As the late French-Swiss film director Jean-Luc Godard once put it, ‘cinema is something between art and life’. The unique magic of film combines elements of abstraction and reality, but no one quite knows the formula. Perhaps we will never find out exactly where cinema lies on Godard’s scale because it transcends the ordinary and the expected – but we will never stop trying. The Deauville American Film Festival is where directors, writers, actors and cinéphiles come together to explore this inexplicable recipe and edge closer to its answer.

From 1-10th September, the Deauville American Film Festival returns to France’s north coast for a glamorous ten-day celebration of the seventh art. The event will honour 60 films across eight categories with screenings taking place 24 hours a day, the only film festival in the world to do this. This is a cinéphile’s paradise.

Deauville’s late summer sun makes the red carpet shimmer as it bounces off the dazzling outfits of international film stars. Cameras flash like a cluster of twinkling stars as gleaming smiles and effortless poses are immortalised by the press. Having hosted celebrities including Robert De Niro, Clint Eastwood, John Travolta and Salma Hayek, the Deauville American Film Festival is the place to rub shoulders with the biggest names in the industry. Among attendees of the last edition of the festival were Ana de Armas, Claire Denis and Ti West. Deauville beach even has its own version of the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The Promenade des Planches was built in 1923 as a haven for elegant Parisian women who wanted to avoid dirtying their dresses in the sand. Nowadays, the wooden boardwalk honours American film stars along its length with individually named cabins.

Cinema has been inextricably linked with Deauville ever since the first edition of the Deauville American Film Festival in 1975. The event was founded by writer Lionel Chouchan, director André Halimi and the then Mayor of Deauville Michel d’Ornano, with the intention of providing a platform for American film in France, a nation synonymous with the art form. For the first 20 years of the festival, the idea was simply to present the films to guests, to let them appreciate the cinematic mastery without the constraint of competition. In 1995, however, organisers introduced a jury and a variety of prizes. Nowadays, there are six awards up for grabs: the Prix du Jury, the Prix du Public, the Prix de la Critique Internationale, the Prix d’Ornano-Valenti, the Prix de la Révélation, and the Prix du Scénario.

The Deauville American Film Festival is a platform for myriad oeuvres spanning an enchanting and diverse range of genres. Screenings are held across three sites; the Cen­tre Inter­na­tion­al de Deauville, the Ciné­ma du Casi­no Bar­rière and the Ciné­ma le Morny bring Hollywood productions to life each September. Guests are immersed in the magic of film and are transported through different genres and themes by skilful actors and masterful directors. Although the festival has something for every cinematic taste, it also invites attendees to push the limits of their understanding and comfort to explore further that inexplicable space between art and life. Many of the showings are followed by Q&As with their respective directors and writers to bring the audience into debates usually reserved for the industry. 

Nestled between the storied region of Normandy and the English Channel, the coastal town of Deauville is a cultural hub of creativity and history, characterised by the delicate touch of belle epoque style. Often referred to as the Parisian Riviera, Deauville has long been home to the seaside villas of much of French high society. After exploring all Deauville has to offer, save time for a trip to one of its neighbouring towns. Trouville-Sur-Mer is Deauville’s charming sister town and its Musée Villa Montebello and the Eglise Notre Dame de Bonsecours make it just as fascinating. Honfleur is one of the most beautiful cities in Normandy and is situated on the estuary where the River Seine meets the Channel. Cabourg mirrors Deauville’s belle epoque architecture and the timeless Grand Hotel that once housed Marcel Proust is emblematic of the area.

The Deauville American Film Festival is a space where cinéphiles come together to explore the new narratives and attitudes of the seventh art that have developed over the past year. Attendees can mingle with some of the biggest names in the industry and get lost in a remarkable world where realism and abstraction clash and the lines between art and life begin to blur. The 49th edition of the festival will be held in September.