Our September Selection of French Films on TV5MONDE Cinema on Demand

Enjoy a lineup that highlights stories about women, including the 2020 drama, Les parfums, which stars Emmanuelle Devos as a master perfumer who forms a surprising bond with her new driver.

Les parfums

In French with English subtitles. Available beginning September 3

An odd couple comedy, perfect when you're looking for a sweet French film set in Paris.

A chauffeur lands a driving job with a perfumer who struts around like a diva.

"Gregory Magne's French comedy-drama is quietly delightful." - Times

Director: Grégory Magne (2020)
With: Emmanuelle Devos, Grégory Montel, Sergio Lopez
Genre: Comedy

Janis et John

In French with English subtitles. Available beginning September 3

Thanks to quite an original premise, author-director Samuel Benchetrit delivers a wacky comedy, which also happens to be the last film from the late Marie Trintignant, which as usual, doesn't fail to disappoint.

Pablo (Sergi López), who sells insurance, is in financial trouble after uncharacteristically stealing a large sum from a customer. He then learns that his spacey cousin, Leon (Christopher Lambert), has come into a significant inheritance. Pablo, in an effort to procure some of his relative's cash, engineers the unusual second coming Leon has been dreaming about since an acid trip in the 1970s: the day when singers John Lennon and Janis Joplin are reborn and come back to civilization.

"A joyously farfetched premise is skillfully molded into an offbeat slice of Boomer heaven in 'Janis and John.'" - Variety

Director: Samuel Benchetrit (2003)
With: François Cluzet, Sergi Lopez, Marie Trintignant
Genre: Dramedy

Meltem

In French with English subtitles. Available beginning September 10.

Basile Doganis creates a genuine and colorful landscape when telling the story of of a group of French suburbanites meeting a Syrian refugee.

A year after her mother’s death, Elena returns to the family holiday home in Lesbos. The young French-Greek woman is accompanied by her friends Nassim and Sekou, more used to life in an inner city estate than on an idyllic beach. One day they meet Elyas, a young Syrian refugee. 

"Meltem (the name of a strong dangerous wind, but also that of a strong woman, Elena’s ancestor) manages to find an interesting angle to promote a humanist message about how cultures intermingle and become entangled." - Cineuropa

Director: Basile Doganis
With: Daphné Patakia (Elena), Rabah Naït Ouffela (Nasim), Lamine Cissokho (Sekou), Akis Sakellariou (Manos), Féodor Atkine (Edward)
Genre: Drama

Requiem pour une tueuse

In French with English subtitles. Available beginning September 10

The lovely Melanie Laurent plays a slick and dangerous antihero on a thrilling mission that even she originally shied away from. When the entire plan goes downhill, you won't even be able to blink for fear of missing what happens next.

Lucrèce, the best killer in the business, accepts a final job: eliminate an opera singer who threatens the interests of a corporation. She's hired as a contralto for a festival her target is singing in, but things don't happen as planned.

"A fascinating thriller"Le Parisien

Director: Jéröme Le Maire (2010)
With: Mélanie Laurent, Clovis Cornillac, Tchéky Karyo
Genre: Thriller

Alice et le maire

In French with English subtitles. Available from September 24

A sharp criticism of the political class, but a sparkling film thanks to the fireworks between Fabrice Luchini and Anaïs Demoustier. 

When the mayor of Lyon feels like he has run out of ideas, his unconventional solution is to hire a philosopher to help him relearn how to think creatively, a decision that angers many of his colleagues. 

"With minimal cynicism, but with a healthy dose of irony, Pariser questions the true purpose of power" - Fotogramas

Director: Nicolas Pariser (2018)
With: Fabrice Luchini, Anaïs Demoustier, Nora Hamzawi
Genre: Drama

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