Discoveries from France World Cinema

A girl is approached by a strange boy outside her high school. He asks her to follow him to hear stories where gods fall in love with human beings.

In this sketch comedy compared to the American film Hellzapoppin, a spectacle is put on to celebrate the wedding of a nobleman, but the results are disastrous.

At 40, Alice has everything a woman of her age could want - everything except one vital accessory: a man. Since her husband was killed in a road accident a few years ago, she has resisted all attempts to start a relationship with another man, despite the best efforts of her closest friends Pénélope and Isabelle. As a last resort, the latter decide to offer Alice a stay at the Hôtel Normandy, the ideal place for her to turn over a new leaf...

Fred (Vincent Lindon) is a former crane driver who was a victim of the closure of his factory. He takes care of the little boy of his girlfriend (Clotilde Courau), does the housework and sometimes goes to the job center but boredom is inescapable. One day, because he accepted to drive a truck for a friend to a warehouse, he's caught up in a vicious spiral that goes beyond him. It's all the more serious as shady men want to eliminate him an the police is on his back.

When his father passes away, a dentist in Paris inherits a plot and the will to build a house on it. The situation becomes tricky when he learns the plot is located in Corsica.

In the 1980s, Hollywood cinema was revolutionized. Especially the summer of 1982 changed the entertainment cinema with nine grand films forever, as the documentary shows.

Lorna, the daughter of an American playboy, enters a girls' school for the international smart-set, in the Alps, where the main course of study appears to be how to trap a rich man. At first, she is dominated and looked down on by the school ring-leaders, and forced into rooming with - horrors - a scholarship student. But when a rich young American shows interest in her she is elevated to the international clique of the upper-termers. Then she falls in love with - horrors again - a poor local mountaineer.

Set in Paris, a man working in fish delivery becomes involved in a legal battle with his sperm donations.

In 1962 Joris Ivens was invited to Chile for teaching and filmmaking. Together with students he made …A Valparaíso, one of his most poetic films. Contrasting the prestigious history of the seaport with the present the film sketches a portrait of the city, built on 42 hills, with its wealth and poverty, its daily life on the streets, the stairs, the rack railways and in the bars. Although the port has lost its importance, the rich past is still present in the impoverished city. The film echoes this ambiguous situation in its dialectical poetic style, interweaving the daily life reality (of 1963) with the history of the city and changing from black and white to colour, finally leaving us with hopeful perspective for the children who are playing on the stairs and hills of this beautiful town.

A middle-aged disabled man unknowingly begins a lonely hearts correspondence with his own unmarried sister, who takes care of him. As he writes more and more to her, he begins to fall in love, and she, knowing that it is her brother who is writing, discovers a new, tender side to him. But trouble looms when he asks to meet her in person.

Sylvain, an Afghan veteran living off of petty crime, crosses paths with Nathalie, an upper-class CEO struggling to keep her lawnmower company afloat.

In the sunny landscapes of Provence, Henri Arnaud is a conscientious law student who's got a lovely girlfriend, Tina. The person who used to pay for his studies dies and the poor young man's disposable funds are low. He asks an antique dealer if he can lend him some money. This shady guy agrees, but in return for homosexual relations. Henri kills him and runs away. Fortunately, a good judge, who bears the same name as him, comes to his rescue.

This documentary explores the inner life of François Mitterrand from a unique perspective: that of the writer he never ceased to be. From bookworm child to prolific author, from his brilliant speeches to his literary friendships, François Mitterrand's life cannot be separated from the literary world. His daughter Mazarine Pingeot undertakes to read the texts left behind by her father.

Zoo-archeologists, biologists, ethologists and geneticists are leading the investigation. For one thing is certain, the dog is still far from revealing all its secrets.

A ghost hunter investigates an evil spirit dwelling within a young man who reportedly became possessed after playing with a Ouija board.

A wannabe actor must chose between his passion and his father, a crook.

Muriel is overjoyed, as her beloved grandson Alex is staying at her place for a few days before moving to Canada to work. But when the changes in his behavior arouse her curiosity, she is led to the discovery of a dark secret.

The story is of a young man, Stevens, who returns to his native village after a five year exile caused by a violent quarrel with his father. The story revolves around the women in Stevens life and the affects of his presence.

