French Cinema Is Thriving at Festivals but Facing an Uphill Battle in U.S. Theaters as Distributors Navigate a Shrinking Market

French cinema may be enjoying a golden run on the festival circuit and in the awards race, but getting those films into U.S. theaters, and persuading American audiences to buy tickets, has become an increasingly uphill battle. That paradox was at the heart of a lively discussion at the American French Film Festival on Thursday, […] A panel hosted at the American French Film Festival discussed the challenges for U.S. distributors buying international arthouse movies. French cinema may be enjoying a golden run on the festival circuit and in the awards race, but getting those films into U.S. theaters, and persuading American audiences to buy tickets, has become an increasingly uphill battle.

That paradox was at the heart of a lively discussion at the American French Film Festival on Thursday, held in partnership with the CNC and Variety, where three veteran U.S. distributors painted a sobering picture of a market squeezed by shrinking theatrical opportunities. The panel brought together Robert Aronson, executive VP of Cohen Media Group; John Gerrans, co-president of Strand Releasing; and Paul Hudson, CEO of Outsider Pictures, who have collectively brought hundreds of international films to American audiences. The challenges extend well beyond French cinema. With fewer distributors acquiring independent films