Discover the festival
Sœurs Jumelles, a festival of sound, images and opportunities!
Discover the event…
What do The Bridge on the River Kwai, Titanic and Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain have in common? All of these films, now cult classics for both cinephiles and the general public, have received an Oscar or a César, rewarding their cinematic mastery as much as their original score. “Music and cinema are inseparable,” Martin Scorsese once said, yet too few film festivals today recognise the importance of music for the moving image.
Since 2021, the Sœurs Jumelles festival – imagined by Julie Gayet, Delphine Paul (Sony Music Publishing) and Éric Debègue (Alhambra Studios) – has set itself the mission of giving this special relationship between films and their soundtracks the recognition it deserves. And what better city than Rochefort, made mythical by Jacques Demy in Les Demoiselles de Rochefort, with music by Michel Legrand, to host a festival that celebrates one of the most beautiful and enduring artistic relationships?
In five editions, the festival has established itself as a key event in the calendars of Rochefort locals, passionate fans and the simply curious, as well as film and music professionals, who find here a valuable – and all too rare – meeting point between the two sectors.
More than a series of screenings or a weekend of concerts, the Sœurs Jumelles festival aims to bring back to Rochefort, for one week, a little of the magic of the film from which it takes its name, turning the city into a place where music resonates everywhere, from cinemas to Place Colbert, as if Delphine and Solange were still singing the song of the twin sisters with the windows wide open.
Join us from 23 to 28 June 2026 for a new edition full of surprises, encounters, joy and, of course, music and cinema.
BACK TO 2025
in 2025
- 18,000 festivalgoers and 22,000 expected in 2026
- 1,365 accredited participants at the Professional Meetings
- 60 students from 15 of France’s leading schools
- 146 volunteers
- 50 accredited journalists
- 1,000 young people reached in 2025 through our educational activities
Rapidly growing attendance
- 2021: Pilot edition for professionals
- 2022: 10,000 festivalgoers / 645 professionals
- 2023: 12,000 festivalgoers / 867 professionals
- 2024: 16,000 festivalgoers / 1,042 professionals*
- 2025: 18,000 festivalgoers / 1,365 professionals
- 2026: Target of 22,000 festivalgoers / 2,000 professionals
Venues & formats
Corderie Royale
Headliners on the Grande Scène Icelandic at the Corderie Royale (2,500 capacity): every evening, renowned artists and emerging singers set the Corderie Royale alight in a full-on festival atmosphere, with a village featuring activities, bars and local food trucks. The most dedicated night owls can stay on for a blazing aftershow, but rest assured: what happens in Rochefort stays in Rochefort. 🤫
Église Saint-Louis et Théâtre de la Coupe d’Or
Because the festival aims to showcase artists from all horizons, festivalgoers will also be able to enjoy outstanding classical ensembles and musicians at the Église Saint-Louis and the Théâtre de la Coupe d’Or. These two venues, both with exceptional acoustics, offer an intimate experience of the classical repertoire, designed to appeal just as much to newcomers as to seasoned music lovers.
Théâtre de la Coupe d'Or
Artistic Encounters are the signature format of Sœurs Jumelles. They take place at the Théâtre de la Coupe d’Or and give the floor to those who create at the crossroads of music and image. Through conversations, sequence analysis, discussions with creative teams and presentations of works in progress, these events offer a sensitive deep dive into the creative process. They reveal how works come to life and how composers, directors, performers, set designers and sound teams interact.
An open, dynamic and accessible format, designed for all audiences.
Cinéma Apollo 8
During the festival, the Apollo 8 Cinema (3 screens with 400, 238 and 85 seats) becomes the central hub for professionals, film lovers and the curious, with an ambitious line-up mixing unreleased films shown as previews in the presence of the teams, and recent popular hits in which music plays a standout role.
Cinémobile
The Cinémobile (100 seats), a traveling cinema set up on Quai Joseph Bellot, is transformed into a temple of documentary film, with a themed programme of new feature, medium-length and short films, as well as student films, whose format creates a special space for dialogue between filmmakers and the audience.
Quai Joseph Bellot
A new venue, opened in 2025 on Quai Joseph Bellot, hosts one of the festival’s latest additions: a VR and video game space, where visitors can discover works that immerse them in a world as visually striking as it is sonically rich.
