A monthly online film club to discuss French film
French Cinémathèque
Each month we choose a French film or series currently available to stream, watch it independently, and come together for a hosted conversation with other fans of French film.
Our next meeting will be about Emilia Perez, directed by Jacques Audiard.
Join us Monday, January 13th at 4:00pm - 5:00pm PDT / 7:00pm - 8:00pm EDT.
Popular from France
CODA
Every family has its own language.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, United States • 2021
- Director Siân Heder
- Cast Emilia Jones, Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur, Eugenio Derbez, Ferdia Walsh-Peelo, Daniel Durant
- Genre Drama, Music, Romance
- Available on Apple TV Plus, Apple TV Plus Amazon Channel
The Billionaire, the Butler, and the Boyfriend
(L'Affaire Bettencourt : Scandale chez la femme la plus riche du monde)
How did a conflict between the world's wealthiest woman and her daughter spiral into national scandal?
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2023
- Creator
- Cast Liliane Bettencourt, Françoise Bettencourt Meyers, François-Marie Banier, Nicolas Sarkozy
- Genre Crime, Documentary
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir
(Miraculous, les aventures de Ladybug et Chat Noir)
Normal high school kids by day, protectors of Paris by night!
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Korea, Japan • 2015
- Creator Thomas Astruc
- Cast Annouck Hautbois, Benjamin Bollen, Antoine Tomé, Marie Nonnenmacher
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Kids
- Available on Netflix, Amazon Video, fuboTV, Disney Plus, Spectrum On Demand, DisneyNOW, Netflix basic with Ads
Lupin
Gentleman thief Assane Diop sets out to avenge his father for an injustice inflicted by a wealthy family.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, United States • 2021
- Creator George Kay
- Cast Omar Sy, Hervé Pierre, Nicole Garcia, Clotilde Hesme, Ludivine Sagnier, Soufiane Guerrab
- Genre Crime, Drama, Mystery
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Lucy
Most people only use 10% of their brains. She unlocks the full 100% – and the powers that come with it.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Taiwan, Germany • 2014
- Director Luc Besson
- Cast Scarlett Johansson, Morgan Freeman, Choi Min-sik, Amr Waked, Julian Rhind-Tutt, Pilou Asbæk
- Genre Action, Science Fiction
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand
High Life
A father and daughter must rely on each other to survive a dangerous mission to deep space.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany, France, United Kingdom • 2018
- Director Claire Denis
- Cast Robert Pattinson, Juliette Binoche, André Benjamin, Mia Goth, Agata Buzek, Lars Eidinger
- Genre Drama, Mystery, Science Fiction, Thriller
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Kanopy
Tour de France: Unchained
(Tour de France : Au cœur du peloton)
A behind the scenes look at the Tour de France.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, United Kingdom • 2023
- Creator
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
A Kid
(Le fils de Jean)
A man travels to Quebec to attend the funeral of his estranged father.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Canada • 2016
- Director Philippe Lioret
- Cast Pierre Deladonchamps, Gabriel Arcand, Catherine de Léan, Marie-Thérèse Fortin, Pierre-Yves Cardinal
- Genre Drama
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Fandor, Fandor Amazon Channel, OVID, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Kanopy
Taken
An ex-spy must pull out all the stops to save his daughter after she is kidnapped by human traffickers.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, United States • 2008
- Director Pierre Morel
- Cast Liam Neeson, Maggie Grace, Leland Orser, Famke Janssen, Jon Gries, David Warshofsky
- Genre Action, Thriller
- Available on Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube
Class Act
(Tapie)
In this fictionalized biopic about Bernard Tapie, a relentlessly ambitious working-class man becomes one of France's most controversial public figures.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2023
- Creator Tristan Séguéla, Olivier Demangel
- Cast Laurent Lafitte, Joséphine Japy, Patrick d'Assumçao, Ophélia Kolb, Camille Chamoux, Ivan Murphy
- Genre Drama
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Return to Seoul
(Retour à Séoul)
A 25-year-old French woman returns to Korea - the country she was born in before being adopted by a French couple - for the very first time.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Germany, Belgium • 2022
- Director Davy Chou
- Cast Park Ji-min, Oh Gwang-rok, Guka Han, Kim Sun-young, Heo Jin, Yoann Zimmer
- Genre Drama
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Spectrum On Demand
Alphonse
A chameleon-like man makes it his mission to please women and satisfy all their wishes.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2023
- Creator Nicolas Bedos
- Cast Jean Dujardin, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Pierre Arditi, Nicole Garcia, Laura Morante, Marie-Christine Barrault
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Lost Highway
A tormented jazz musician finds himself lost in an enigmatic story involving murder, surveillance, and inexplicable dreams.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, United States • 1997