More faithful than ever to the spirit of the cult series that has been inspiring filmmakers for nearly thirty years, STRIP-TEASE INTEGRAL offers us, this time on the big screen, five sensitive, touching, sometimes absurd, often funny, sometimes dark, sometimes bright - but always the vanities of human society in all their marvelous banality.

Simon is getting better. His job as a publisher is going smoothly. Suddenly, out of the blue, his psychoanalyst, Charles, hits him with the news: his analysis is over. It turns out to be a nightmare. Charles also has his own dilemma: his actress wife is pregnant, but she hesitates to keep the child as she has an upcoming performance, and feels that she no longer loves Charles. Worse things comes as Simon receives a manuscript that portrays his private life and fetishistic desires, and his partner insists on publishing the novel. He blames Charles for writing the novel. On the other hand, Charles simplifies the matter, thinking Simon's misunderstanding is the reason that his wife leaves him. The two angry men have a big fight in Simon's home. Charles is wounded at the end. Now, Simon believes Charles and nurses him. Simon's mother drops by and suspects that Charles is Simon's gay lover.

Abel Ferrara headlines a film retrospective and a series of concerts in France dedicated to songs and music from his films. Preparations with his family and friends will form the material of this self portrait, showing another side of the director of legendary films BAD LIEUTENANT, THE KING OF NEW YORK and THE ADDICTION. Ferrara is joined on stage by past collaborators, including composer Joe Delia, actor-singer Paul Hipp and his wife actress Cristina Chiriac for concerts at the Metronum in Toulouse and the Salo Club in Paris in October 2016.

Dédé is a young wealthy man who buys a shoe store, owned by his friend Robert, in order to receive more conveniently his mistress. Everything seems fine and Dédé seems to be enjoying all of this. But the man barely knew that he would fall in love with one of the many pretty vendors of his new "acquisition", favoring this new girl over the previous one.

Somewhere in Europe in the twentieth century, a young man decides to change his life by engaging in the army. A modern and quirky tale, with Jérémie Renier and Bernard Le Coq.

Escaped from jail, Luis finds refuge on a remote island where, it is said, several people have died long ago of a mysterious illness. He discovers a large abandoned villa. One day, a group of people from another time, come in. The villa and the nature around become the theater of strange phenomena…

As the Christmas holidays begin, a group of 10 war-obsessed kids have a wave of inspiration: What if they spend the next two weeks engaged in a simulated war, armed only with shields, wooden swords, snowballs, and a fierce sense of competition? With a bounty chest waiting for the winners, the two sides gradually grow in size, and the war grows in importance, taking over all aspects of their lives.

On the Côte d'Azur, a rich man wins a large sum of money playing at the casino. As he leaves the establishment, he is assaulted and knocked unconscious, his loot stolen. A few days later, the young croupier who had given him his winnings is involved in a motorcycle accident while avoiding a car. The investigation brings the two men together, but the millionaire's wife falls in love with the handsome young croupier. The plot begins...

Paul and Thérèse have sold their café on the outskirts of an airport to buy one in Marseille. The business is going well until they discover that their bistro is being used as a hub for drug trafficking. To stop the traffic, they reignite a gang war.

In this deadly game of cat and mouse, Roland Wolf is writing a book on the life of game show host Christian Legagneur--or is he?

Puts into practice a radical Godardian proposition: the screening of his Made in USA (1966) and 2 ou 3 choses que je sais d’elle (Two or Three Things I Know About Her, 1966) as a single work, with their reels and narratives intertwined. In 1967, having set aside the idea of adapting The Wild Palms, Godard proposed instead projecting his two very different most recent features, which he had shot back-to-back for separate producers, as an integrated work. As Richard Roud reported, what Godard wanted was to have them shown together, ‘first a reel of Made in USA, then a reel of Two or Three Things I Know About Her, then a reel of Made in USA, etc., just as Faulkner mixed two stories in The Wild Palms. That would be his adaptation of the novel.’

Antoine is a joyful but disenchanted photographer. His only true friend, Mateo, is 7 years old and the son of his neighbor, who is often absent. One day, he hears a piano sonata coming from the building across the courtyard. Mesmerized by the music, he becomes obsessed by Elena, the beautiful but mysterious pianist, and starts to photograph her at every opportunity. An intense relationship develops between fragile and idealistic Elena and Antoine, who is transformed by this encounter.

