Digne-les-Bains, the 52nd Film Meeting takes place from March 17 to 31, 2026 at the René Char Cultural Center, with screenings, author meetings, and an international short film competition.
The Meeting, with a long history, aims to promote author cinema and new generations of filmmakers.
A festival dedicated to creative cinema
The Digne-les-Bains Film Meetings were born from the activity of a film club founded in 1952 and have established themselves as a space for the dissemination and reflection on creative cinema. Created in 1973 by Pierre Queyrel with the support of the French Federation of Film Clubs and the magazine Cinema, over the years they have become a meeting place for filmmakers, critics, and academics.
Today, the association of the Digne-les-Bains and Alpes-de-Haute-Provence Film Meetings, chaired by Jean-Pierre Castagna, offers screenings accompanied by meetings with industry professionals and initiatives dedicated to public education, especially among young people.
Over the editions, numerous international cinema personalities have participated, including Bernardo Bertolucci, Patrice Chéreau, Bertrand Tavernier, Dominique Cabrera, Olivier Assayas, and Amos Gitai.
The program of the 52nd edition
The 52nd edition opened on March 17 with the film Left-handed Girl by Taiwanese director Shih-Ching Tsou, the story of a single mother and her two daughters trying to rebuild their lives in Taipei. On Tuesday, March 24, the international short film competition, reserved for first fiction works, takes place. Ten films from different countries have been pre-selected. The directors are present and a professional jury evaluates the films.
On March 25, Life of Chuck by Mike Flanagan will be screened and presented by cinema specialist Judith Langendorff.
The evening of March 26 will open with a short film session dedicated to energy transition, directed as part of the Interreg Alcotra Moderatti project by students from the Cuneo region, the Alpes de Haute Provence, and the Hautes Alpes. A screening of the film Laurent in the wind by Anton Balekdjian, Léo Couture, and Mattéo Eustachon is also planned.
On March 27, the audience can revisit Stand by Me by Rob Reiner, presented by critic Maël Mubalegh, in a restored version for the film’s 40th anniversary.
The last day, March 31
The festival ends on March 31 with two events.
First, at 6:15 pm, the premiere of the film Une seconde vie by director Laurent Slama, who will be present in the auditorium to meet the audience. The evening ends with L’Épreuve du feu by Aurélien Peyre, presented with actress Marie Bucas-Français, who stars in the film.
As in previous editions, the screenings take place at the René Char Cultural Center in Digne-les-Bains. Over the years, the Meetings have maintained their ties with the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence region. The association collaborates in particular with the Alexandra David-Néel High School in Digne-les-Bains, one of the first French high schools to offer a pathway dedicated to cinema and audiovisual.
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