- Director David Lynch
- Cast Bill Pullman, Patricia Arquette, Balthazar Getty, Robert Blake, Natasha Gregson Wagner, Richard Pryor
- Genre Drama, Mystery, Thriller
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, YouTube
Portrait of a Lady on Fire
(Portrait de la jeune fille en feu)
Marianne, a painter, is commissioned to do the wedding portrait of Héloïse, a young woman who has just left the convent.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2019
- Director Céline Sciamma
- Cast Noémie Merlant, Adèle Haenel, Luàna Bajrami, Valeria Golino, Christel Baras, Armande Boulanger
- Genre Drama, History, Romance
- Available on Hulu, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, YouTube, Kanopy
La Haine
In the banlieues of France, the immigrant populations' resentment simmers away -- until it starts to boil.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, United States • 1995
- Director Mathieu Kassovitz
- Cast Vincent Cassel, Hubert Koundé, Saïd Taghmaoui, Abdel Ahmed Ghili, Souleymane Dicko, Héloïse Rauth
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
New from France
West of the Jordan River
A documentary examining both sides of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Israel • 2018
- Director Amos Gitai
- Cast Amos Gitai, Yitzhak Rabin
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Chai Flicks, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube, Kanopy
Napoleon
(Napoléon)
Expert soldier and tactician Napoleon Bonaparte rises from an unpaid soldier to the most powerful man in Europe.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Germany, Italy • 2002
- Creator Yves Simoneau, Max Gallo
- Cast Christian Clavier, Isabella Rossellini, John Malkovich, Gérard Depardieu, Anouk Aimée, Heino Ferch
- Genre Drama, War & Politics
- Available on Amazon Video, Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
The We and the I
The funny, heartfelt story of the final bus ride home for a group of young high school students and graduates.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, United States, France • 2012
- Director Michel Gondry
- Cast Michael Brodie, Laidychen Carrasco, Raymond Delgado
- Genre Drama
- Available on Hoopla
The Extraordinary Journey of the Fakir
An Indian street magician travels to France to find his estranged father.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, United States, Belgium • 2018
- Director Ken Scott
- Cast Dhanush, Bérénice Bejo, Erin Moriarty, Barkhad Abdi, Gérard Jugnot, Ben Miller
- Genre Adventure, Comedy, Drama
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Tubi TV, The Roku Channel, Freevee, Cineverse, Hoopla
Dahomey
This documentary highlights the journey of 26 stolen artifacts returning to Benin from France.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Senegal, Benin • 2024
- Director Mati Diop
- Cast Gildas Adannou, Habib Ahandessi, Joséa Guedje, Imelda Batamoussi
- Genre Documentary
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
Central Airport THF
(Zentralflughafen THF)
A portrait of Berlin’s famed Tempelhof airport. Once glorified by Nazis, today it houses refugees and asylum seekers.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Germany, France, Brazil • 2018
- Director Karim Aïnouz
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Film Movement Plus
Madeleine Collins
In this dramatic suspense thriller, A woman's double life teeters on the edge of collapse.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Belgium, Switzerland • 2021
- Director Antoine Barraud
- Cast Virginie Efira, Bruno Salomone, Quim Gutiérrez, Jacqueline Bisset, Nadav Lapid, Valérie Donzelli
- Genre Drama, Thriller
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Plex
The Beasts
(As bestas)
A French couple living in Spain face hostility from their neighbors in the rural countryside.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Spain, France • 2022
- Director Rodrigo Sorogoyen
- Cast Marina Foïs, Denis Ménochet, Luis Zahera, Diego Anido, Marie Colomb, Machi Salgado
- Genre Drama, Thriller
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Amazon Video, YouTube, Plex
Smoke Sauna Sisterhood
(Savvusanna sõsarad)
In a darkneed smoke sauna, women share their innermost secrets, washing away shame and regaining their strength through sisterhood.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Estonia, France, Iceland • 2023
- Director Anna Hints
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on MUBI, MUBI Amazon Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
Telescope Recommends
Vengeance
(復仇)
A violent action-thriller featuring a French former assassin desperate for revenge.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Hong Kong, France • 2009
- Director Johnnie To
- Cast Johnny Hallyday, Anthony Wong, Gordon Lam, Lam Suet, Simon Yam, Sylvie Testud
- Genre Action, Thriller
- Available on Plex, Plex Channel
PlayTime
The clumsy Monsieur Hulot gets into various mishaps in Paris.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1967
- Director Jacques Tati
- Cast Jacques Tati, Barbara Dennek, Rita Maiden, France Rumilly, France Delahalle, Valérie Camille
- Genre Comedy
- Available on Criterion Channel, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Kanopy
Black Sabbath
(I tre volti della paura)
A must-watch anthology by the “Master of Italian Horror.”
