The Umbrellas of Cherbourg is a 1964 musical romantic drama film written and directed by Jacques Demy, with music by Michel Legrand. Catherine Deneuve and Nino Castelnuovo star as two young lovers in the French city of Cherbourg, separated by circumstance. The film's dialogue is entirely sung as recitative, including casual conversation, and is sung-through, or through-composed, like some operas and stage musicals. It has been seen as the second of an informal tetralogy of Demy films that share some of the same actors, characters, and overall atmosphere of romantic melancholy, coming after Lola (1961) and before The Young Girls of Rochefort (1967) and Model Shop (1969). The French-language film was a co-production between France and West Germany.
The 400 Blows is a 1959 French coming-of-age drama film, and the directorial debut of François Truffaut, who also co-wrote the film. Shot in the anamorphic format DyaliScope, the film stars Jean-Pierre Léaud, Albert Rémy, and Claire Maurier. One of the defining films of the French New Wave, it displays many of the characteristic traits of the movement. Written by Truffaut and Marcel Moussy, the film is about Antoine Doinel, a misunderstood adolescent in Paris who struggles with his parents and teachers due to his rebellious behavior. Filmed on location in Paris and Honfleur, it is the first in a series of five films in which Léaud plays the semi-autobiographical character.
Ridicule is a 1996 French period drama film directed by Patrice Leconte and starring Charles Berling, Jean Rochefort, Fanny Ardant and Judith Godrèche. Set in the 18th century at the decadent court of Versailles, where social status can rise and fall based on one's ability to mete out witty insults and avoid ridicule oneself, the film's plot examines the social injustices of late 18th-century France, in showing the corruption and callousness of the aristocrats. Ridicule was selected as France's submission and was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 69th Academy Awards.
Day for Night is a 1973 romantic comedy-drama film co-written and directed by François Truffaut. The metafictional and self-reflexive film chronicles the troubled production of a melodrama, and the various personal and professional challenges of the cast and crew. It stars Jacqueline Bisset, Valentina Cortese, Jean-Pierre Aumont, Dani, Alexandra Stewart, Jean-Pierre Léaud and Truffaut himself.
Wild Reeds is a 1994 French drama film directed by André Téchiné about the sexual awakening of four teenagers and their subsequent sensitive passage into adulthood at the end of the Algerian War. The film was selected as the French entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 67th Academy Awards, but not nominated.
Mon Oncle is a 1958 comedy film directed by Jacques Tati. The first of Tati's films to be released in colour, Mon Oncle won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, a Special Prize at the 1958 Cannes Film Festival, and the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Foreign Language Film, receiving more honours than any of Tati's other cinematic works.
L'Enfant is a 2005 Belgian film directed by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, starring Jérémie Renier and Déborah François. The film was released under its French title in the US, and as The Child in the UK.
Jacques Audiard is a French film director, producer, and screenwriter. He is the son of Michel Audiard, also a film director and screenwriter. Over the course of his career, he has received numerous accolades including two British Academy Film Awards, eleven Cesar Awards and four prizes from the Cannes Film Festival.
Orders is a 1974 Quebec historical drama film about the incarceration of innocent civilians during the 1970 October Crisis following the War Measures Act enacted by the Canadian government of Pierre Trudeau. It is the second film by director Michel Brault. It features entertainer and Senator Jean Lapointe.
The Revolving Doors is a 1988 Canadian-French French-language drama film directed by Francis Mankiewicz. The film was selected as the Canadian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 61st Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.
Van Gogh is a 1991 French biographical drama film written, produced and directed by Maurice Pialat. It stars Jacques Dutronc in the role of Dutch painter Vincent van Gogh, for which he won the 1992 César Award for Best Actor. Set in 1890, the film follows the last 67 days of Van Gogh's life and explores his relationships with his brother Theo, his physician Paul Gachet, and the women in his life, including Gachet's daughter, Marguerite.
J.A. Martin Photographer is a 1977 drama film directed by Jean Beaudin for the National Film Board of Canada.
Les petites fugues is a 1979 Swiss comedy film directed by Yves Yersin. It competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival. The film was produced by Filmkollektiv Zurich. The film was selected as the Swiss entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 52nd Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.
Lounge Chair is a 1988 Swiss-French drama film directed by Jean-François Amiguet. It was screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 1988 Cannes Film Festival. The film was selected as the Swiss entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 61st Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.
Le Havre is a 2011 comedy-drama film produced, written, and directed by Aki Kaurismäki and starring André Wilms, Kati Outinen, Jean-Pierre Darroussin and Blondin Miguel. It tells the story of a shoeshiner who tries to save an immigrant child in the French port city Le Havre. The film was produced by Kaurismäki's Finnish company Sputnik with international co-producers in France and Germany. It is Kaurismäki's second French-language film, after La Vie de Bohème from 1992.
Le Grand Paysage d'Alexis Droeven is a 1981 Belgian drama film directed by Jean-Jacques Andrien. The French-language film was entered into the 31st Berlin International Film Festival where it won an Honourable Mention. It also received the André Cavens Award for Best Film by the Belgian Film Critics Association (UCC). The film was selected as the Belgian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 54th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.
Renoir is a 2012 French drama film based on the last years of Pierre-Auguste Renoir at Cagnes-sur-Mer during World War I. The film was directed by Gilles Bourdos and competed in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival. The film is set in the south of France during World War I and stars Michel Bouquet, Christa Theret, Thomas Doret and Vincent Rottiers.
Saint Laurent is a 2014 French biographical drama film co-written and directed by Bertrand Bonello, and starring Gaspard Ulliel as Yves Saint Laurent, Jérémie Renier as Pierre Bergé, and Louis Garrel as Jacques de Bascher. The supporting cast features Léa Seydoux, Amira Casar, Aymeline Valade, and Helmut Berger. The film centers on Saint Laurent's life from 1967 to 1976, during which time the famed fashion designer was at the peak of his career. The film competed for the Palme d'Or in the main competition section at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival and was released on 24 September 2014.
Wild Flowers is a 1982 Canadian drama film written and directed by Jean Pierre Lefebvre. The film won the FIPRESCI Prize at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival and was selected as the Canadian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 55th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.
Jacques and November is a 1984 Canadian drama film directed by Jean Beaudry and François Bouvier. The film was selected as the Canadian entry for the Best Foreign Language Film at the 58th Academy Awards, but was not accepted as a nominee.
