A list of films produced in France in 1996.
| Title | Director | Cast | Genre | Notes |
|---|
| L'Appartement | Gilles Mimouni | Vincent Cassel, Monica Bellucci | Drama |
| Beaumarchais | Edouard Molinaro | Fabrice Luchini, Manuel Blanc | Adventure/Biopic |
| The Best Job in the World | Gérard Lauzier | Entered into the 20th Moscow International Film Festival |
| La Bouche de Jean-Pierre | Lucile Hadžihalilović | Denise Aron-Schropfer | Drama | Screened at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival |
| Clubbed to Death | Yolande Zauberman | Élodie Bouchez |
| A Couch in New York | Chantal Akerman | Juliette Binoche, William Hurt | Drama |
| Encore | Pascal Bonitzer | Valeria Bruni Tedeschi | Romantic comedy | Won Prix Jean Vigo, +2 nominations |
| Fourbi | Alain Tanner | Karin Viard | Drama |
| Irma Vep | Olivier Assayas | Maggie Cheung | Fantasy drama | Won KNF Award (Rotterdam 1997) |
| Le Jaguar | Francis Veber | Jean Reno, Patrick Bruel | Adventure comedy |
| The Liars | Élie Chouraqui | Jean-Hugues Anglade | Drama | Entered into the 46th Berlin International Film Festival |
| Microcosmos | Claude Nuridsany, Marie Pérennou | Jacques Perrin, Kristin Scott Thomas | Documentary |
| My Man | Bertrand Blier | Anouk Grinberg | Drama | Entered into the 46th Berlin International Film Festival |
| My Sex Life... or How I Got Into an Argument | Arnaud Desplechin | Mathieu Amalric, Emmanuelle Devos | Drama | Entered into the 1996 Cannes Film Festival |
| Nénette et Boni | Claire Denis | Gregoire Colin | Drama |
| Ponette | Jacques Doillon | Victoire Thivisol | Drama | 9 wins & 3 nominations |
| Ridicule | Patrice Leconte | Jean Rochefort, Fanny Ardant | Comedy drama | Nominated for Oscar, +12 wins, +12 nominations |
| Une robe d'été | François Ozon | Frédéric Mangenot | Short | 2 wins & 1 nomination |
| A Saturday on Earth | Diane Bertrand | Elsa Zylberstein | Drama | Screened at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival |
| A Self Made Hero | Jacques Audiard | Mathieu Kassovitz, Albert Dupontel | Drama |
| A Summer's Tale | Éric Rohmer | Melvil Poupaud, Amanda Langlet | Romance | Screened at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival |
| Thieves | André Téchiné | Daniel Auteuil, Catherine Deneuve | Drama | Entered into the 1996 Cannes Film Festival |
| Three Lives and Only One Death | Raoul Ruiz | Marcello Mastroianni, Anna Galiena | Comedy | 2 wins & 1 nomination |
| When the Cat's Away | Cédric Klapisch | Garance Clavel | Romantic comedy | 1 win & 3 nominations |
|