I've been with the FACF almost since its inception. I've seen it evolve, and this relationship between the worlds of cinema is essential. It's a real friendship, in which each of us gets to know the other.
Honorary president
Extend and strenghten dialogue between the creators and the industries of both countries
A shared passion for cinema
The French are convinced they invented cinema with the Lumières brothers, and the Americans with Edison. The important thing is that they’re talking to each other, and that they’ve decided to turn this into a strength: a unique partnership created in 1996 between the Directors Guild of America (DGA), the Motion Picture Association (MPA), the Society of Authors, Composers and Publishers of Music (Sacem) and the Writers Guild of America West (WGAW), the Franco-American Cultural Fund is committed to enhancing the industries of both countries and promoting French cinema in the United States. It is chaired by Cécile Rap-Veber, Managing Director of Sacem, and its honorary president is Costa-Gavras.
Board Members
A Franco-American casting
Key dates
A passion that has grown stronger over the years
Creation of the Franco-American Cultural Fund
Creation of COLCOA festival (City of Lights City of Angels)
Partner of "Les Rencontres de l'ARP"
Launch of masterclasses
Launch of summer schools
Launching of the films restauration program
Launch of Autumn Stories
Olivier Dahan's La vie en Rose launched on the international scene thanks to TAFFF
Support for the book "Amis Américains" by Bertrand Tavernier (Actes Sud)
Screening for American high school students at COLCOA
Support of the Prix d'Ornano at the Deauville American Film Festival
Support for the book "Paris vu par Hollywood" by Antoine de Beacque (Skira Paris)
West Coast preview of Intouchables by Eric Tolédano and Olivier Nakache at COLCOA
Addition of a television slot at the COLCOA festival
The Ornano award is renamed Ornano-Valenti in tribute to Jack Valenti
Introduction of the American Student Award at the COLCOA Festival
Creation of TAFFF Industry: professional exchanges for the artistic delegation
Screening of Les Misérables by Ladj Ly
Creation of a trophy for COLCOA's 25th edition
COLCOA becomes The American French Film Festival
The FACF in actions
A commitment to serving professionals and talent in both countries
The American French Film Festival
Since 1997, The American French Film Festival (formerly COLCOA) has been showcasing the best of French film and audiovisual diversity in the heart of Hollywood.
TAFFF, as it’s known, is the largest festival of French cinema and audiovisual arts outside France, and every year welcomes the pundits and the future of French cinema to Hollywood.
The d'Ornano-Valenti Award
Created by the Motion Pictures Association in 1991 under the impetus of its then president Jack Valenti, the Michel d’Ornano award is dedicated to the memory of the former minister, mayor of Deauville and co-founder of the Deauville American Film Festival. It rewards a first French feature to help promote and export it.
The award is presented during the Deauville American Film Festival by a jury of Anglo-Saxon journalists chaired by Jean-Guillaume d’Ornano. Since 2009, the prize has been supported by the FACF, enabling the winning film to be previewed at TAFFF. In 2015, the award was renamed d’Ornano-Valenti award.
Abertine Cinemathèque
Albertine Cinémathèque, formerly known as the “Tournées” program, is a program of the Villa Albertine and the FACE Foundation, supported by the CNC and the FACF.
Conceived with the aim of developing access to French cinema and supporting the programming of French films at American universities (40 campuses including Cornell, Princeton, Tampa, Chapman, etc.), its annual selection of films calls for the exploration of the major issues of our time while nurturing an enduring interest in an evolving and highly diverse art form.