Throughout October, the international French-language network TV5 Monde offers a rich lineup of entertaining films, series, and variety shows.

Discover our round-up of the must-see programs this month below.

TV5 Monde

Films

La mif— October 12 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT
Selected films in partnership with TV5MONDE and The Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur (FIFF), October 3-10. Also streaming on TV5MONDEplus (English ST).

In a youth center, when a tragic event provokes an altercation between educators and teenage girls, Lora, the director, has to defend her way of working. She is faced with a rigid board of directors, young women whose trust has been shaken and rules that are showing their limits.

Director: Frédéric Baillif (Switzerland, 2021)
Cast: Claudia Grob, Anaïs Uldry, Kassia Da Costa, Amélie Tonsi
Genre: Drama
Awards: Jury Prize at Ohlalà French Film Festival (Spain, 2023), International Grand Jury Prize for the Best Film at Berlinale – Generation 14 plus Section (Germany, 2021), Agnès Prize at Namur International Festival (Belgium, 2021)

Le grand homme — October 14 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT
Selected films in partnership with TV5MONDE and The Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur (FIFF), October 3-10
Also streaming on TV5MONDEplus beginning on October 1 (English ST)

Afghanistan. Markov saves Hamilton from certain death. In Paris, Hamilton, in recovery, wants to return to the foreign legion, while Markov, now a civilian with no documents, tries to survive with his son Khadji. Hamilton gives the Chechen his civilian identity so he can work legally. But then Markov disappears…

Director: Sarah Leonor (France, 2013)
Cast: Jérémie Renier, Surho Sugaipov, Ramzan Idiev, Jean-Yves Ruf
Genre: Drama

Fifi — October 26 at 9:30pm ET/6:30pm PT
Selected films in partnership with TV5MONDE and The Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur (FIFF), October 3-10
Also streaming on TV5MONDEplus (English ST).

15-year-old Sophie, known as Fifi, has to spend the summer with her parents, brothers, and sisters, in a cramped flat in a rowdy Nancy council estate. With her friend Jade away on holiday, she picks up her keys and takes refuge in her flat. But Stéphane, Jade’s older brother, arrives unexpectedly…

Director: Jeanne Aslan, Paul Saintillan (France, 2022)
Cast: Céleste Brunnquell, Quentin Dolmaire, Ilan Schermann, Chloé Mons
Genre: Dramedy
Awards: Official selection (FIFF Namur 2022), Grand Prix (San Sebastian 2022), Best Actor for Quentin Dolmaire (Angers Premiers Plans 2023)

Series

Virage, Double faute — Fridays beginning October 3 at 11:30pm ET/8:30pm PT
Season 2 Premiere
Also streaming on TV5MONDEplus (French ST).

A Québécois sports drama anthology series, with each season focusing on a professional athlete at a major crossroads. In season 2, “Double faute,” a professional tennis player consumed by anxiety, has never really lived up to his mother’s expectations. At 30, he should be thinking about retiring, but meeting up with his former coach again could well change all that.
Ep. 1: During a tournament, Charles meets up with his former coach, who’s just lost his contract with an international star. Charles tries to persuade him to team up with him again in a final attempt to reach the top of the rankings table.

Director: Rafaël Ouellet (Canada/Quebec, 2023)
Cast: Éric Bruneau, Louis Morissette, Sylvie Léonard, Denis Marchand, Karl Farah
Genre: Drama, miniseries

Leibowitz contre Leibowitz— Sundays beginning on October 5 at 11:30pm ET/8:30pm PT
Season 1 Premiere
Also streaming on TV5MONDEplus (English ST).

50-year-old Paule, a brilliant lawyer, has dedicated her life to the firm she created with ex-husband Simon. But life turns upside down when she discovers Simon has secretly married legal associate Irène, 20 years his junior. Paule and Irène find themselves bound together in running the Lebowitz law firm.
Ep. 1: Paule is savoring a successful defense when she discovers that her ex-husband, Simon, had married her colleague Irène six months earlier. Furious, she confronts him; Simon has a heart attack. With Irène inheriting his shares in the firm, the two women will have to learn to work together.

Director: Frédéric Berthe (France, 2015)
Cast: Clémentine Célarié, Michel Jonasz, Caroline Anglade, Cécile Rebboah
Genre: Drama, thriller

Rivages—Tuesdays beginning October 7 at 11:30pm ET/8:30pm PT
Season 1
(English ST)

After a trawler mysteriously sinks and its crew goes missing, oceanographer Abigail is dispatched by IFREMER to Fécamp—her hometown that she left years earlier in the wake of a family tragedy.
Ep. 1: Abigail, an oceanologist, is sent by Ifremer on a mission to Fécamp, following the unexplained sinking of a trawler. The task proves complicated: mysterious phenomena continue to occur at sea, while Abigail comes face to face with her past, which she had fled when she left Fécamp a few years earlier.

Director: David Hourrègue (France, 2024)
Cast: Fleur Geffrier, Guillaume Labbé, Thierry Godard, Jean-Marc Barr
Genre: Sci-fi, miniseries

Fred l’handicapé—October 31 at 12:30pm ET/9:30pm PT
Season 1 Premiere
Also streaming on TV5MONDEplus (French ST).

