Discoveries from France World Cinema

At the cable car station connecting Avoriaz to Morzine, 75-year-old Barbara Herbier emerges from between the cabins, looking distraught. Cornered by her invisible attacker, Barbara falls over the railing and disappears into the void. This is only the beginning of a series of sudden and deadly incidents that will strike the Herbier family. Claire Garibaldi, a police officer in Lyon, doesn't believe much in legends when she returns to investigate the scene of her childhood.

The story of a group of nuns executed during the French Revolution for refusing to renounce their vows.

Two women in a French village during World War 2 anxiously await a letter which may or may not be arriving for either of them.

The adaptation of a french novel from 1864 describes the idyllic life of a convinced bachelor, Fritz Kobus, in a village in Alsace. With help by the local rabbi, he does get married to young Suzel in the end.

Love & Sex under Nazi Occupation questions the burning mystery of intimate heterosexual and homosexual relations in times of war... and shows how being close to death reinforces the yearning for passion, for pleasure, for transgression, for desire as a last burst of freedom, as an ultimate call to life. Nearly two hundred thousands children are thought to be born of the union of French women with German soldiers. Women weren't the Germans' only conquests; indeed, occupied Paris swarms with all kinds of homosexuals—from Genet to Cocteau—who treated with the occupier. The fate of those women who were shaved at the end of the war for fraternizing with Germans is the punishment of a France that lied down and slept with the enemy.

While the Nazis occupied most of France, Jacques (Vincent Perez) has been active in the liberation underground. Now that the Allies have freed a significant portion of their country from German control, he and his buddy Michel (Matthieu Roze) can join the Free French army and fight with them to help bring about the downfall of the German empire. Both of them are quite young men, and their first love turns out to be the same woman, a lovely nurse named Christiane (Geraldine Pailhas). Michel woos her first, and she becomes pregnant by him. However, she is much more interested in Jacques, even though she is considering marrying an American solely for practical reasons.

A 12-year-old girl faces a father she hardly remembers after his transition into a woman.

Richard is a private detective. He makes a good money from marital infidelity: the deceived husband and wife generously paid him for proof of their infidelity "halves"...

The film chronicles the journey of the renowned De Le Rue family: Xavier, a 7 x World Champion; his younger brother Victor, a 3 x World Champion; and his daughter Mila, who is turning 18 and embarking on her first expedition. Their first challenge is sailing across the infamous Drake passage before confronting the otherworldly white continent. Unimaginably steep icy lines rise from the ocean, towering seracs, pods of orcas and colonies of penguins, but at the bottom of the world, rescue is not an option. For Xavier and Victor, it's a giant playground filled with first descents; for Mila, it's an intimidating initiation into big-mountain free riding. The film captures their intimate inner dialogue through personal diaries, showcasing Mila's journey as she confronts her fears and embraces the challenge. A celebration of discovery, adventure, and the passing of the torch to the next generation against the breathtaking backdrop of Antarctica. The voyage of a lifetime.

The gypsy Esmeralda captures the hearts of many men, including those of Captain Phoebus, the poet Pierre Gringoire, the hunchback Quasimodo, and his guardian Archdeacon Frollo. A story of love and desire set against a backdrop of social and class turmoil, the tragic story of Notre Dame de Paris comes to life on screen.

Marceline is pretty but inconstant. She has a brother, eccentric as well as invading, who serves as a go-between between the fickle young woman and her lovers. She has been the mistress of Richard for a while when Jeff, an engaging but but unrepentant dreamer, falls madly in love with her. Marceline first turns him down but finally accepts him after she breaks up with Richard. But the coquette has not given up her escapades to which the young florist, nicknamed "Jean de la Lune" for his naivety, turns a blind eye. Little time after their wedding , Marceline becomes infatuated with the good looks of a superficial young man, Alexandre. But Jeff, who has developed a fondness for Jean, intervenes to save the couple.

Binta, a little girl from Senegal, tells us about the everyday life in her village, the importance of education for the girls, and about her father's great idea to make the world a better place.

Marie, in her forties, lives in the Hautes-Alpes, cut off from her relatives. She only has her lover, Alex, a border policeman. Thanks to him, she smuggles cigarettes between Italy and France for her ' get out. On her way to France, she bumps into Mouneer, a 20-year-old Sudanese migrant, determined to join his little sister. He guesses her trafficking and persuades her to bring migrants across the border.

Mr. McArevey is a visionary headmaster at a Catholic primary school in one of the toughest neighborhoods of Belfast, Northern Ireland. He loves Elvis and teaches his students to connect with their feelings, while taking on the legacies of the “The Troubles.” In this exceptional portrait of a community still healing from trauma, we follow this educator extraordinaire as he uses Ancient Greek wisdom as an antidote for pessimism, violence, and historical despair.

In 2004, Gregory Lemarchal won the Star Academy live in front of more than ten million people who communicate with him on his an incurable disease, cystic fibrosis.

