La Rochelle International Film Festival is a three-way love story between a city in early summer, a curious and enthusiastic public, and films from around the world. Created in 1973, La Rochelle International Film Festival celebrated its 45th anniversary in 2017. A record turnout was achieved in 2017, with 161 features and 40 shorts presented to 90,072 spectators over 347 showings. Each year the festival prides itself on proposing a high quality, eclectic and balanced programme of geographically and thematically diverse films. We maintain our decision not to give prizes or have a jury in order to preserve a spirit of comparison rather than competition.

Tributes paid to guest filmmakers and/or actors in their presence. In addition to the artist’s feature films, the festival presents any documentaries, shorts and television films they have made or produced, as well as any films in which they have appeared. Retrospectives dedicated to deceased actors and directors. Daily meet-and-greets hosted by a film critic or film specialist are organised with a guest director. These events, held in the Salle de Rencontres at La Coursive, are open to all and attract around 300 spectators.

Sophie Mirouze After studying cinema and working in production (Fidélité), cinema management (Pathé), international sales (Films Distribution) and at various film institutions (Centre Pompidou, AFCAE), Sophie Mirouze finally joined the Festival La Rochelle Cinéma (FEMA) in 2003 where she has became the co-director since 2018. Every year since 1973, the FEMA presents some 200 films from around the world to over 80,000 viewers. Sophie Mirouze is responsible for the highly eclectic programme, with retrospectives, tributes, rediscoveries of forgotten films, as well as short and feature-length fictions, documentaries and animations. The festival helps bring together past and present films, the directors who have marked the history of cinema and the young filmmakers driving European and international film today. Sophie Mirouze is also in charge of cinema program for the Festival « Un week-end à l’Est » which takes places in Paris.