A TV reporter and his assisstant go to a small Swiss village to do a programme with a reclusive scientist, an expert on world food shortages. During this time, an Italian immigrant worker is killed in a road crash and the reporter becomes involved in uncovering the truth about his death.

Pierre Fresnay plays the title character in Le Defroque (The Defrocked One). Cast out by his church, former priest Maurice (Fresnay) delights in mocking the traditions and credos of Catholicism. Even so, young Gerard (Pierre Trabaud) becomes convinced that Maurice has never truly lost his calling. Becoming a priest himself, Gerard devotes his life to bringing Maurice back into the fold. Things don't turn out quite as Gerard hopes, however; he has not reckoned with the possibility that Maurice may have been driven into insanity by his raging self-hatred.

In Paris, the emotional and professional tribulations of a musician and his roommate. Freshly installed in Paris, David, a shy and clumsy musician, falls madly in love with his student, Julia. He tries everything to seduce her. His roommate, Anne, encourages, advises, and consoles... passionately!

Ali, a thirty-something from the suburbs, still lives with his mother and his 8-year-old daughter. Lazy and without any particular ambition, he scrapes by doing odd jobs as a fast-food delivery driver. Following a delivery, he finds himself, by a twist of fate, propelled into space aboard the ISS space station. The conquest of space is about to write a surprising and unprecedented chapter in its history...

Michèle, in her fifties, is homeless and lives at Orly airport where she leads a hard and lonely life. Theo, a mentally handicapped young man, works at the airport and lives with his "Auntie" who has been overprotecting him since he was abandoned by his mother. When Michèle decides to find her son in Lisbon, Theo naively agrees to drive her there, but what she doesn't know is that he only has a car without a license... They then embark on an adventure on the country roads, making us follow people we don't look at, on roads we never take.

An entertainer impersonates a look-alike banker, causing comic confusion for wife and girlfriend.

For 25 years now, under the Provence sun, Antonin, a farmhand, has shared his work and everyday life with a horse named Ulysse. What a shock when Pascal, the farmer, tells him he has decided to sell Ulysse to a picador for being too old. Not only will he be separated from his faithful companion, but he is well aware too that the arenas of Arles mean death for Ulysse. Being unable to stand such injustice, Antonin runs away from the farm in the company of Ulysse. Together, they go through the Lubéron, the Baux de Provence, the Alpilles, the Crau and the Vaccarès. Yet, their journey is no pleasure cruise, specially when it comes to crossing National Road 7. After a visit to Marcellin, an old friend of his, Antonin sets off again with Ulysse, this time towards the Rhône River.

Four wedding anniversaries serve to chronicle the beginning and end of a thirty-year marriage.

As the first test drives begin for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the body of a pilot is discovered on the track. It was carefully dragged there. Captain Sabrina Nedjard is in charge of the investigation, followed by an American observer from LAPD as part of an international exchange. Their inquiries will lead them to the paddocks and the workshops of a well-known amateur racing team where high stakes disrupt the relationships between an authoritarian father and his children.

Paris, France, April 2020. Félix, manager of a luxury hotel, decides to start a clandestine business during the first lockdown caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Les Etoiles de Midi is an engaging docudrama about some of the more spectacular exploits of French mountain climbers over the last several decades. In one re-enacted story, there is a wartime escape through the mountains, and in another, a daring rescue of a pair of climbers who had been missing. The actors themselves are adept at the sport of climbing, and they give the scenes an immediacy and real daring that brings the stories alive. A combination of their acrobatics and skill and the outstanding episodes in the history of French climbing creates a winning 78 minutes.

An English hermit has somehow been brought to France in the period following the French Revolution, and prior to the Napoleonic Era, a period (1795-1799) known as "The Directory." He eventually comes down out of his tree into a chateau owned by an Italian nobleman and his wife. Before long, the hermit has washed and bathed and become quite presentable, even charming. However, his appearance in their midst is like a sentence of death for many of those who associate with him.

Ulysse, a gun-toting hood, gets together a team of four people, including himself, to carry out what he thinks will be a fail-safe heist...

Bloch, an Israeli secret agent, seeks refuge in the French embassy in Libya to escape being killed. Augier, his French opposite number, has to get him to safety in a diplomatic suitcase.

