PARTHENOPE writer/director Paolo Sorrentino on his first female protagonist, beauty, death and the passage of time with The Age's Stephanie Bunbury: “The epic form always has a hero. For me, this hero was a heroine. In an epic, there is always warfare and the war we are fighting nowadays is an interior fight. This is something women do better than men... Time changes us all. I believe women face change better than men. They do tackle it, do face it, while men remain in their childhoods, trying to avoid it.”

Australia’s largest national film festival - and the biggest celebration of French cinema outside of France - the Alliance Française French Film Festival returns for its 36th edition in March 2025! Already announced in the line-up is Opening Night Gala MONSIEUR AZNAVOUR staring Tahar Rahim as the iconic singer-songwriter, Centrepiece selection THE COUNT OF MONTE CRISTO which stormed the French box office with nearly 10 million tickets sold, and the Australian Premieres of Gilles Lellouche's hit romantic epic BEATING HEARTS and Emmanuel Courcol's feel-great audience favourite MY BROTHER'S BAND. Subscribe to our mailing list for further announcements.

Be the first to get a taste of the 2025 Alliance Française French Film Festival with an exclusive Valentine’s Day Preview of Gilles Lellouche's incredible, thrillingly romantic box office sensation BEATING HEARTS screening ahead of the Festival's official opening this March! The events are being held 6.15 for 6.30pm Fri 14 Feb (Syd, Melb, Canb, Bris, Byr, Per and Adl). Guests will receive a French 75 cocktail on arrival, an express copy of the official Festival programme booklet and see previews of major Festival highlights before the feature. Advance tickets now on sale!