Franco Film Festival runs from 2 to 9 October 2026 at Cinema Akil, Alserkal Avenue.
Promised Sky opens the festival with a UAE premiere and an in-person Q&A with director Erige Sehiri.
The 16th edition features 10 films, all screened with English subtitles.
The festival’s 16th edition features regional premieres, filmmaker Q&As and stories from across the French-speaking world.
Francophiles, it’s time to clear some space in your cinema calendar. Franco Film Festival returns to Cinema Akil at Alserkal Avenue from 2 to 9 October 2026, with 10 feature films exploring family, identity, love and belonging.
Presented in collaboration with Institut Français UAE, the Embassy of France and fellow Francophone partners, the 16th edition of the festival celebrates the breadth of French-language filmmaking. All films will be shown with English subtitles, making the programme accessible even if your French doesn’t stretch much further than “bonjour”.
Opening proceedings on 2 October 2026 is the UAE premiere of Promised Sky, directed by Erige Sehiri. Having opened the Un Certain Regard section at Cannes, the drama centres on three women living in Tunis who shelter a shipwreck survivor. Their makeshift family faces challenges that raise questions about solidarity and belonging. Sehiri will attend an in-person Q&A after the opening screening, while a second screening with a Q&A is scheduled for 3 October 2026.
Family relationships also shape Young Mothers, from Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. Winner of Best Screenplay and the Ecumenical Jury Prize at Cannes 2025, the film follows five young women living in a shelter as they try to secure better futures for themselves and their children. Meanwhile, Laura Wandel’s Adam’s Sake follows a paediatric nurse navigating a difficult situation involving a four-year-old patient, his mother and a judge’s restrictions.
For something with a romantic streak, Anne Émond’s Peak Everything finds an unlikely connection between a sensitive kennel owner and a woman working on a technical-support line. Amélie Bonnin’s Leave One Day combines music and memories as a chef returns to her childhood village, while Diane Kurys’ Moi Qui T’aimais explores the turbulent relationship between Simone Signoret and Yves Montand.
There is tension elsewhere in the line-up. Dominik Moll’s Case 137 examines power and secrecy through a criminal investigation, while Pierre Monnard’s Bisons follows a wrestler who enters underground fighting to save his family’s farm.
Animation completes the selection with Kid Koala’s Space Cadet, about an astronaut and the guardian robot she leaves behind, and the UAE premiere of Zaven Najjar’s Allah is Not Obliged, following an orphaned boy’s journey across West Africa.
Marie Audouard, Ambassador of France to the United Arab Emirates, said: “FrancoFilm is not simply about showing films, it is about creating relationships between filmmakers and audiences, between cultures, and between our countries.”
Additional online director Q&As will be announced through Cinema Akil’s social channels. Tickets are available exclusively through Cinema Akil’s website, where audiences can also check screening times as the full schedule is finalised.
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Where: Cinema Akil, Alserkal Avenue, Al Qouz, Dubai
When: 2 to 9 October 2026
Contact: www.cinemaakil.com