Five days of contemporary French film at Het Ketelhuis
From Wednesday 28 October to Sunday 1 November, the eighth edition of the French film festival Tapis Rouge takes place in Amsterdam. For five days, cinema Het Ketelhuis will screen a carefully curated programme of French and French-language films that have not previously been shown in the Netherlands.
Tapis Rouge is known for offering a surprising and varied line-up of contemporary French and French-language films, made by both emerging and established talent, that goes beyond the regular French cinema on offer in the Netherlands. The programme is divided into four categories. ‘Hedendaags Cinema’ (Contemporary Cinema) shows films with a socially critical character. ‘Cinema de la Francophonie’ focuses on filmmakers from across the French-speaking world, from the African continent to Canada and Belgium. ‘Komedie & Entertainment’ (Comedy & Entertainment) brings lighter entertaining yet original films made to amuse and relax. The fourth category, ‘Le Prix Tapis Rouge’, consists of films competing for the award of the same name, given to the best recent film adaptation of a French-language book. All films are subtitled in Dutch or English. A number of children’s films is on the programme on Sunday morning.
French ambiance
During the festival, cinema Het Ketelhuis is reserved exclusively for Tapis Rouge, making it a meeting place for lovers of French and French-language cinema. Alongside regular screenings, the programme includes simultaneously translated Q&As with directors and actors, and evenings with live music and a French menu. As a fixed part of the festival, the Prix Tapis Rouge is awarded to the best film adaptation of a French-language novel. Each year, the French-Dutch jury is made up of professionals from the film and literary world. Since 2025, audiences have also been able to vote for the Prix Tapis Rouge du Public. Tapis Rouge uses horizontal scheduling, meaning films always start at the same time. This makes it possible to watch films and Q&As back-to-back across different screening rooms.
L’Échappée Belle
Tapis Rouge is an initiative of L’Échappée Belle, a Dutch non-profit foundation that promotes French language and culture in the Netherlands through a varied cultural programme. Tapis Rouge organises the monthly Tapis Rouge Classiques series in collaboration with cinema De Uitkijk, and the annual Tapis Rouge French Film Festival at Het Ketelhuis. The festival is organised by a small, dedicated team of professionals and volunteers from the film and cultural events industry. The 2026 French film festival Tapis Rouge is made possible in part by Stellantis-Citroën, Segula Technologies, and Librairie Le Temps Retrouvé.
tapisrougefransfilmfestival.nl &
echappeebelle.nl