Godard, Akerman, Varda, Meville’s fans, rejoice: Criterion is launching a streaming channel

The Criterion Channel, will be launching on April 8th in the U.S. and Canada. It will be available on desktop, Roku, Amazon Fire, Apple TV, iOS, and Android devices. Many French and francophone films will be part of the line-up.

The Criterion Collection, which has been dedicated to publishing important classic and new contemporary films from around the world since 1984, is now launching a streaming service for movie lovers.

Thematically programmed with special features, the Criterion Channel will offer constantly refreshed selections of Hollywood, international, art-house, and independent movies, plus access to Criterion’s entire streaming library of more than 1,000 important classic and contemporary films from around the world, 350 shorts, and 3,500 supplementary features, including trailers, introductions, behind-the-scenes documentaries, interviews, video essays, commentary tracks, and rare archival footage.

It will also include a Sunday Spotlight focusing on a different director, star, genre, or theme each week, and Channel exclusives such as the guest programmer series Adventures in Moviegoing, Tuesday’s Short + Feature, the Friday Night Double Feature, Meet the Filmmakers, Art-House America, and a 15-minute-a-month film school Observations on Film Art.

Among the catalogue ready to stream in April, there are many French films from the New Wave, film noir from the 50’s and 60’s (think Melville, Clouzot and Dassin) but also cult classics from Catherine Breillat, Claire Denis, and Jacques Tati. Starting on April 28, The Criterion Channel will also have a spotlight on Simone Signoret with features such as La ronde (Max Ophuls, 1950); Casque d’or (Jacques Becker, 1952); Diabolique (Henri-Georges Clouzot, 1955); Room at the Top (Jack Clayton, 1959); Adua and Her Friends (Antonio Pietrangeli, 1960); Army of Shadows (Jean-Pierre Melville, 1969); The Widow Courdec (Pierre Granier-Deferre, 1971).

Subscribers who sign up by April 7th will enjoy an extended, 30-day free trial (starting April 8th), reduced fees for as long as they remain subscribed, and immediate access to a new pre-launch, members-only Movie of the Week every Wednesday between now and the April 8 launch.

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