TV5MONDE Program Highlights – July – August 2023

TV5 Monde

Special Programming 

Tour de France—July 1 to July 23 at 2:30pm ET/11:30am PT 

The 2023 Tour de France will be the 110th edition of the Tour de France. It will start in Bilbao, Spain on 1 July and end with the final stage at Champs-Élysées, Paris on July 23. 

 

Bastille Day Parade 2022—July 14 at 4:00am ET/1:00am PT 

Celebrate Bastille Day with a live broadcast of the military parade!

 

Les Jeux de la Francophonie 2023—July 28 to August 6 at 9:00am ET/6:00am PT 

From July 28 to August 6, Kinshasa will vibrate to the rhythm of talented artists and athletes from five continents to represent their countries at the 9th Games of La Francophonie. 

 

Closing Ceremony, Festival du Film Francophone d’Angoulême—August 31 at 11:30pm ET/8:30pm PT 

Festival du Film Francophone d’Angoulême’s closing ceremony, the second largest film festival after Cannes. The country honored this year is Switzerland.

 

Films

Adieu Paris—July 16 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT 

(English ST) 

· Eight men past their prime reunite at an old Parisian bistro to rehash days gone by, until their reminiscing is suddenly interrupted. 

Director: Édouard Baer (France, Belgium, 2021) 

Cast: Benoît Poelvoorde, François Damiens, Pierre Arditi, Gérard Depardieu 

Genre: Comedy

 

Azuro—August 6 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT; August 14 at 11:30pm ET/8:30pm PT 

(English ST) 

Friends go on their yearly summer vacation to their favorite little village, wedged between the sea and the mountains. They don’t pay attention to a fire on the mountain, and a mysterious man shakes up their seemingly balanced existence. 

Director: Matthieu Rozé (France, 2020) 

Cast: Valérie Donzelli, Thomas Scimeca, Yannick Choirat, Florence Loiret Caille 

Genre: Dramedy 

 

Murder Party—August 20 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT 

Also streaming on TV5MONDEplus: 

https://www.tv5mondeplus.com/en/details/vod/107119739_74079A 

(English ST) 

Jeanne Chardon-Spitzer, brilliant architect, is appointed to restore the Daguerres’ sumptuous manor house, a strange family at the head of a board game empire. When the body of the patriarch, César, is found during a murder party, Jeanne finds herself caught up in a real-life investigation to unmask the killer. 

Director: Nicolas Pleskof (France, 2021) 

Cast: Alice Pol, Miou-Miou, Eddy Mitchell 

Genre: Dramedy

 

Series

Caïn—Sundays, starting July 2 at 11:30pm ET/8:30pm PT 

Season 8 premiere 

(English ST) 

· The popular series follows the quirky and determined Police Commissioner Frédéric Caïn after a motorcycle accident left him handicapped. Caïn finds himself faced with several diverse cases to solve in his life as a police commissioner. These range from attempted murders with gunfire, to poisonings, child custody battles, and false set-ups to have Caïn found guilty of crimes he didn’t commit. 

Director: Thierry Petit (France, 2019) 

Cast: Julien Baumgartner, Julie Delarme, David Baïot, Mourad Boudaoud, Smadi Wolfman, Natacha Krief 

Genre: Police drama

 

Toute la vie—Wednesdays, starting July 5 at 11:30pm ET/8:30pm PT 

Season 2 premiere 

Also streaming on TV5MONDEplus: https://www.tv5mondeplus.com/en/details/vod/106917924_74079A 

(French ST) 

· The Marie-Labrecque school welcomes some sixty teenagers, some of whom are pregnant, and others have recently given birth. All are determined to obtain their secondary school diploma. A real challenge for them and for the two heads of the establishment, Tina and Christophe. 

Director: Jean-Philippe Duval (Canada, 2020) 

Cast: Hélène Bourgeois Leclerc, Roy Dupuis, Milya Corbeil-Gauvreau, Jemmy Echaquan-Dubé 

Genre: Drama 

 

De Gaulle l’éclat et le secret—August 13, 20, and 27 at 11:30pm ET/8:30pm PT 

(French ST) 

From the appeal of June 18, 1940 to his departure from power in 1969, a dive into nearly three decades of the public, but also private, life of Charles de Gaulle. 

Director: François Velle (France, 2020) 

Cast: Samuel Labarthe, Constance Dollé, Christophe Craig, Geoffrey Bateman, Baptiste Roussillon 

Genre: miniseries, historical drama

 

Documentaries

Maîtres—July 23 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT 

(English ST) 

· In Strasbourg, we meet a law firm specializing in foreign law. Christine Mengus and Nohra Boukara fight every day to help their clients. Thanks to their tenacity, humor, and professionalism, they try to find humane solutions to justice and sometimes the injustice of certain situations. For many, these lawyers are their last chance. 

