NEW YORK − Jodie Foster is saying bonjour to New York Film Festival.

The Oscar-winning actress, 62, stopped by the festival on Oct. 5 for a screening of "A Private Life," a French mystery that marks a career-first for her.

Foster is fluent in French and even went to a French prep school. But "A Private Life" is the first time she has taken on the lead role in a French-language film.

"It's something I wanted to do for a long time," she said in a Q&A after the screening. "I've made a few French films, but never with this much dialogue and in a starring role. ... I finally found the right role, the right script and the right director."

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