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.
This documentary explores the major social reforms led by the Presidents of the Fifth Republic, from the legalization of the pill under De Gaulle to PMA under Macron. Through rare archives and insights from key political figures like Nicolas Sarkozy and François Hollande, it reveals the hidden motivations behind these decisions; whether driven by conviction, opportunism, or reluctance.
Fourty years ago, in May 1981, with François Mitterrand's election, some people were letting themselves dream about a better life while others were predicting the coming of soviet tanks upon the Champs-Élysées. If we gladly remember the turning point of austerity in 83, there were also the wage rises, the fifth week of paid leave, the abolition of death penalty, the decriminalisation of homosexuality, or the advent of independent radio stations. Rare archives and accounts by those who were at the heart of this story give an overview of it and shed light on lesser-known aspects.
Under the pretext of fighting terrorism or crime, the major powers have embarked on a dangerous race for surveillance technologies. Facial recognition cameras, emotion detectors, citizen rating systems, autonomous drones… A security obsession that in some countries is giving rise to a new form of political regime: numerical totalitarianism. Orwell's nightmare.
A decade after An Inconvenient Truth brought climate change into the heart of popular culture comes the riveting and rousing follow-up that shows just how close we are to a real energy revolution. Vice President Al Gore continues his tireless fight, traveling around the world training an army of climate champions and influencing international climate policy. Cameras follow him behind the scenes—in moments private and public, funny and poignant—as he pursues the empowering notion that while the stakes have never been higher, the perils of climate change can be overcome with human ingenuity and passion.
“I am the last of the great Presidents. After me, there will be no more ..." said François Mitterrand at the end of his life. What legacy left the first socialist president of the Fifth Republic? Documentary filmmaker Bertrand Delais and a host of French intellectuals such as Laurent Fabius, Hubert Védrine, Julien Dray, Dominique Bertinotti, Jean-Pierre Chevènement and Bruno Roger-Petit take a look into what that means.
In the mid-1980s, the GAL, a Spanish paramilitary group, pursues and assassinates members of the terrorist gang ETA who have taken refuge in the sanctuary they have created in the south of France. Grégoire Fortin, advisor to the French Minister of Justice, and Domingo 'Txomin' Iturbe, leader of ETA, are forced to negotiate in order to find a solution to the violence that plagues the region.
In a series of long interviews, 12 prime ministers talk about their experience in the upper echelons of power. The function of prime minister, torn between the president and the parliament, appointed without necessarily being elected but responsible for everything, is at the center of debate. With the exception of Jacques Chirac (1974-1976 and 1986-1988), deliberately left out because of his image as French President, those who governed France for the past 35 years agreed to discuss the exercise of power, as seen through archive footage, but also how they experienced it personally. Filmed in the same studio and sitting in the same chair, 12 French prime ministers talk freely about their time in office, from their appointment until their resignation.