Directory: Swen de Pauw (France, 2022) 

Genre: Documentary 

Awards: 2021 GNCR Award Nominee, Festival International de Cinéma de Marseille

 

Pénélope mon amour—August 27 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT 

(English ST) 

For eighteen years, the actress Claire Doyon filmed her daughter Pénélope, who suffers from an autism spectrum disorder. After the shock of the diagnosis, this committed mother battled the condition, attempting dozens of treatments. Until the day she finally overcame her obsession with finding a cure… 

Directory: Claire Doyon (France, 2021) 

Genre: Documentary 

Awards: Prix Renaud Victor, Prix Georges de Beauregard national (FID Marseille 2021)

TV5 Monde Plus 

 

 

Films 

Alice et le maire—Now streaming: https://www.tv5mondeplus.com/en/details/vod/106692951_74079A (English ST) 

· When the mayor of Lyon finds his career stagnating, he welcomes a brilliant young philosopher into his inner circle. 

Director: Nicolas Pariser (France, 2019) 

Cast: Anaïs Demoustier, Fabrice Luchini, Nora Hamzawi 

Genre: Dramedy 

Awards: 2020 César Best Actress Winner (Anaïs Demoustier), 2019 Cannes Film Festival Label Europa Cinemas Winner, 2019 Cannes Director’s Fortnight Best Film Winner 

 

Tralala—Streaming beginning July 5 

(English ST) 

· A middle-aged singer/songwriter takes on a new identity as a guitarist who disappeared while searching for the Virgin Mary. 

Director: Arnaud Larrieu, Jean-Marie Larrieu (France, 2021) 

Cast: Mathieu Amalric, Josiane Balasko, Mélanie Thierry 

Genre: Comedy 

Awards: Cannes Film Festival 2021 Selection – Out of Competition, Midnight Screening 

 

Chère Léa—Streaming beginning July 5 

(English ST) 

· After being rejected by his ex-girlfriend Léa, Jonas goes to the cafe downstairs to write her a final love letter. 

Director: Jérôme Bonnell (France, 2021) 

Cast: Grégory Montel (Call My Agent!), Grégory Gadebois, Anaïs Demoustier 

Genre: Dramedy

 

Documentaries

À la Vie, À la Terre: Cameroun, la terre des femmes—Now Streaming: https://www.tv5mondeplus.com/en/details/vod/107202849_74079A 

Original documentary series 

(English ST) 

· Cameroon’s mangrove is under threat. The agronomist Cécile Bibiane Ndjebet has dedicated her life to protecting nature, a struggle that has already lasted over thirty years, fought side-by-side with the country’s women farmers. Following in her footsteps, we meet some of those trying to adapt to climate change. 

Presenter: Chloé Nabédian (France, 2023) 

Genre: Travel docu-series 

 

Abers road—Now Streaming Season 1: https://www.tv5mondeplus.com/en/details/vod/107196879_74079A 

(English ST) 

· Gaëtan Roussel, singer-songwriter of Louise Attaque, wishes to settle in Brittany. At the wheel of his van, he discovers the region in the company of personalities who welcome and guide him: Jane Birkin, Renan Luce, Raphaël, Nolwenn Leroy, Hervé, Yelle, Miossec. 

Creator: Guillaume Klein, Gérard Pont (France, 2021) 

Genre: Travel docu-series 

 

Le doc Stupéfiant—Now Streaming Season 1: https://www.tv5mondeplus.com/en/details/vod/106872852_74079A 

(English ST) 

· A collection of cultural documentaries, their powerful, sometimes provocative themes finding an echo with viewers that helps to build bridges between past and present. Films that combine surprising sequences, never-before broadcast archive footage, secret images and interviews… 

· Episode 5, L’histoire française des Rolling Stones. The French story of the Rolling Stones. To celebrate the Rolling Stones’ 60th anniversary, Raphaëlle Baillot and Élise Le Bivic take a look at the crazy French years of this, the greatest rock group of all time, as seen through modern eyes. 

Director: Raphaëlle Baillot, Élise Le Bivic (France, 2022) 

Host: Léa Salamé 

Genre: Docu-series 

 

Indes galantes— Streaming beginning July 5 

On the stage of Paris’s legendary Opéra Bastille, 30 dancers from non-traditional genres reprise and remix Jean-Philippe Rameau’s baroque masterpiece Les Indes galantes, offering a dynamic take on the landmark opera. 

