Madame Rosa lives in a sixth-floor walkup in the Pigalle; she's a retired prostitute, Jewish and an Auschwitz survivor, a foster mom to children of other prostitutes. Momo is the oldest and her favorite, an Algerian lad whom she raises as a Muslim. He asks about his parents; she answers evasively. As she ages and takes fewer children, Momo must do more for her; as money is tight, he tries to earn pennies on the street with a puppet. He's a beautiful man-child, and Madame Rosa makes him promise never to sell himself or become a pimp. A film editor, Nadine, befriends him, and his father appears as well. Madame Rosa reaches her last days in fear of hospitals, and Momo must act.

Henri-Georges Clouzot's Inferno

2009

French

7.4

♡ 4

100%

documentary filmmaking

Serge Bromberg Director

André Luguet as Duhamel

Bernard Blier as Self

Burt Lancaster as Self

Costa-Gavras as Self - Interviewee

In 1964, Henri-Georges Clouzot's production of L'Enfer came to a halt. Despite huge expectations, major studio backing and an unlimited budget, after three weeks the production collapsed. This documentary presents Inferno's incredible expressionistic original rushes, screen tests, and on-location footage, whilst also reconstructing Clouzot's original vision, and shedding light on the ill-fated endeavor through interviews, dramatizations of unfilmed scenes, and Clouzot's own notes.

The Méliès Mystery

2021

French

7.5

♡ 6

Eric Lange Director

Leonard Maltin as Narrator

Michel Gondry as Self

Costa-Gavras as Self

Heather Linville as Self

A documentary that details the process of restoring 270 of the 520 lost films of pioneering director Georges Méliès, all orchestrated by a Franco-American collaboration between Lobster Films, the National Film Center, and the Library of Congress.

Searching for Mr. Rugoff

2019

English

7.3

100%

Action

Documentary

Ira Deutchman Director

Costa-Gavras as Self

Robert Downey Sr. as Self

Robert Shaye as Self

Todd McCarthy as Self

The feature documentary Searching for Mr. Rugoff is the story of Donald Rugoff, who was the crazy genius behind Cinema 5, the mid-century theater chain and film distribution company. Rugoff was a difficult (some would say impossible) person but was also the man who kicked art films into the mainstream with outrageous marketing schemes and pure bluster. Rugoff's impact on cinema culture in the United States is inestimable, and his influence on the art film business-from the studio classics divisions to the independent film movement to the rise of the Weinsteins-is undeniable. Yet, mysteriously, Rugoff has become a virtually forgotten figure. The story is told through the eyes of former employee Ira Deutchman, who sets out to find the truth about the man who had such a major impact on his life, and to understand how such an important figure could have disappeared so completely.

Film: The Living Record of Our Memory

2021

English

7.8

♡ 6

Documentary

film archives

film preservation

Inés Toharia Terán Director

Martin Scorsese as Self

Ben Mankiewicz as Self

Steve Bloom as Self

Costa-Gavras as Self

Why are we still able, today, to view images that were captured over 125 years ago? As we enter the digital age, audiovisual heritage seems to be a sure and obvious fact. However, much of cinema and our filmed history has been lost forever. Archivists, technicians and filmmakers from different parts of the world explain what audiovisual preservation is and why it is necessary. The documentary is a tribute to all these professionals and their important work.

Special Section

1975

French

7.6

♡ 5

81%

based on novel or book

Costa-Gavras Director

Guy Mairesse as Léon Redondeau

Henri Serre as Le préfet Ingrand, délégué du ministère de l'Intérieur en zone occupée

Jacques Mathou as M. Montillot, l'avocat d'Octave Lamand

Costa-Gavras as Un milicien

In occupied France during the WWII, a German officer is murdered. The collaborationist Vichy government decides to pin the murder on six petty criminals. Loyal judges are called in to convict them as quickly as possible.