Hugues Nancy

April 15, 1874, boulevard des Capucines, Paris: a group of young feverish painters shunned by the official Salon and mocked by the classical masters, chose to come together to exhibit their paintings freely, in the studio of photographer Nadar. At the end of a teeming century, when modernity was emerging, this group of rebellious artists, revolutionized the world of art.

Georges Remi, known as Hergé, a complex and complicated artist, created Tintin, one of the most famous characters in the world. With exceptional access to the archives of Studios Hergé and Moulinsart, this documentary looks at Remi's life and the way he changed the art of comic.

Marc Bloch is one of the 20th-century French intellectuals best known abroad. He fought in both World Wars: though wounded during World War I, he remained on the front lines until victory, and he enlisted as a volunteer during World War II before joining the Resistance. This historian, who revolutionized the way history is viewed, written, and told before being murdered by the Nazis for being a member of the Resistance and a Jew, left a profound mark on his century. It is this exemplary life, dedicated to the Republic he cherished, that will earn him a place in the Panthéon—and that is the story this film tells.

The heroine of this film is immortal. She is over 2600 years old. This is the self-portrait of the oldest city in France. A city whose landscapes bear the scars of a destiny that has spared it no trials. Gateway to the Orient, crossroads of trade and immigration, Marseille is a mosaic with 111 districts and 200 nationalities. Rebellious, chaotic, in turn desired, torn apart, transformed, it is reborn each time from its ashes. Marseille tells us more about the history of France and sheds light on what France is today.

In 1945, twelve million homeless children wandered through the rubble of a Europe that had just emerged from the deadliest conflict it had ever known. An unprecedented number of children were separated from their parents or orphaned. Under the guise of the best interests of these children and of the nation, France, the United States, Great Britain and the countries of Central Europe embarked on a veritable race for children. By demographic opportunism, by fear of seeing them indoctrinated by a new totalitarianism, these countries move and adopt these orphans, erasing their history and their identity.

This brief period in French history (1934–1938), known as the “Popular Front,” has left an indelible mark on the nation's collective memory. Set against the backdrop of a polarized and divided France, this film chronicles a social and cultural revolution, traveling back in time to uncover the places, testimonies, and hidden archives of this formative experience that permanently transformed French society.

In 1900, the eyes of the whole world are on Paris. The World's Fair welcomed 50 million amazed visitors, and the city celebrated itself in a glamorous era. This period went down in history as the "Belle Époque." Elaborately restored and colorized historical photographs bring to life the exciting life in Paris between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of World War I in 1914. Bicycles, cars, airplanes, moving pictures, newly founded film studios, revolutionary composers and painters, avant-garde ballet performances, fashion houses, summer resorts on the Atlantic coast – life was intoxicating. People celebrate in the variety shows, cabarets, and revue theaters of Paris. Moulin Rouge, Folies Bergères, Bal Tabarin—in Paris, the nights are long and life is too short to sleep through. It is a dance on the volcano, given the political developments in the world.

In the summer of 1963, François Mitterrand was going through a deep existential crisis. His political career was at a standstill and, after 19 years of marriage, the couple had grown apart. It was at this point that François Mitterrand met the woman who was to give new meaning to his life. Anne Pingeot, aged 19, was to become the companion of a lifetime, a woman who would be with him throughout his rise to power and who would remain by his side until his last breath. For the first time, Anne Pingeot has agreed to allow the fragments of this passionate love story — hundreds of letters and a diary — to be shown on television, before being donated to the National Library.