The American French Film Festival turns 30 this fall. TAFFF, the festival formerly known as COLCOA, returns to the Directors Guild of America Theater Complex on Sunset Boulevard November 3 to 8, 2026, and it opens with a surf story. The Los Angeles premiere of In Waves, Phuong Mai Nguyen’s animated adaptation of AJ Dungo’s graphic novel, set against Southern California surf culture, kicks off the week on November 3.
The full film lineup arrives October 6, and individual tickets go on sale October 8. The festival has already named its 12-series TV competition, and passes are on sale now. Here is everything posted as of September 28, 2026.
The quick version
| When | Tuesday, November 3, through Sunday, November 8, 2026 |
| Where | Directors Guild of America Theater Complex, 7920 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90046 |
| Opening night | In Waves (Los Angeles premiere), November 3 |
| Language | Everything is in English or has English subtitles |
| Passes | Week Pass $50, Deluxe Pass $250 (includes opening night) |
| Tickets | Individual tickets and $20 Day Passes on sale October 8 |
| Free | The TV series competition is free |
| Parking | Limited free parking at the DGA, entrance on Hayworth Ave. |
| Official site | tafff.org |
What’s screening
Opening night: In Waves
In Waves is a story of love, loss, and the ocean, adapted from AJ Dungo’s autobiographical graphic novel. Will Sharpe and Stephanie Hsu lead the voice cast. It was the first animated film to open Cannes Critics’ Week, it screened at Annecy, and it is the first animated feature ever to open TAFFF. Netflix presents it here and releases it in the U.S. on December 11.
Can’t make the gala? The film screens again in competition on Saturday, November 7.
The series competition (free)
TAFFF treats French television as seriously as film. Twelve series compete for the 2026 TAFFF Awards, including two international premieres and six North American premieres. The series program runs November 4 to 8, and it is free.
- Alice: Pioneer of Cinema, with Bérénice Bejo
- All Shapes of Us (Grandiose), with Catherine Frot and Claudia Tagbo
- A Prophet (Un prophète), with Mamadou Sidibé, Sami Bouajila, and Embarek Ouassini
- Laura’s Treatment (L’Affaire Laura Stern), with Valérie Bonneton
- Minimum Security (Surveillant !), season 1, with Audrey Lamy
- One Day We’ll Make Love (Un jour on fera l’amour), shown in its entirety
- Paolo, with Jérôme Niel
- R 91 (Le Charles), with Elodie Yung, Alban Lenoir, and Jacques Gamblin
- Rebounds: A History of Electro Dance, a documentary miniseries shown in its entirety
- Singapura, with Nailia Harzoune, Soji Arai, and India Hair
- Someone Should Ban Sunday Afternoons, season 1
- Swapped (Nourrices), season 1
The film competition
The festival says more than 60 French productions will compete for the 2026 TAFFF Awards, which are handed out at the closing night ceremony on Sunday, November 8. The film titles arrive with the full program on October 6.
Passes and tickets
Everything is sold through the festival’s tickets page.
- Week Pass, $50: one ticket per screening for unlimited screenings all week, excluding the Opening Night Gala.
- Deluxe Pass, $250: the same, plus the Opening Night Gala. Limited quantity.
- Day Pass, $20 ($15 for discounted groups): all non-overlapping ticketed screenings on a Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. Day Passes are not sold for weekend screenings. On sale October 8.
- Individual tickets: on sale October 8 through the day-by-day schedule. Some programs are free and need no ticket.
- Guild members: DGA, WGA West, and SAG members are invited to all screenings and panels except opening night, and may bring one guest. RSVPs open October 8 using your guild’s information.
Pass rules: passholders reserve seats in advance (except free, no-RSVP screenings), starting October 8. Passes are nontransferable, and you can’t book two screenings that overlap.
Which pass fits you
| If… | Try |
|---|---|
| You want the opening night party and everything after | Deluxe Pass, $250 |
| You want to see as much as you can all week | Week Pass, $50 |
| You can only take one weekday off | Day Pass, $20 |
| You mostly want the TV series | Nothing. The series competition is free |
| You’re a DGA, WGA West, or SAG member | RSVP with your guild info starting October 8 |
Venue
Every screening and panel is at the Directors Guild of America Theater Complex, 7920 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90046, half a block west of Fairfax Avenue and two blocks east of Crescent Heights.
Getting there
The festival warns that parking near the DGA is limited and encourages private drivers or Metro.
- DGA parking: limited free parking. Enter on Hayworth Avenue from Sunset. The DGA lots are the first entrance on the left and the second entrance on the right.
- The other lot: the first entrance on the right on Hayworth is not DGA parking. The festival’s location page says you can validate there at the box office for $10, cash only.
- Backup: parking at 8000 Sunset Blvd., with reduced rates when validated by local businesses.
- By bus: Metro lines 2, 302, 217, and 780 stop at or near the DGA.
- By car: on the 101, take the Highland exit down to Sunset and turn right (west). On the 10, take the Fairfax exit, drive north about four miles, and turn left on Sunset.
A little history
The Franco-American Cultural Fund, a partnership of the Directors Guild of America, the Motion Picture Association, SACEM, and the Writers Guild of America West, created the festival in 1997 as COLCOA. Since then it has premiered more than 1,000 French films and series, and some titles play here before they open in France. Last year, Jodie Foster received the festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award, and Richard Linklater received the Franco-American Cultural Fund Achievement Award.
Can’t wait until November? The festival’s TAFFF Library lists more than 1,000 French films and series you can watch in the U.S. with English subtitles.
Still to come
The film competition lineup, the day-by-day schedule, screening times, closing night details, and accessibility information are not posted yet. The full program is due October 6. The 824 Journal will update this guide when it is released.
Sources
- The American French Film Festival, official site (including the festival’s posted announcements on the opening film, series competition, and passes)
- TAFFF: Tickets and Passes 2026
- TAFFF: Series 2026
- TAFFF: DGA, WGA, SAG Members and Other Guests
- TAFFF: Location and Parking
- TAFFF: Our Story
- TAFFF: 2026 Press Releases
- TAFFF: In Waves to Open the 30th American French Film Festival (September 2026)
- TAFFF: Festival Returns to the DGA Theater Complex for Its 30th Anniversary Edition (May 19, 2026)
Featured photo: Mike Dillon via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0