Fred had hardly started university when breaking his back in an accident left him paralyzed. Armed with his great sense of humor, he manages to keep his spirits up despite the tragedy. Thanks to the help of those around him, he learns to live with his new condition.
Ep. 1: Fred ends up paralyzed after breaking two vertebrae in an accident. How will his relationship with Myriam change following the tragedy and all its challenges?

Director: André Roy (Canada/Quebec, 2023)
Cast: Antoine Michaud, Josiane Benoît, David Losier, Karène Chiasson
Genre: Comedy, miniseries

Documentaries

Le divan du monde— October 7 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT
In celebration of World Mental Health Day, October 10
Also streaming on TV5MONDEplus (English ST).

Patients from all walks of life visit the practice of Georges Federmann, a Strasbourg-based psychiatrist, atypical and iconoclastic, who receives them without appointments. Diane, Karim, Gilbert, Abou, and many others come here to find refuge, a listening ear, comforting words, and a desire to live that must be preserved.

Director: Swen de Pauw (France, 2015)
Cast: Céleste Brunnquell, Quentin Dolmaire, Ilan Schermann, Chloé Mons
Genre: Documentary
Awards: GNCR prize (National Group of Research Cinemas) at FIDMarseille (France, 2015); selected at Filmer à tout prix (Belgium, 2015), and at the Montreal International Documentary Festival (Canada, 2015)

En route ! Quand la nationale 7 révolutionna la gastronomie française— October 15 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT
In celebration of The Week of Taste, October 13–18
Also streaming on TV5MONDEplus (English ST).

How did France become the country of gastronomy? A journey back to the 1900s. Thousands of motorists are taking to the roads for the first time, particularly on the Nationale 7. At each stage, restaurants and inns opened to serve them: a dynasty of chefs has been born.

Director: Stanislas Kraland (France, 2024)
Host: Juliette Armanet
Genre: Documentary, cuisine

État limite— October 19 at 8:30pm ET/5:30pm PT
In celebration of World Mental Health Day on October 10
Also streaming on TV5MONDEplus (English ST)

How can one provide proper care in a sick institution? Psychiatrist at Beaujon Hospital in Clichy, Jamal Abdel-Kader tirelessly navigates between wards and patients. Despite performance requirements and a lack of resources, he strives to ease their suffering.

Director: Nicolas Peduzzi (France, 2023)
Cast: Céleste Brunnquell, Quentin Dolmaire, Ilan Schermann, Chloé Mons
Genre: Documentary
Awards: Special Mention of the Jury at the Copenhagen International Documentary Festival CPH:DOX (Denmark, 2023); Audience Award and Special Jury Prize of the City at the Filmer le Travail Festival (France, 2023); selected by the ACID section at the Cannes Film Festival (France, 2024)

Vaincre l’impossible— October 25 at 10:30pm ET/7:30pm PT
Also streaming on TV5MONDEplus (English ST)

The Brazilian Forest is the planet’s green lung. But, each year, millions of hectares are decimated. We meet two women, with radically different lives and actions, as they battle to save the Atlantic Forest: Anita Studer, a Swiss biologist and founder of Nordesta, and Hamangai Marcos Melo Pataxó, a Brazilian activist.

Director: Marina Wutholen, Arno Bitschy (France, Switzerland, 2022)
Genre: Documentary, environment

TV5 Monde Plus

Films

Dalva— Streaming on TV5MONDEplus (English ST)
Selected films in partnership with TV5MONDE and The Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur (FIFF), October 3-10

12-year-old Dalva behaves and dresses like a grown woman. The authorities are notified, and her single father’s custody is withdrawn. She is put in a hostel where she starts to rebel against this situation, which she finds unfair before gradually realizing what she has endured.

Director: Emmanuelle Nicot (Belgium, France, 2022)
Cast: Zelda Samson, Alexis Manenti, Fanta Guirassi, Marie Denarnaud
Genre: Drama
Awards: Cannes Film Festival Louis Roederer Foundation Rising Star Award, FIPRESCI Prize Winners; Critics’ Week Grand Prize, Golden Camera Nominees (2022); Young Talent Award at Hamburg International Festival (Germany, 2022); Young Jury Prize at Stuttgart International French Film Festival (Germany, 2022); Jury Prize and Best Actress (Fanta Guirassi) at Namur International French Film Festival (Belgium, 2022)

Series

Mindblow — Streaming on TV5MONDEplus (English ST)
In celebration of The Fête de la Science, October 3–13

Markus, a former music show contestant, has been mocked his whole life. At 40, he is offered the opportunity to change his past. Immersed in an alternative reality, he becomes a superstar but loses his love forever.