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- Italy, France, United States • 1963
- Director Mario Bava
- Cast Boris Karloff, Susy Andersen, Mark Damon, Michèle Mercier, Lidia Alfonsi, Jacqueline Pierreux
- Genre Horror
- Available on ScreenPix Apple TV Channel, Google Play Movies, YouTube, Tubi TV, Pluto TV, Kanopy, Plex, Plex Channel, Darkroom
Happening
(L'Événement)
A college student deals with an unwanted abortion when it was still illegal in1960s France.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2021
- Director Audrey Diwan
- Cast Anamaria Vartolomei, Kacey Mottet Klein, Luàna Bajrami, Louise Orry-Diquéro, Pio Marmaï, Sandrine Bonnaire
- Genre Drama
- Available on Hulu, AMC+, AMC+ Amazon Channel, AMC Plus Apple TV Channel , IFC Films Unlimited Apple TV Channel, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, YouTube
To Be and to Have
(Être et avoir)
A passionate school teacher forges a warm and unique classroom community in rural France.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2002
- Director Nicolas Philibert
- Cast Georges Lopez
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Kino Film Collection, Kanopy, Hoopla
A Prayer Before Dawn
The fight starts from the inside.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, France, China • 2018
- Director Jean-Stéphane Sauvaire
- Cast Joe Cole, Vithaya Pansringarm, Pornchanok Mabklang, Nicolas Shake, Billy Moore, Panya Yimmumphai
- Genre Drama, Action, Crime
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, Microsoft Store, YouTube, Kanopy
Autumn Sonata
(Höstsonaten)
Time can't heal all wounds.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- West Germany, United Kingdom • 1978
- Director Ingmar Bergman
- Cast Ingrid Bergman, Liv Ullmann, Lena Nyman, Halvar Björk, Marianne Aminoff, Arne Bang-Hansen
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, YouTube
Three Colors: Blue
(Trois couleurs : Bleu)
Julie distances herself from everywhere and everyone after her husband and daughter are killed in a car accident.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Poland, Switzerland • 1993
- Director Krzysztof Kieślowski
- Cast Juliette Binoche, Benoît Régent, Florence Pernel, Charlotte Véry, Hélène Vincent, Philippe Volter
- Genre Drama
- Available on Criterion Channel, Max Amazon Channel, Max, Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
Le Cercle Rouge
(Le Cercle rouge)
No place to hide...nowhere to run...
