FRANCOFILM – Rome Francophone Film Festival

A festival that makes cinema travel

FRANCOFILM – Rome Francophone Film Festival is the annual event that gathers French-language cinema at the Institut français Centre Saint-Louis every March. It is not just about French films: the selection spans over fifteen countries of the Francophonie, from Belgium to Canada-Québec, from Morocco to Senegal, from Ivory Coast to Tunisia, as well as Armenia, Bulgaria, Romania, Serbia, Switzerland, Luxembourg, Cyprus, Haiti, Ukraine, and Uruguay. The organizers' motto perfectly encapsulates the spirit of the event: cinema grows when it travels.

Where it takes place: Rome's historic center

The venue is the Centre Saint-Louis, located at Largo Toniolo 20/22, just a stone's throw from Piazza Navona and the Pantheon, in the most visited district of the City of Rome, in the Lazio region. It serves as a French cultural outpost in Italy, active year-round with exhibitions, concerts, and conferences. During the festival, its hall transforms into a small international cinematheque, frequented by university students, art-house cinema enthusiasts, and the capital's Francophone community.

How the program is structured

The schedule spans nine days, with screenings held in the afternoon and evening (typically around 4:30 PM, 6:00 PM, and 8:00 PM). The structure is well-established:

• Opening night featuring a high-profile film out of competition, often an Italian premiere;
• Competition of feature films and documentaries selected by the embassies and representatives of the member countries of the Group of Francophone Embassies in Rome;
• Five thematic roundtables and meetings with directors and guests, moderated by journalist and film critic Claudia Catalli;
• Closing awards night, featuring the final film screening.

The three awards

FRANCOFILM presents three awards representing different perspectives on the same competition: the Jury Prize, awarded by industry professionals; the Sapienza Prize, voted on by students from La Sapienza University; and the Audience Prize, decided by viewers who vote at the end of each screening. This formula makes the festival particularly vibrant: those who enter the hall are not just spectators, but part of the jury.

Language and accessibility

All films are presented in their original version with subtitles (in Italian, and in some cases in French or English). The festival is therefore perfectly accessible to those who do not speak French, while also being a valuable opportunity for language learners. Admission is free and does not require reservations, subject to availability. It is advisable to arrive early, especially for the opening and closing nights, which almost always sell out.

Why it's worth it

In a city that already hosts major film events, FRANCOFILM occupies a unique space: small, free, curated, and above all, capable of bringing works to Rome that would rarely reach Italian commercial cinemas, from African art-house cinema to Eastern European documentaries and South American French-language animation. For a weekend in March, the historic center becomes a privileged vantage point on a part of the world that expresses itself in French despite being far from France.