The last vestiges of a family that has gone from cherry season to sorrow... Madame Ranevskaya is a spoiled, aging aristocrat who, upon returning from a trip to Paris, must face the loss of her magnificent Cherry Orchard estate after defaulting on her mortgage. In denial, she continues to live in the past, deluding herself and her family, while the magnificent cherry trees are chopped down by the new owner Lopakhin, her former serf, who has his own agenda.

This Belgian/French tale chronicles the efforts of Jacques (Jacques Brel) to find the Old West in modern America. Dressed as cowboy, he travels throughout western American cities and towns and finds others similarly dressed. These idealists gather together and build an old-western-style town in the middle of an abandoned factory, battling local bureaucracies in the process.

11th Century AD. In a world that burns with the heat of battle, a world torn apart by Crusades, one knight traverses the desolate wastes laid bare by bloody conflict. Prepare yourself for a descent into a brutal hell, where armies clash and blood flows like rivers, and where a sharp blade is the only means of defense against an army of evil.

Two robots embark on a quest to become human.

After winning a national essay contest, Sakura travels to Europe and meets photographer Mark at the Acropolis. They settle in France, where her presence begins to unsettle those around her. As nightmares haunt her nights, Sakura’s hidden emotional wounds slowly come to light.

When her babysitter doesn’t show, a single mother is forced to leave her precocious five-year-old daughter with the girl’s estranged father for a long weekend.

French novelist Vincent Ravalec made his directorial debut with this French drama about small-time crook Gaston (Yvan Attal) who poses as a millionaire after he picks up hitchhiking 16-year-old Marie-Pierre (Virginie Lanoue). Actually living in a seedy apartment, Gaston deals in stolen goods, but he soon climbs to bigger heists, including car thefts. Concealing his illegal activities, Gaston operates his company, Extramill, out of upscale, posh offices, while he and Marie-Pierre move into a sedate upper-middle-class neighborhood. Life is sweet, but the onset of paranoia, kinky sex activities, and police probes eventually culminate in violence.

Three prisoners are on a leave for a week end. 48 hours to come back down to earth. 48 hours to reconnect with their close friends. 48 hours trying to make up the lost time.

Central America in 1915. It is the age of revolutions, tyranny, captains and colonels in a small provincial town that is often invaded by some revolutionary group or other. There is a brothel of which the Madame Simone and most of the girls, are French. Many of the girls are in love with rebel leader Carlos Ribas and when government troops re-occupy the area, they hide him. When the soldiers discover him, they take both him and the girls prisoner. The governor sends the girls out in a cart to amuse the troops, but they manage to escape along the way and take refuge in a convent where they take over the nuns.

Postwar France was slow to recover from the after-effects of the World War Two. The economy was doing poorly, and many people were poor and homeless, sleeping under bridges, etc. The winter of 1953-54 proved particularly difficult for these people, as it was one of the coldest on record. Father Pierre (Lambert Wilson), a parish priest, on seeing the suffering of these people (and their frequent death from the cold), was moved to write the French government seeking help for them. When his letter, which was published in the newspapers, succeeded in rousing overwhelming popular support for helping the homeless, he was able to form a charitable group (still active today) titled "Les Chiffoniers d'Emmaus," or "The Ragpickers of Emmaus" to channel help to them. This biographical film tells the true story of Abbe Pierre's successful efforts in those years.

The Tunisian born hero of the film decides to break with his disorganized yet habit-ridden life in Paris, and sets off to discover his homeland, which he left at 6 years old, and to rekindle the memory of his mother, who died when he was a child.

A re-imagined account of the early life of Maria Anna 'Nannerl' Mozart, five years older than Wolfgang and a musical prodigy in her own right.

Soon after Marius's departure, Fanny learns that she is pregnant with his child, to the disappointment of her mother and of Marius's father, César. To secure a better life for her unborn child, she accepts a marriage proposal from the aging widower Honoré Panisse.

With the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence, the line between humans and machines continues to blur, and everything is evolving at an astonishing pace as this technology offers tantalizing promises. However, some researchers, including 2024 Nobel Prize in Physics laureate Geoffrey Hinton, warn about its exponential power. A deep dive into the dizzying complexities of AI.