Director: Eric Andreae (Switzerland, 2024)
Cast: Dimitri Stapfer, Sylvie Marinkovic, Kay Kysela, Helen Wills, Eric Lüthi
Genre: Sci-fi

Documentaries

Donner l’goût— Streaming on TV5MONDEplus (English ST)
In celebration of The Week of Taste, October 13–18

Explore the diverse cultures that influence Quebec’s identity through its cuisine and chefs, hosted by Hélène Bourgeois Leclerc.
Director: Xavier Havitov (Canada/Quebec, 2025)
Host: Hélène Bourgeois Leclerc
Genre: Cooking series

On va dire les termes— Now streaming Season 2 on TV5MONDEplus (English ST)
TV5MONDE original coproduction

With her unique style and her sharp eye for detail, Professor Athéna Sol — followed by 1.2 million subscribers on TikTok and nearly 500,000 on Instagram — returns for season 2 to unpack eight words that are shaking up society: masculinisme, cringe, prompt, tana, gadji / gadjo, tchip, sapiosexuel, and boss des bécosses. These are terms that emerge, spark debate, and sometimes even make their way into the dictionary.

Director: Sarah Veysseyre (France, 2025)
Host: Athéna Sol
Genre: Education, web series

Cosmic pudding— Now streaming on TV5MONDEplus (English ST)
In celebration of The Fête de la Science, October 3–13, and The Week of Taste, October 13–18

Cosmic Pudding takes viewers on a playful voyage through time and outer space, immersing them in a universe of celestial objects, light, and discovery. All visuals are created entirely from everyday foods, transformed through animation into extraordinary cosmic phenomena.

Director: Geneviève Anhoury (France, 2023)
Genre: Education, animation, kids and family, short film

HITL.2 – Human in the loop— Now streaming on TV5MONDEplus (English ST)
In celebration of The Fête de la Science, October 3–13

One stage, one audience, two dancers and instructions generated live by artificial intelligence and discovered by the performers over the course of the performance. The artistic process is revealed gradually, as strange as it is quirky, and our freedom within a given structure, often ruled by algorithms, comes under question.

Director: Marie-Ève Hildbrand (Switzerland, 2025)
Performers: Clara Delorme, Gabriel Obergfell
Genre: Arts and Culture

TV5 Monde Cinema

Theme: Celebrated French Actors and Actresses

Le mouton enragé— available beginning October 3
(English ST)

A cynical tragicomedy about the different ways of loving during the sexual revolution.

Director: Michel Deville (1974)
Cast: Jean-Louis Trintignant, Romy Schneider, Jean-Pierre Cassel, Jane Birkin
Genre: Dramedy

Arrête avec tes mensonges— available beginning October 3 (English ST)

A novelist returns to his hometown after many years and meets the son of his first love.

Director: Olivier Peyon (2023)
Cast: Guillaume de Tonquédec, Jérémy Gillet, Victor Belmondo
Genre: Drama
Awards: Selected for Cinémania (Canada, 2022), French Cinema Festival of Israel (Israel, 2023), Tapis Rouge, French Film Festival (Netherlands, 2023), Angoulême Francophone Film Festival Official Selection (2022)

La pampa— available beginning October 10 (English ST)

To escape boredom, two childhood best friends dive into the world of motocross.

Director: Antoine Chevrollier (2025)
Cast: Sayyid El Alami, Amaury Foucher, Damien Bonnard
Genre: Drama
Awards: Cannes Film Festival Critics’ Week Grand Prize, Golden Camera, and Queen Palm Nominees (2024)

La femme fardée— available beginning October 10 (English ST)

Couples clash and dramas arise as passengers on a luxury cruise make their way to Mykonos.

Director: José Pinheiro (1990)
Cast: Jeanne Moreau, Anthony Delon, Jacqueline Maillan
Genre: Comedy

Ma France à moi— available beginning October 17 (English ST)

Since her husband’s death, a widow living alone decides to host a young Afghan refugee through a radio-announced NGO program.

Director: Benoît Cohen (2023)
Cast: Fanny Ardant, Nawid Elham
Genre: Drama

C’est le monde à l’envers— available beginning October 17 (English ST)

After a Parisian trader loses everything, he is forced to take refuge on a country farm with his wife and child.

Director: Laura Morante (2024)
Cast: Michaël Youn, Valérie Bonneton, Barbara Schulz
Genre: Dramedy

Mon milieu— available beginning October 24 (English ST)

After 20 years in prison, a man must confront his past and reconnect with his family.

Director: Milo Chiarini (2022)
Cast: Milo Chiarini, Nicolas Morazzani, Sabrina Nouchi
Genre: Drama

Les dents longues— available beginning October 24 (English ST)

A young journalist makes his debut in Lyon, where he meets a woman and falls in love.

Director: Daniel Gélin (1953)
Cast: Danièle Delorme, Daniel Gélin, Jean Chevrier
Genre: Dramedy

L’art d’être heureux— available beginning October 31 (English ST)

An unknown painter decides to quit his job as a teacher and move to Normandy.

Director: Stefan Liberski (2024)
Cast: Benoît Poelvoorde, Camille Cottin, François Damiens
Genre: Comedy

Mort un dimanche de pluie— available beginning October 31 (English ST)

A paraplegic seeks revenge on an architect who was partly to blame for the accident.

Director: Joël Santoni (1986)
Cast: Nicole Garcia, Jean-Pierre Bacri, Dominique Lavanant
Genre: Thriller