Sophie Dulac, distributor and President of the new Paris Film Festival, and festival GM Isabelle Svanda, are attending AFM drumming up support for their new Paris Film Festival (June 6-12).

The festival will screen around 15 French and US indie titles competing for an audience award; 25-30 foreign language Oscar contenders; premieres and retrospectives. Harvey Weinstein will the be subject of the first retrospective and participate in a master class.

Speaking to Screen, Dulac revealed that the festival will also include a work in progress section for US films, cast appearances, a shorts section and about 50 films in total with 150 screenings at seven venues, some outdoor on the Champs Elysees.

“We want to create a bridge between US and French independent cinema,” Dulac said.

Dulac is in negotiation with private sponsors including Visa, Mastercard and Orange and has a partnership with Studio Harcourt as well as venues such as Fouquet’s. Publicis is a main partner.