Director: Philippe Béziat (France, 2020) 

Awards: 2022 César Best Documentary Film Nominee, 2022 Lumiere Best Documentary Nominee

 

Voir le jour—Streaming beginning August 2 (English ST) 

Jeanne works in a maternity yard in Marseille. Day and night, she struggles with her colleagues to support the mothers and their babies. 

Director: Marion Laine (France, 2020) 

Cast: Sandrine Bonnaire, Brigitte Roüan, Aure Atika 

Genre: Drama 

 

Retour à la bien-aimée—Streaming beginning August 2 

(English ST) 

Julien seeks to reconquer Jeanne, his ex-wife, of whom he is separated and who lives with another man. He is prepared to go far to make it happen. 

Director: Jean-François Adam (France, 1979) 

Cast: Isabelle Huppert, Jacques Dutronc, Bruno Ganz 

Genre: Drama 

 

Mes jour de la gloire—Streaming beginning August 2 

(English ST) 

Former child star, Adrian had high hopes for his future. As he’s approaching his 30s, things are not exactly turning out as planned. In addition to his empty love life, he’s been expelled from his flat and must live with his parents. 

Director: Antoine de Bary (France, 2019) 

Cast: Vincent Lacoste, Noée Abita, Emmanuelle Devos 

Genre: Dramedy 

Awards: 2019 Venice Film Festival Best Film Nominee, 2020 Angers European First Film Festival Grand Jury Prize Nominee

 

 

Series

Cerebrum—Streaming beginning August 2 

Season 1 premiere 

(English ST) 

Henri Lacombe is a psychiatrist at the National Institute of Mental Health where he has just been promoted to director. Day after day, Henri’s mission is to soothe the suffering of his patients. 

Creator: Richard Blaimert (Canada, 2019-) 

Cast: Christine Beaulieu, Olivier Gervais-Courchesne, Henri Richer-Picard 

Genre: Drama 

 

Pour toujours plus un jour—Now streaming Season 1: https://www.tv5mondeplus.com/en/details/vod/107184112_74079A 

(English ST) 

Chuck is going to die. The rare disease he’s suffered from since childhood has evolved. As a result, he and his girlfriend Delphine have taken a major decision: they’ll make the most of every minute of their remaining time together, doing whatever they want and never worrying about the consequences. 

Director: Marie-Claude Blouin (Canada, 2020-2022) 

Cast: Pier-Luc Funk, Catherine Brunet, Rémi Goulet 

Genre: Dramedy 

 

L’oeil du cyclone—Now streaming Season 1: https://www.tv5mondeplus.com/en/details/vod/107184113_74079A 

(French ST) 

At 39, Isabelle is a single mother with three children. In addition, she also must keep an eye on her newly retired mother, an energetic sister determined to find her a new man, and an ex-husband incapable of organizing anything by himself! 

Director: Marie-Claude Blouin (Canada, 2020-2022) 

Cast: Christine Beaulieu, Patrick Hivon, Danielle Proulx 

Genre: Comedy

 

Documentaries

 

Alliance(s) Française(s)—Now streaming: https://www.tv5mondeplus.com/en/details/vod/106997680_74079A  

A TV5MONDE exclusive production in celebration of the 140th anniversary of Alliances Françaises around the world 

(English ST) 

• From Paris to Puducherry, via Rio, Buenos Aires and Tsiroanomandidy, to meet some of the men and women continuing to spread the influence of the French language and francophone culture across the world. With personal stories from Irina Bokova, Bernard Cerquiglini, Laurent Fabius, Julia Kristeva, Erik Orsenna, Sebastião Salgado… 

• “Created in July 1883 in the wake of the free and secular school of Jules Ferry (1881), by Paul Cambon, then resident minister of France in Tunisia, the Foundation of the French Alliances (AF) cannot deny its colonialist origin. At the time, the objective was to teach French to the children of the colonies to counterbalance the Anglo-Saxon influence.”—translated from Le Monde (https://www.lemonde.fr/culture/article/2023/07/06/alliance-s-francaise-s-sur-tv5-monde-cent-quarante-ans-d-humanisme-republicain_6180847_3246.html)  

Director: Antoine Rivière (France, 2022) 

Genre: Documentary 

 

Le monde de Jamy—Now streaming: 

https://www.tv5mondeplus.com/en/details/vod/106874789_74079A 

• Jamy Gourmaud explores the most spectacular places on the planet. With him, knowledge becomes an adventure that expresses a particular vision of the world and gives us food for thought on the major challenges of the XXI century. 

