FRENCH IN MOTION is proud to present the 2026 selection for its common program with THE GOTHAM Film & Media Institute:
US & FRENCH CONNECTION during GOTHAM WEEK.
This year, FRENCH IN MOTION is celebrating its 10th anniversary as well as its partnership with THE GOTHAM Film & Media Institute through their joint program, US & FRENCH CONNECTION. Following the huge success of Gotham Week 2025, the US & FRENCH CONNECTION 2026 program will once again enable French creators and producers to participate in the highly selective Gotham Week, taking place from September 27 to October 3, 2026, in Brooklyn.
FRENCH IN MOTION, led by Laetitia Doyle, President, and Stephanie Valloatto, US & French Connection Program Director, in collaboration with the team at THE GOTHAM, is honored to announce the 2026 selection from its US & FRENCH CONNECTION program. Of the 30 projects submitted this year, two were selected by a prestigious jury of 22 industry professionals, directors, and producers based in New York, Los Angeles, Washington, D.C., and Paris.
Throughout the week, the teams will participate in pitching sessions, themed workshops, dozens of one-on-one meetings tailored by THE GOTHAM with potential buyers and partners, as well as a multitude of networking events and informal gatherings organized by HBO, Amazon, Warner, and others.
We are delighted to present one feature-length fiction film and one feature-length documentary at the one and only international co-production market in the United States during Gotham Week.
The finalists are :
LEVIATHANS
Feature Film / Horror
Written and directed by Olivier Wright - Produced by Eve Pajot-Brémond (Box Fish Production)
They’re 18 years old. They’re Christians. They’re virgins. Until one terrifying night forces them to confront the demon of envy.
EDMOND WHITE : NEVER ENOUGH
Feature-Length Documentary/ Social, LGBTQ
Written and directed by Brian Montopoli and Aaron Hicklin - Produced by Brian Montopoli, Aaron Hicklin, Paul Dallas (The Beautiful Room)
Edmund White wrote what the world was afraid to see—and helped change the way generations of queer people perceived themselves.
Congrats to the teams!
We look forward to welcoming our participants, connecting and sharing a meaningful time with the American film industry (distributors, financiers, production companies, festival programmers, sales and talent agents, collaborators, and others) for a week.
ABOUT US & FRENCH CONNECTION
US & FRENCH CONNECTION is a year-round program created by French In Motion and the Gotham (formerly, IFP), two organizations based in New York that bring together film professionals and talent. As French In Motion’s key program, it is designed to help creatives with international projects in development or production find partners on both sides of the Atlantic. It fosters the development of award-winning international co-productions, including an Oscar-nominated film (Best International Picture category at the 2021 Academy Awards).
The selection is made upon a call for projects once a year. Please follow us on Facebook/Instagram or send us an email in the contact section of the website if you want information for applying.
IN PARTNERSHIP WITH THE GOTHAM
Founded in 1979 as the Independent Filmmaker Project (IFP). The Gotham continues to champion the future of storytelling by connecting artists across various media disciplines with essential resources at all stages of their careers and projects’ development. The Gotham fosters a vibrant and sustainable independent creative community, represents a growing network of storytellers around the world, and plays a key role in developing 350 fiction and nonfiction works each year. During its more than 40-year history, The Gotham has supported over 10,000 projects and offered resources to more than 30,000 filmmakers, including Barry Jenkins, Dee Rees, Laura Poitras, Richard Linklater, and Ava Duvernay.
Gotham Week is the only international co-production market in the US. It gathers producers, filmmakers, distributors, agents, and sales agents (Netflix, HBO, Amazon, Sony, A24, FilmNation, etc). The exclusive forum connects the filmmakers who are selected for their projects to industry reps and buyers. 100 projects will be selected out of 1000 domestic and international submissions of movies, TV series and documentaries.
WITH THE SUPPORT OF
CNC
The Centre National du Cinéma et de l’Image Animée is a government body placed under the authority of the French Culture Ministry and is headed by Gaëtan Bruel. The CNC is an incorporated organization with legal and financial autonomy. It is responsible for ensuring the unified conception and implementation of state policy in the film sector and other industries relating to the moving image. The CNC is a government body placed under the authority of the French Culture Ministry.
VILLA ALBERTINE, THE CULTURAL SERVICES OF THE FRENCH EMBASSY
Villa Albertine is a new kind of cultural institution whose mission is to create a community for arts and ideas, between France and the United States. With a team of 80 people deployed in ten major cities (Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, New Orleans, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.), Villa Albertine offers 60 custom exploratory residencies annually; a series of events; a magazine; and programs and resources for professionals in the cultural sphere. Villa Albertine is an institution of the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, with support from the French Ministry of Culture.
UNIFRANCE
Founded in 1949 as an association under the 1901 French Associations Act, and operating under the supervision of French state authorities, notably the CNC (Centre National du Cinéma et de l'Image Animée), Unifrance is the organization responsible for promoting French film and TV content worldwide.
Based in Paris, Unifrance has around fifty staff members, as well as representatives in the United States, China, and in Japan. Today, the association brings together over 1,000 professionals in the French cinema and television sectors (including producers, artists, talent agents, and sales companies), who work together to promote French films and television content to audiences, industry professionals, and foreign media.
