’s rents a verified UberEats account from another employee, a frequent option for new arrivals. Weaving through the streets of Paris, Souleymane’s history unfolds in waves, its details revealed between the crushing countdown of the delivery clock, unpredictable weather, and frustrated customers. Despite his circumstances, Souleymane’s innate kindness shines through as he finds moments of levity and connection with his sheltermates, street vendors, and fellow delivery drivers. Boris Lojkine’s moody and propulsive film plays like a thriller, steadily laying out the mountain of obstacles Souleymane confronts as he desperately strives to make the right choices. The film is a stunning digest of a life lived in the shadows with a revelatory central performance from first-time, non-professional actor Abou Sangare (also winner of Un Certain Regard Best Actor at Cannes). —Jessie Fairbanks
April 27 at 4:00pm at the Marina Theater – 2149 Chestnut St – San Francisco
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HOLA FRIDA
Directors: André Kadi & Karine Vézina (Québec)
Even is this movie is not in French, it is part of our selection as the 2 directors (André Kadi & Karine Vézina) hail from Quebec! In dazzling, vibrant animation, we follow Frida, a curious, young child in her hometown of Coyoacán, Mexico, where her interest in art and creativity begins. Eagerly, she fills her first notebook with pages of colorful drawings and ideas. She spends her days playing with her sister, befriending a neighborhood dog, climbing trees, and running around the town. When polio leaves her bedridden, her dreams beckon as messages from the underworld and her inner spirit emerge to protect her. During these tough times, she finds solace in her imagination that brims with flowers, animals, and Zapotec and Mexican iconography. Little Frida does not back down from a challenge; once she recovers, she is back on the streets, an empowered young woman. This incredible film brings to vivid life the early childhood of world-renowned painter, artist, and feminist icon Frida Kahlo. —Soph Schultz Rocha
April 19 at 10am at the Marina Theater – 2149 Chestnut St – San Francisco
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For more information on the full program click here !
Vive le 7ème art! Merci SFFILM!
