For a decade now, Austin Film Society – celebrating its 40th anniversary this year – has been devoting an annual series to exciting new voices in French-language cinema like Mati Diop, Alice Diop, and Hafsia Herzi. Add to that list first-time feature director Pauline Loquès, who’ll be in attendance for opening night film Nino (Nov. 20), which won raves and the jury prize at Cannes Critics’ Week 2025. It follows a 29-year-old over a fraught three days in between getting a diagnosis and beginning treatment. Four more features and one shorts program fill out the series, including the latest from Herzi, the coming-of-age queer drama The Little Sister. – Kimberley Jones