In November 1942, American troops landed in Tunisia. German paratroopers were immediately launched and occupied Tunis. A French squadron of chasseurs d'Afrique was sent to Medjez-el Bab with the mission of occupying the bridge over the Medjerda. But the captain is mute and the cavalrymen don't know whether the operation is being prepared against the Germans or the Allies. The first hypothesis inflames Maréchal des Logis Bourgeon and his friend Maurice, who have not forgotten the defeat of '40. In the village, Maurice meets up with his friend Léa, a refugee, and discovers with fury that she is Jewish, because he doesn't like Jews any more than he likes English or Germans! The hunters set up camp on the bridge. Soon, a German column appears and demands passage. The captain refuses, awaiting orders from Vichy. But in Tunis, confusion reigns. Finally, the captain himself takes the initiative to oppose the passage of the German troops...

30 years after his debut, Olivier Assayas is back in New York to present his latest feature film shot in Paris, London, Prague and Oman - This portrait of the filmmaker is part of the collection « Cinéma, de notre temps » created by Janine Bazin and André S. Labarthe.

Anne has been blind since birth, François' been blind from the age of seven. This couple is happy. But their daily routine changes the day François is given an artificial cornea transplant and regains his sight.

Roger Laroque is now a rich man. He returns to France under the name of William Farnell. There, he discovers that on the one hand his wife has died of a broken heart and on the other that his daughter Suzanne is in love with Raymond de Noirville, the son of his former mistress. With the help of a few friends, Roger coldly prepares his revenge.

In the seventies, during the Richard Nixon administration, Documerica, a large-scale photographic project, led by the US Environmental Protection Agency, sought to document the country's environmental situation. The tens of thousands of photos, taken by hundreds of photographers, constitute a unique archive, showing a landscape ravaged by pollution and environmental degradation.

Since he was a child, Estèphe dreams to work in the movie industry, alongside those whom he watches films with passion. Cinema become quickly a leisure activity, spend with his friends, directing his first amateur movies. Could he dream bigger, growing up in Normandy, far from the studios and knowing nobody in this industry ? Estème dedicate himself to his studies, without lose sight of his ultimate dream.

In this funny and inventive animation, Paul Cabon shows us that you can come to terms with going bald, but that you don’t have to like it.

Two friends organize a fake solidarity concert in order to seize the recipe. But their amateurism leads to many misunderstandings.

In the world of Nätwëaria, Hanor, Prince of Pelenoria, sets out to find the heir of the Elves and give him Selemerald, the great sword, symbol of royalty. His quest will take him through many trials, and will put Jehannur, his squire, Drorim, Dwarf blacksmith, Yashi, Megasian guide, and the three half-elves Sylvan, Leif and Enris on his path. But his mission will not go smoothly, as the general of the Dark Armies, in the service of Kelmor, will keep trying to stop him...

Fernand Martin, a schoolteacher in Nogent-le-Roi, is in love with Jacqueline, a postal worker and the older sister of one of his pupils. He asks for her hand in marriage, but her father refuses. One morning, he receives an appointment to Tahiti.

In Pompeii in the year 79, Lycias and Helen fall in love. Helen's guardian, the high priest of Isis, wants to separate them. To do so, he tries to make Lycias drink a love potion, but a young slave threatens to reveal everything. The high priest, unable to silence her, kills her and arranges to have Lycias accused...

Is it because his father was a groom that Adhémar Pomme has a long horse head and a horse- toothed smile? Maybe but the fact is that his head has invariably caused laughter whatever the circumstances, which is the tragedy of his life. After having worked as an undertaker, a theater prompter, a casino bouncer, and so on, and failing at each job, he applies out of desperation to an institution where those rejected for physical reasons can hide and live together. But Adhémar immediately starts... laughing at them and gets kicked out as a result! In the end though, he finds his way as a circus artist.

For ten years, Raymond Depardon has followed the lives of farmer living in the mountain ranges. He allows us to enter their farms with astounding naturalness. This moving film speaks, with great serenity, of our roots and of the future of the people who work on the land. This the last part of Depardon's triptych "Profils paysans" about what it is like to be a farmer today in an isolated highland area in France. "La vie moderne" examines what has become of the persons he has followed for ten years, while featuring younger people who try to farm or raise cattle or poultry, come hell or high water.

After their mother dies in a car crash that leaves her sister Clémence disabled, Romane becomes her caretaker. But when Romane’s charismatic Corsican boyfriend steps in to help, his growing bond with Clémence challenges their sisterhood and explores the power of female fascination.

The ex-gymnast and survival artist Emil falls in love with the prostitute Lissy. Through her he meets some criminals whom he can help thanks to his gymnastic skills. But on his rise in the criminal hierarchy, Lissy might fall by the wayside.

Forty-eight-year-old Alain Evrard is obliged to return home to live with his mother. This situation causes all the violence of their past relationship to rise to the surface. Alain then discovers that his mother has a fatal illness. In the last months of her life, will they finally be capable of taking a step toward each other?

A clown from Romania (Ticky Holgado) has more than amusing tricks for children on his mind -- he has in his possession a computer disc with information wanted by the police, several organized crime figures and the European Agency for Atomic Energy.

A fugitive gangster falling for a beguiling go-go dancer triggers a pulse-pounding spiral of unexpected twists and betrayals.

After the ode to love of "Loving", the b-side, about sadness, breaks-up, loneliness.

