Patrice Duhamel

Tracing the turbulent history of referendums since 1958, journalist Patrice Duhamel and documentary filmmaker Pauline Pallier open up a fascinating debate, combining archives and interviews with historians, political scientists and editorialists.

Misunderstood by the French, Emmanuel Macron’s dissolution of the National Assembly on June 9, 2024, led to an unprecedented political deadlock. This documentary examines whether he miscalculated, why he took such a risk, and whether this signals a deeper institutional crisis in the Fifth Republic.

Upon the sudden death of President Georges Pompidou, the French right is taken aback. Who will succeed him? It is finally Valéry Giscard d'Estaing, aged 48, elected with the support of Jacques Chirac, who is then appointed Prime Minister. Their alliance seems strong, but it will quickly crack.

The history of the Fifth Republic is marked by terrorist attacks that have shocked the French people and placed their leaders in the position of having to shoulder the ultimate responsibility: that of embodying a nation struck by horror. From the actions of the OAS, which directly targeted General de Gaulle, to the mass killings by Islamist terrorists during François Hollande's five-year term, to hostage-takings such as that of the Algiers-Paris flight during the cohabitation between François Mitterrand and Edouard Balladur, and the assassination of Professor Samuel Paty in October 2020, all presidents have been confronted with these turning points, when politics takes a back seat and it is necessary to act according to one's conscience in the solitude of power.

The story of Pierre Brossolette, who was a talented student, journalist and a defender of human rights.