Deauville American Film Festival

Arguably the biggest French film festival after Cannes, the Deauville American Film Festival takes place every year in the glamorous seaside resort of Deauville and celebrates all the biggest and best movies from the US. The festival premieres over 100 films every year, from burgeoning independent producers to acclaimed Hollywood directors. Described as a ‘cinephile’s paradise’, Deauville will host its 50th festival in September 2024 and will welcome once again the crème de la crème of Hollywood actors and celebrities from all over the world.

Deauville’s love affair with film

Cinema has been intrinsically linked to the picturesque seaside resort of Deauville, ever since the release of the French film ‘A man and a woman’, written and directed by Claude Lelouch in 1966. Extremely popular at the French box office, this film put Deauville in the international spotlight especially thanks to the love scene shot in the Hotel Barrière Le Normandy. It also led to the creation of the Deauville American Film Festival. Since then, every American movie star and celebrity to visit Deauville has become a part of the town’s identity, with the many Art Deco changing cabins lining Deauville’s famous boardwalk each bearing a Hollywood star’s name.

Celeb spotting in Deauville

Nothing compares to the glamour of Deauville during the festival. From A-list parties to red-carpet premieres, the Deauville American Film Festival is THE place to see all of the biggest actors, actresses, directors and producers hailing from the US and elsewhere. While not everyone attending the festival is out to spot celebrities, who could help getting excited after seeing a character from their favourite film in the flesh? Over the past few years, the festival welcomed Johnny Depp, Pierce Brosnan, Kristen Stewart, Geena Davis and many other big names. Stars expected to walk the red carpet for the 50th edition will be announced soon.

24/7 screenings

The Deauville American Film Festival is the only festival in the world to offer film screenings 24 hours a day over ten days. These screenings are held at several venues in Deauville, including the Centre International de Deauville (CID), the Cinéma du Casino and the Cinéma Morny Club. There are four different categories: ‘Competition’ screenings present new talent, ‘Premiere’ screenings are followed by Q&As with the writers and directors, ‘Uncle Sam’s Docs’ are documentaries that provide an insight into American society, and ‘American Nights’ screenings revisit all-time American classics.

Five prizes awarded at the Deauville American Film Festival ceremony:

• The Grand Prize & The Jury Prize
• The Louis Roederer Foundation Revelation Prize
• The Critics’ Prize, awarded by critics and journalists
• The Audience Prize of the City of Deauville, in recognition of the public’s attachment to the American Film Festival

Other film-loving towns in the area

Just a stone’s throw from the very chic seaside resort of Deauville, don’t miss Trouville-sur-Mer with its seafood restaurants, fish market, stalls and Off-courts short film festival.

Cabourg, which hosts the annual Romantic Film Festival in June, is 30 minutes from Deauville.

Also worth a visit is the charming village of Villerville, a former fishing port and the setting for the early 1960s film ‘Un singe en hiver’ by Henri Verneuil and Michel Audiard.

On The Alabaster Coast, the town of Dieppe hosts Europe’s only Canadian Film Festival on the last weekend in March.