When in Vienna, do as the Parisians do…a task made considerably easier by the Festival du Film Francophone, which brings the best of French-language cinema to the city.
- Annual festival at the Votiv Kino international cinema
- Also showings at the De France Kino in 2021
- Films shown in French with German or English subtitles
- 2021 dates: Jun 22 – Jul 1
- See also: English-language cinemas | Film festivals
A French film festival
Now approaching its 23rd year, the Festival du Film Francophone typically features a heady mix of traditional movies, documentaries, animations and shorts.
The word Francophone in the festival title is no coincidence: the films come from a variety of countries, all of whom share French as a common language. So while France inevitably dominates, you might also find something from the Ivory Coast or another African country, Belgium, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and Canada.
The event runs under the auspices of the Institut Français d’Autriche and takes place in the Votiv Kino, an international cinema that often shows English-language films without dubbing. In 2021, the Votiv Kino’s sister cinema (De France) also participates.
The festival films are shown in French (of course), mostly with subtitles in either German or English.
A typical year features 20+ films, normally with up to four showings a day at the host cinemas; find the full programme and other details at the official website.
2021 tickets and dates
The 2021 Festival du Film Francophone hits screens from June 22nd to July 1st.
You normally buy your tickets direct from the cinemas or the Votiv Kino website.
How to get to the cinemas
Both the Votiv Kino and De France are handily placed near one of the bigger transport hubs in the centre of Vienna.
Subway: Go to to Schottentor (on the U2 line) and walk up (or go one stop on a tram) to the Votiv Kino (opposite the Votivkirche church) or across to De France, which is a very short walk from the station
Tram/bus: Take trams 37, 38, 40, 41 or 42 to Schwarzspanierstraße (for the Votiv Kino) or Schottentor (for De France). Bus 40A stops near the Votiv Kino at Berggasse, close to the Sigmund Freud Museum.
Address: Währinger Straße 12, 1090 Vienna