Festival Sinema Prancis 2023: Palme d’Or

November 14, 2023 3 min read

The 25th Festival Sinema Prancis returned to Indonesia from 17 to 26 November 2023 in a hybrid format of in-person and online screenings, bringing more than twenty French films to audiences in 14 cities and on the Klik Film platform. With the Palme d’Or as its central theme, the festival celebrated French cinema’s creativity, diversity, and international acclaim through screenings, discussions, masterclasses, and free access for all audience.

Festival Sinema Prancis 2023 presents a highly compelling film program. Since 1996, the Embassy of France in Indonesia and Institut français Indonesia have organized Festival Sinema Prancis (FSP) as an annual event. Over the years, the festival has attracted thousands of viewers, with more than 4,000 attendees recorded in 2022 alone. This year, FSP returns in a hybrid format, in collaboration with streaming platform Klik Film and distributor Cinema XXI.

More than twenty films will be screened theatrically in 14 cities across Indonesia, while ten titles will be available for free streaming on Klik Film from 20 to 26 November 2023. Beyond film screenings, the festival highlights the diversity and creativity of French cinema through workshops, discussions, masterclasses, and various other activities. All events are free to attend, and all films will be presented with English and Indonesian subtitles.

The central focus of Festival Sinema Prancis 2023 is the Palme d’Or, one of the most prestigious film awards in the world, presented by the jury of the Cannes Film Festival. The award has become a symbol of cinematic excellence, granting global recognition to the films that receive it. This year’s program includes works that have won awards at the Cannes Film Festival or other major European festivals, as well as a special selection curated to showcase French genre cinema. These films will be presented as part of the 25th edition of FSP, which aims to celebrate strength, ambition, and diversity in directorial approaches that continue to define French cinema.

The opening of Festival Sinema Prancis 2023 on 17 November 2023 will feature the Indonesian premiere of Animal Kingdom (2023), a film that was also presented at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Director Thomas Cailley and actor Paul Kircher will attend the screening at Djakarta Theater XXI in Jakarta. The opening event will also take place simultaneously in Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Bandung, Medan, Makassar, and Bali. The festival will close with the Indonesian premiere of The Three Musketeers: D’Artagnan (2023) on 26 November 2023, screened across the same seven cities.

In addition to film screenings, the festival will host a series of creative talks and workshops led by French and Indonesian film professionals. Alongside Thomas Cailley and Paul Kircher, the directors of Zero Fuck Given (2021), Julie Lecoustre and Emmanuel Marre, as well as actors and dancers Marion Barbeau and Mehdi Baki from Cédric Klapisch’s Rise (2022), will be present in Indonesia to engage with audiences, take part in discussions, and lead workshops.

As a tribute to filmmaker Jean-Pierre Melville, the festival will also present a retrospective marking the 50th anniversary of his passing. Films such as Léon Morin, Priest (1961), Army of Shadows (1969), and The Red Circle (1970) will be screened during the festival, offering audiences a deeper look at his body of work and the era surrounding the Nouvelle Vague movement.

See you at Festival Sinema Prancis 2023!