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Italy • 1970
- Director Jean-Pierre Melville
- Cast Alain Delon, Bourvil, Gian Maria Volonté, Yves Montand, Paul Crauchet, André Ekyan
- Genre Crime, Drama, Thriller
- Available on Apple TV, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video
French Series
Tour de France: Unchained
(Tour de France : Au cœur du peloton)
A behind the scenes look at the Tour de France.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, United Kingdom • 2023
- Creator
- Cast
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Raël: The Alien Prophet
(Raël : Le prophète des extraterrestres)
A docuseries following the origins of Raëlism, a UFO inspired religious sect.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2024
- Creator
- Cast Raël
- Genre Documentary
- Available on Netflix, Netflix basic with Ads
Jayce and the Wheeled Warriors
(Jayce et les Conquérants de la lumière)
Teenager Jayce and his friends search for the only weapon that could defeat their mortal enemies.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Canada, United States • 1985
- Creator J. Michael Straczynski, Jean Chalopin
- Cast Darrin Baker, Charles Jolliffe, Valerie Politis, Len Carlson, Gilles Tamiz, Giulio Kukurugya
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Kids, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on Apple TV, Fandango At Home
Martin Mystery
(Martin Mystère)
Stepsiblings Martin and Diana investigate the paranormal and protect Earth from the supernatural.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Canada, Italy • 2003
- Creator David Michel
- Cast Alexis Tomassian, Dorothée Pousséo, Sylvain Lemarie, Yann Le Madic, Laurence Dourlens, Emmanuel Garijo
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation, Sci-Fi & Fantasy
- Available on The Roku Channel
Queen of Swords
To avenge her father and protect her hometown, a young woman becomes a mysterious vigilante.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- Spain, France, United Kingdom • 2000
- Creator
- Cast Tessie Santiago, Anthony Lemke, Elsa Pataky, Peter Wingfield, Valentine Pelka, Paulina Gálvez
- Genre Action & Adventure, Western
- Available on Tubi TV, Amazon Prime Video, Plex, Freevee, DistroTV, Plex Channel, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Oggy and the Cockroaches
(Oggy et les Cafards)
Follow the antics of Oggy the cat and his three cockroach roommates.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Canada • 1999
- Creator Jean-Yves Raimbaud
- Cast
- Genre Animation, Comedy
- Available on Tubi TV, The Roku Channel
Napoleon
(Napoléon)
Expert soldier and tactician Napoleon Bonaparte rises from an unpaid soldier to the most powerful man in Europe.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Germany, Italy • 2002
- Creator Yves Simoneau, Max Gallo
- Cast Christian Clavier, Isabella Rossellini, John Malkovich, Gérard Depardieu, Anouk Aimée, Heino Ferch
- Genre Drama, War & Politics
- Available on Amazon Video, Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
The Adventures of Tintin
A young reporter and his dog travel around the world solving mysteries.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Canada, Belgium • 1991
- Creator Hergé
- Cast Thierry Wermuth
- Genre Action & Adventure, Animation
- Available on Amazon Prime Video, Amazon Video, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
Bernard
A curious polar bear travels around the world exploring and investigating.
- ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Korea, Spain • 2006
- Creator José Luis Ucha
- Cast
- Genre Animation
- Available on Apple TV, Toon Goggles
Spiral
(Engrenages)
Eager to restore her tarnished reputation, Police Captain Laure Berthaud leads her squad on the hunt for a serial killer.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2005
- Creator Alexandra Clert, Guy-Patrick Sainderichin
- Cast Caroline Proust, Philippe Duclos, Audrey Fleurot, Thierry Godard
- Genre Drama, Mystery, Action & Adventure
- Available on Amazon Video, Amazon Prime Video, Hoopla, MZ Choice Amazon Channel, Mhz Choice, Amazon Prime Video with Ads
The Secret World of Santa Claus
(Le Monde secret du Père Noël)
Every year, Santa Claus and his elves are kept busy preparing for Christmas.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Canada • 1997
- Creator Christian Choquet, Prakash Topsy
- Cast Benoît Allemane, Thor Bishopric, Mélanie Dermont, Aurélien Ringelheim
- Genre Animation, Family
- Available on Apple TV, Amazon Video
The Bellflower Bunnies
(La Famille Passiflore)
Based on the books by Genevieve Huriet, “The Bellflower Bunnies” follows a family of rabbits
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France, Canada • 2001
- Creator Geneviève Huriet
- Cast
- Genre Animation, Kids
- Available on Amazon Video
Mafiosa
The most dangerous man in Corsica is a woman.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2006
- Creator Hugues Pagan
- Cast Hélène Fillières, Véronique Volta
- Genre Drama
- Available on MZ Choice Amazon Channel, Mhz Choice
Death in Paradise
A pasty English detective is transferred to a tropical paradise and has to adjust to a new form of policing.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- United Kingdom, France • 2011
- Creator Robert Thorogood
- Cast Ralf Little, Don Warrington, Élisabeth Bourgine
- Genre Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery
- Available on Apple TV, Google Play Movies, Fandango At Home, Amazon Video, BritBox, BritBox Amazon Channel, Hoopla, Pluto TV, Britbox Apple TV Channel
Candice Renoir
After putting her career on standby for 10 years, Candice Renoir returns to her detective job with her enthusiastic flair.
- ✭ ✭ ✭ ✭
- France • 2013
- Creator Solen Roy-Pagenault, Robin Barataud, Brigitte Peskine
- Cast Cécile Bois, Raphaël Lenglet
- Genre Comedy, Crime
- Available on Acorn TV, AcornTV Amazon Channel, Spectrum On Demand, Acorn TV Apple TV