This film explores the experiences of some of the members of an anti-Nazi resistance group in France composed mostly of Polish immigrants, known as "La Brigade." Many of them also fought for the leftist cause during the Spanish Civil War, and for them the resistance is simply a continuation of their prior activities. After the war, some of them continue to have a "resistance" mind-set. One of the stories concerns a love relationship between a Polish boy and a French girl who are thrown together because of their war efforts. After the war, they get together and reminisce.

The story of how the people of Paris cope with the strains and struggles of war, from the siege of the city by the Prussians during the Franco-Prussian War of 1871 to the invasion by the Germans in World War II.

On a snowy day in a Swiss village, Walter introduces Charlotte to Clara, hoping to spark jealousy. Later, at Charlotte’s home, tensions rise as they discuss beauty, attraction, and honesty. Despite initial resistance, emotions take over, leading to an unexpected moment of intimacy before their farewell.

A young 15 year old girl, Lamia, lives in a southern Lebanese village on the border with Israel. She is given in marriage to her cousin on the other side of the border. As Lamia crosses the barbed wire she also passes from childhood into adulthood, as brutal as our countries and the events that are to follow.

A group of refractory and pacifist Bretons is sent to Algeria. These beings confronted with the horrors of war gradually become killing machines. One of them did not accept it and deserted, taking with him an FLN prisoner who was to be executed the next day.

Nicknamed the "Harlem Hellfighters", these African-Americans wanted to become ordinary citizens like everyone else. They saw fighting heroically in the trenches as their chance to achieve this. In 1918, the 15th New York National Guard Regiment became the most highly decorated unit of the First World War.

A guy comes out of prison. A car is waiting for him. A reception committee or ambush classic and already seen? But when one is suffering from the case of Indeterminal Deficience, things do not always happen as in the classic scenarios.

Rejecting the union of her daughter Brigitte with a modest worker, Madame Magnin invents an adultery for the lover, then introduces Brigitte to a good-looking man working on the famous RTF entertainment show 36 Chandelles. The show ultimately seals the reunion of the two estranged young lovers. The story features a parade of music-hall stars from the era: Charles Trenet, Charles Aznavour, Georges Guétary, Juliette Gréco, Roger Pierre and Jean-Marc Thibault, Fernand Raynaud, Georges Ulmer and many more.

An anthology film consisting of four stories. (1) A man reads a Dracula novel while in bed, but cannot seem to tell the novel from reality, causing sleep troubles. (2) A man cannot escape the absurd ads he saw at the movie theater that day. (3) A polluted and construction-ridden town keeps everybody on edge, sending one man to the doctor. (4) A hunter, a farmer and a couple on a picnic unknowingly cause continuous trouble for one another.

Adolescents or young adults, Franck, Christine and the others meet, bond, leave each other. But the drama lurks.

During WW2 a boy tries to save himself and his baby sister from a German soldier.

A young woman, working as a cashier for a large retailer, writes anonymously about the working conditions that she and all the cashiers face everyday. Her blog becomes famous all over the country, some people want to know who she is.

With family connections to some famous French artists, writers, and musicians of the time, Sacha Guitry decided to film the individuals in action, to celebrate the greatness of his culture, threatened by Germany in the ongoing Great War.

This film is a tribute to love, a tribute to cinema. Our two main characters take us with them into the intimacy of "real people". We cross the roads of France with them, in their different vans and pick-up trucks transformed for the occasion into mini movie studios. Their concept: to film "declarations of love" and to deliver them directly by van to their recipients. And we discover, as we go along, that our duo and their own personal adventures are subtly intertwined with the people they film. This mix of genres offers several universes to the spectator in order to make him question himself about love.

The life of two students, Rodolphe and Madeleine. They love each other but he is rich and she has just lost her father and is forced to work in a nightclub. Rodolphe leaves her but quickly understands that he loves her and finds her.

A Chilean returning to Santiago to find out what has happened to his native country while he has been away, discovers much about himself.

Biography based on the life of conman Gilbert Chikli who invented the "CEO scam" and was able to persuade bank and company officers to transfer money by simply ringing them and impersonating their CEO. He is now living in luxury in Israel.

Michel, was born in Latin America, "on the other side of the world", as the script emphasizes, of a French father he hardly knew at all. He goes to Paris to start a new life. His only possession is a painting which his father left him, along with the advice: "If you ever need to sell the painting, do so in France, where it's worth a fortune." But Michel discovers that his father's tumultuous and secret past comes along with the valuable painting. Meanwhile, Clara, a middle age Spanish-Argentine mother gets a strange present from a now dying childhood friend in Buenos Aires. It's a roll of Super 8 film which brings back very strong, and emotionally charged memories from the 1970s and before.

After a boozy night, Anne wakes up, except everything around her has turned into music… What happened? Accompanied by Pierre, her boyfriend who mysteriously started to talk in Italian overnight, they will try to unravel the mystery.

A mental journey - historical, political, musical and metaphysical - in contemporary times, from the Sixties until nowadays.

Some gangsters use a young girl to get to a recently released convict who hid $10 million from a robbery just before he was caught.