Director: François Ducroux (France, 2014-) 

Host: Jamy Gourmaud 

Genre: Docu Discovery/Travel Series  

 

Afrykas et la boite magique—Streaming beginning August 2  

U.S. TV premiere  

(English ST) 

• AFRYKAS is a journey and a tribute to Senegalese cinema, its filmmakers, women artists and the mothers who inspire us. The film introduces us to the African landscape, the vibrant city of Dakar and the daily lives of our characters. Their testimonies allow us to understand the uniqueness of Senegalese cinema, their dedication to cinema, the importance of the mother figure in Senegalese society, the themes that inspire them, their dreams, their struggles and their dedication to the education of future generations. 

Director: Isabel Rivero-Vilá (Senegal, 2022) 

Genre: Documentary 

Awards: 2022 Cannes Independent Film Festival Best Documentary Feature, 2023 Vue d’Afrique Official Selection, 2023 The Impact DOCS Awards Award of merit, 2022 The African Film Festival Best Indigenous Film 

 

TV5 Monde Cinéma 

July Theme: Family, holiday, and comedy movies 

 

Les sous-doués— available beginning July 7 

(English ST) 

A group of high schoolers deliberately fail their exams as an act of rebellion. 

Director: Claude Zidi (1980) 

Cast: Michel Galabru, Maria Pacôme, Daniel Auteil 

Genre: Comedy 

 

Les sous-doués en vacances— available beginning July 7 

(English ST) Two years after their adventures in high school, the same group of “under-gifted” friends plan how to spend their summer vacation. 

Director: Claude Zidi (1982) 

Cast: Guy Marchand, Daniel Auteil, Grace de Capitani 

Genre: Comedy 

 

30 jours max— available beginning July 7 

(English ST) 

A cowardly and clumsy young cop finds out he only has 30 days left to live. 

Director: Tarek Boudali (2019) 

Cast: Tarek Boudali, Philippe Lacheau, Julien Arruti 

Genre: Comedy 

 

Mon cousin— available beginning July 14 

(English ST) 

Pierre is the CEO of the Pastié group, which brings together the biggest international brands of alcohol and grands crus classés. Like every five years, he must renew at the notary the contract which binds him to his cousin Adrien. 

Director: Jan Kounen (2020) 

Cast: Vincent Lindon, François Damiens, Pascale Arbillot 

Genre: Comedy 

 

Rock’n’Roll— available beginning July 14 

(English ST) 

After a younger star tells him he is no longer popular, 43-year-old Guillaume makes it his mission to prove he can still sell films. 

Director: Guillaume Canet (2017) 

Cast: Guillaume Canet, Marion Cotillard, Gilles Lellouche 

Genre: Comedy 

Award: 2019 César Best Actor Nominee 

 

Retour chez ma mère— available beginning July 14 

(English ST) A French architect in her early forties moves in with her mother after losing her job. Conflicts with her mother and her siblings ensue. 

Director: Éric Lavaine (2015) 

Cast: Alexandra Lamy, Josiane Balasko, Mathilde Seigner 

Genre: Comedy 

 

10 jours sans maman— available beginning July 14 

(English ST) 

An exhausted wife decides to go on a vacation, leaving her husband to take care of the kids for a change. 

Director: Ludovic Bernard (2019) 

Cast: Franck Dubosc, Aure Atika, Alice David 

Genre: Comedy 

 

Police— available beginning July 14 

(English ST) 

Three Parisian cops are forced to accept an unusual mission: to escort a foreigner to Charles de Gaulle airport, where he will be deported. 

Director: Anne Fontaine (2020) 

Cast: Virginie Efira, Omar Sy, Grégory Gadebois 

Genre: Drama 

Award: 2020 Quebec City International Film Festival Nominee 

 

Les Tuche 4— available beginning July 14 

(English ST) 

After a huge fight from 10 years ago, a wife just wants one thing for the holiday – to be reunited with her sister. 

Director: Olivier Baroux 

Cast: Jean-Paul Rouve, Isabelle Nanty, Michel Blanc 

Genre: Comedy 

 

Eléonore— available beginning July 14 

(English ST) 

Under pressure from her mother and sister, an apprentice writer changes her life and becomes the assistant of a publisher specializing in erotic romances. 

Director: Amro Hamzawi (2020) 

Cast: Nora Hamzawi, André Marcon, Dominique Reymond 

Genre: Comedy 

 

Calamity— available beginning July 14 

(English ST) 

This animated coming-of-age film is based on the life of American Frontier woman Martha Jane Cannary, more famously known as “Calamity Jane.” 