OUR COMMITMENTS
Because creation only makes sense when it is accessible to everyone, we make accessibility, gender equality, transmission and ecology the pillars of our action.
With the support of the Fondation pour l’Audition, a dedicated pathway for deaf and hard of hearing audiences makes it possible to experience the festival fully: signed-sung concerts, Sound X vibrating vests, round tables translated into French Sign Language and subtitled, step-free access to venues for people with reduced mobility, and hearing loops available in several locations.
True to the values of our founder, Julie Gayet, we are committed to parity and to highlighting women in these sectors, through a balanced programme, spaces for discussion and concrete actions. The initiative “Toutes et tous à l’unisson” brings together artists and professionals around gender equality issues, in connection with our partners Women in Games, Troisième Autrice and Collectif 50/50. The festival also takes part in the Stand Up International programme and implements prevention tools and clear signage against harassment and gender-based and sexual violence.
All year round, we organise talks, conferences and workshops with middle school, high school and university students, and offer an immersive pathway with leading music and image schools. These initiatives and exchanges aim to make cinema and music accessible to everyone, regardless of their social background, to spark vocations and support the talents of tomorrow.
Finally, Sœurs Jumelles takes concrete action to reduce its environmental footprint. We promote low carbon transport through our partnership with SNCF, provide bicycles and water fountains, and implement reinforced waste sorting and dry toilets across all our sites.
In short:
- Trained teams and dedicated desks to welcome audiences with disabilities, with devices for blind and visually impaired people or those with hearing loss so that they can fully enjoy concerts and screenings.
- A gender-balanced programme, support for women’s creation and committed, dedicated events. Associative and activist partners, and prevention and response systems against sexual violence within the festival spaces.
- A programme and workshops with schools, middle schools and high schools, plus discounted accreditation for students.
- Strong measures for an eco-responsible event: water fountains, dry toilets, low carbon mobility and cleaner energy.
SŒURS JUMELLES IS COMMITTED TO ARTS AND CULTURAL EDUCATION
Beyond its public and professional programmes, Sœurs Jumelles runs a wide-ranging arts and cultural education (EAC) scheme each year for school groups, young audiences and people with limited access to culture.
These initiatives aim to encourage discovery, encounters and artistic practice, while raising awareness of the close ties between music and image.
They take place throughout the year across the region, before and during the festival, in partnership with schools, conservatories, social organisations and cultural institutions.
Screenings for school audiences
Each year, dedicated screenings are organised for pupils, followed by discussions with artists and speakers. In 2025, hundreds of young people were able to discover Beethoven Wars in the presence of Laurence Equilbey, and Maman pleut des cordes, accompanied by an introduction to audio description led by Marie Diagne.
Workshops and unforgettable first times
Guided by professionals, young people take part in creative workshops that introduce them to the professions of music and image. The works produced in this context are then screened in a cinema during the festival, offering participants a first experience of public exhibition.
A dedicated pathway for high school students
High school students are fully involved in the festival through educational pathways combining meetings, competitions and stage experiences. In 2025, they were able to meet Amine Bouhafa, take part in a composition competition, and attend Kavinsky’s concert, followed by a talk with Cristobal Tapia de Veer, composer of the series Black Mirror and The White Lotus.
Intergenerational actions
Sœurs Jumelles also develops inclusive initiatives aimed at all ages and backgrounds: young audiences, seniors, conservatory students and specific audiences.
In 2025, a special screening was organised for leisure centres and nursing homes (a screening of Marcel et Monsieur Pagnol in the presence of Sylvain Chomet, subject to his availability), and students from the conservatories of Rochefort, Saintes and Royan were invited to perform in concert on Place Colbert.
A year of activities across the region in 2025
Before the festival:
- 300 middle school students met Amine Bouhafa, composer of the score for Le Sommet des Dieux (February 2025).
- Collaboration with the music departments of Lycée Cordouan in Royan and Lycée Dautet in La Rochelle.
- A short film about Alice Guy was made by young people from the Mission Locale in Rochefort, as part of the Passeurs d’images scheme.
During the festival:
- 500 primary school pupils from the Rochefort urban area attended young audience screenings.
- 100 students from the Conservatoire Michel Legrand took part in special meetings with artists at the theatre.
- Students from the Rock Electro School in Rochefort enjoyed an intimate encounter with artist Sandra Nkaké.