Poitiers Film Festival

Poitiers Film Festival is built around films made in film schools. It was founded in Tours in 1977 by Henri Langlois, founder of the Cinémathèque française, who died a few weeks before the first edition; in his honour the event was named Rencontres Henri Langlois. It moved to Poitiers in 1990, became the international festival of film schools in 2000, has been run since 2004 by the TAP – Scène nationale de Grand Poitiers and took its current name in 2014.

The International Selection presents eight programmes of short films by students from schools around the world, and the So French! competition shows work from French schools. Each edition adds a country focus and a thematic cycle. For professionals, the Jump In workshops support young directors developing a first feature, and Talents en Court helps self-taught filmmakers from the region. The 49th edition runs 27 November – 4 December 2026, with a focus on new Belgian cinema and a cycle on courtroom films.