San Diego French Film Festival screenings

San Diego’s French film week is not some vague “arts happening.” It’s a pretty specific five-day festival run by Alliance Française San Diego, and it’s happening right now — May 3 through May 7. The big draw this year is Julie Delpy, who’s serving as patron of the sixth edition and showing her latest film, *Meet the Barbarians*, on Monday, May 4, with a live Q&A after the screening. The other thing worth knowing is that the venue picture is a little messier than some event listings make it sound. The organizer’s own current pages put the main run at THE LOT La Jolla, with the closing on May 7 at the San Diego French-American School in La Jolla. (afsandiego.org) ### What is actually happening this week? This is the sixth San Diego French Film Festival, running from Sunday, May 3, through Thursday, May 7, 2026. The festival opened with a red-carpet gala at THE LOT La Jolla, then moved into nightly screenings of feature films paired with shorts. All films are in French with English subtitles, so this is aimed at general audiences, not just fluent French speakers. (afsandiego.org) headline name? Because she’s not just a ceremonial guest. Delpy is the festival’s patron this year, and the program centers one of her newest projects. On May 4, the festival screens *Meet the Barbarians* (*Les Barbares*), which she directed and stars in, followed by a Q&A. For a regional festival, that kind of in-person access is the real value — not just seeing the movie, but hearing how it got made. (([afsandiego.org)### What opened the festival? Opening night on May 3 featured shorts — *Reborn* and *Lady Attila* — followed by Cédric Klapisch’s *Colors of Time* (*La Venue de l’avenir*). The organizer pitches that film as a cross-generational story about memory, women’s lives, and artistic inheritance, which fits the festival’s 2026 theme almost too neatly. Basically, the opening was meant to set the tone for the whole week. (afsandiego.org)me this year? Women’s voices. More specifically, women’s stories across francophone cinema. That means the programming is not limited to films from France alone — it reaches across the French-speaking world. The festival frames the lineup as a showcase for women’s perspectives and creative talent, which gives the week a stronger through-line than a generic “best of French film” package. (afsandiego.org)e after Delpy? One confirmed May 5 screening at THE LOT pairs the shorts *Marie* and *A Time to Cherish* with the feature *Promised Sky* (*Promis le ciel*). That night also includes a Q&A with actor Caroline Amiguet and professor William Nericcio, moderated by distributor and producer Clay Epstein. So the festival is leaning hard into post-screening conversation, not just exhibition. (afsandiego.org)cussion-1)) ### So is this in La Jolla or Carlsbad? This is the catch. Some public listings still say THE LOT La Jolla and the Carlsbad City Library. But the organizer’s newer FAQ says May 4 to 6 are at THE LOT La Jolla and May 7 is at the San Diego French-American School. The Alliance’s event calendar says the same thing. If you’re going, trust the organizer’s current pages over older roundup listings. (dosd([afsandiego.org)yond Delpy, the guest list includes French diplomat Adrien Frier and other film-industry figures. Earlier festival materials also named directors, producers, and performers tied to specific screenings and discussions. That matters because this event is trying to be more than a screening series — it’s positioning itself as a local hub for French and francophone cultural exchange. (afsandiego.or([dosd.com) were thinking this was just a niche repertory series, turns out it’s more ambitious than that. It’s a live, guest-driven francophone film festival with a clear 2026 theme, a Julie Delpy anchor event, and a schedule that now appears centered in La Jolla through May 7. (afsandiego.org)