Director: Rémi Chayé (2020) 

Genre: Animation 

 

Le Triporteur—available beginning July 21 

Based on the novel by René Fallet, a comical delivery man is more interested in supporting his favorite football team than doing his job. 

Director: Jack Pinoteau (1957) 

Cast: Darry Cowl, Béatrice Altariba, Jean-Claude Brialy 

Genre: Comedy 

 

Robinson et le triporteur—available beginning July 21 

In a modern take on the novel Robinson Crusoe, a couple decides to get married, but the woman’s father fiercely opposes it. 

Director: Jack Pinoteau (1957) 

Cast: Darry Cowl, Béatrice Altariba, Blanca de Silos 

Genre: Comedy 

 

Les randonneurs—available beginning July 21 

French. A group of friends fly to Corsica to go on a guided hike. 

Director: Philippe Harel (1996) 

Cast: Benoît Poelvoorde, Karin Viard, Géraldine Pailhas 

Genre: Comedy 

 

Les invincibles—available beginning July 28 

French. A man decides to finally go after his dream, to become a petanque champion. 

Director: Frédéric Berthe (2013) 

Cast: Gérard Depardieu, Virginie Efira, Atmen Kelif, 

Genre: Comedy 

 

Les goûts et les couleurs— available beginning July 28 

(English ST) 

A passionate young singer records an album with her idol, a 1970s rock icon, who accidentally dies. 

Director: Michel Leclerc (2022) 

Cast: Rebecca Marder, Félix Moati, Judith Chemla 

Genre: Comedy

 

August Theme: Vacation and comedies 

 

La 7ème compagnie au clair de lune 

In the final of Robert Lamoureux’s trilogy, three French soldiers return to their previous lives after being demobilized.  

Director: Robert Lamoureux (1977) 

Cast: Jean Lefebvre, Pierre Mondy, Henri Guybet 

Genre: Comedy  

 

On a retrouvé la 7ème compagnie 

A continuation of Robert Lamoureux’s classic comedy of the adventures of three French soldiers during World War II as they outwit their German captors. 

Director: Robert Lamoureux (1975) 

Cast: Jean Lefebvre, Pierre Mondy, Pierre Tornade 

Genre: Comedy  

 

Mais où est donc passée la 7ème compagnie 

Three French soldiers get lost somewhere on the Western Front in May of 1940 during the Battle of France.  

Director: Robert Lamoureux (1973) 

Cast: Jean Lefebvre, Pierre Mondy, Aldo Maccione 

Genre: Comedy  

 

Antilles sur seine 

The mayor of Marie-Galante, Guadeloupe, tries to get his wife back from kidnappers in Paris. 

Director: Pascal Légitimus (2000) 

Cast: Chantal Lauby, Med Hondo, Edouard Montoute 

Genre: Comedy  

 

Un profil pour deux 

(English ST) 

A 75-year-old widower, who has not left his home in two years, discovers the world of online dating. 

Director: Stéphane Robelin (2016) 

Cast: Pierre Richardn Yaniss Lespert, Fanny Valette 

Genre: Comedy  

 

Pièce montée 

(English ST) 

A bourgeois couple gets married the traditional way when unforeseen events occur.  

Director: Denys Granier-Deferre (2009) 

Cast: Jérémie Renier, Clémence Poésy, Danielle Darrieux 

Genre: Comedy  

 

Menteur 

(English ST) 

A pathological liar’s stories become a reality after family and friends can no longer stand his daily lies. 

Director: Olivier Baroux (2021) 

Cast: Tarek Boudali, Artus, Pauline Clément 

Genre: Comedy  

 

Les vedettes 

A failed singer, desperate to pay off his debts, convinces a naive and entitled co-worker to participate in game shows. 

Director: Jonathan Barré (2022) 

Cast: Grégoitr Ludig, David Marsais, Julien Pestel 

Genre: Comedy  

 

Le sens de la famille 

(English ST) 

One morning, the Morels discover they have a serious problem: everyone has woken up in the body of another member of the family!  

Director: Jean-Patrick Benes (2020) 

Cast: Franck Dubosc, Alexandre Lamy, Christiane Millet 

Genre: Comedy  

 

Petits désordre amoureux 

A friend challenges a Casanova to seduce a very pretty woman, chosen at random, to fall in love with her and spend the night with her but never to make love to her. 

Director: Olivier Péray (1998) 

Cast: Bruno Putzulu, Smadi Wolfman, Vincent Elbaz 

Genre: Comedy