Netflix's 'In Waves' to Open American French Film Festival — SkimNews
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- Phuong Mai Nguyen's animated feature In Waves, adapted from California illustrator AJ Dungo's 2019 graphic novel about a skateboarder and surfer navigating cancer, was selected as the opening film of TAFFF's 30th edition.
- Netflix acquired global rights to the film outside France following its May opening-night premiere at Cannes Critics' Week, with the L.A. festival serving as a key U.S. showcase ahead of broader release.
- The English-language version stars Will Sharpe and Oscar nominee Stephanie Hsu as the central lovers AJ and Kristen, with Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos personally announcing the selection.
- TAFFF, produced by the Franco-American Cultural Fund, runs November 3–8 at the Directors Guild of America Theater Complex in Hollywood, making this the festival's first animated opening film in 30 years.
- Cécile Rap-Veber, FACF President and SACEM CEO, framed the project as a transatlantic loop: an American autobiographical graphic novel, optioned by a French-Vietnamese director, animated at French studios, then returned stateside by Netflix as U.S. distributor.
- In 2024, TAFFF and the Writers Guild of America West hosted a 'Bringing Graphic Worlds to Life' workshop with Dungo and producer Priscilla Bertin, foreshadowing the film's page-to-screen journey.
Why it matters: The selection positions Netflix's latest prestige animated acquisition as an awards-season contender with transatlantic credibility, while giving TAFFF its first-ever animated opener — a milestone that signals the festival's expanding scope beyond live-action French cinema. For Sarandos personally championing the title, the move reinforces Netflix's strategy of using auteur-driven animation to anchor its French-content pipeline.
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