ARTE Distribution

The art market had not yet experienced its digital revolution. Until that day of 2021, when NFTs, short for Non Fungible Token, appeared on your screens. Thanks to this new transaction technology, Beeple, an almost unknown digital artist, became the third most expensive living artist in the world.

NFTs promise to revolutionize the art market. More money for artists, fewer intermediaries, and fewer barriers for collectors. Will this digital revolution be virtuous, or will it meet the same fate as many others before it, emptied of their meaning and twisted from their original goals?

Dive into the heart of 19th century bustling Paris, following the adventures and destinies of legendary artists such as Hugo, Sand, Berlioz, Balzac, etc. These intrepid young souls shook conventions with their words and brushes. This one-of-a-kind animated series reveals the deepest secrets of these romantic heroes. Their fights still resonate in today’s world.

Entirely told in traditional 2D animation, this series recounts the story of literary and artistic Paris between 1824 and 1870. The protagonists Hugo, Berlioz, Chopin, Delacroix, Courbet, Baudelaire, Balzac or Dumas… Young intrepid artists, eager to awaken society and break the rules using all means at their disposal, whether it’s paintbrushes, pens or guns. Their crossed destinies are incredibly romantic and their fights terribly relevant.

The imaginary worlds of fantasy irrigate literature, cinema, video and role-playing games. Illustrator John Howe, the concept artist of The Lord of the Rings series, takes us on a wonderful four-part journey to discover the artists who have crafted fantasy.

Over the past twenty years, our views on Fantasy have shifted tremendously. Long reduced to repetitive adventures in comic books or movies with kitschy settings and poor scenarios, Fantasy now faces higher expectations from readers and critics alike, who demand complex heroes, strong female characters, original universes, in tune with more modern issues.
From its distant origins in myths and legends to its emergence into popular culture in the second half of the 20th century, fantasy has gradually taken shape over a history spanning more than a century. From the romantic Germany of the Brothers Grimm to the Texas plains where Robert E. Howard gave birth to the character of Conan, from the socialist utopias of William Morris to the tortured and eccentric mind of HP Lovecraft, John Howe’s travels will be interspersed with animated sequences breathing life into the stories that laid the foundations of the genre. To understand what makes these works so relevant and prevalent today, John Howe will be assisted by renowned experts such as S. T. Joshi, author of a 1200-page biography of Lovecraft, and Patrice Louinet, editor and translator of Robert E. Howard.
 

Dead at the age of 24 after starring in only three films, James Dean remains the icon par excellence, whose influence endures 70 years after he passed away. More than just a face and an attitude, he transformed the perception of masculinity, embracing his flaws, his doubts, his fragility, his loves, forging himself into an anti-hero. His life continues to inspire, making him a timeless legend and a paragon of freedom. 

Through his distinctive personality and the three films he starred in, Elia Kazan's East of Eden (1955), Nicholas Ray's Rebel Without a Cause (1955) and Georges Stevens' Giant (1956), James Dean created breaches in Hollywood rigidities, and helped reinvent masculinity in a more flexible way. His screen presence, marked by vulnerability and rebellion against classic masculine norms, introduced a less rigid male model. Dean, a modern man of many facets (he was openly bisexual), challenged conventional portrayals of manhood, becoming an icon of sensitivity and complexity. His unique contribution has had a lasting influence on the perception of masculinity, establishing a new ideal of the emotional, conflicted man, far removed from the unfailing heroes of yesterday. 

The rise and fall story of a troubling and fragile actor who would eventually get recognition for his talent. The case of Mickey Rourke is a real turning point in the way men have portrayed themselves in American cinema. 

How did Mickey Rourke, a beloved actor of the 80's who played the motorcycle boy in Rumble Fish, the crusading cop in Year of the Dragon and the cursed investigator in Angel Heart, turned so quickly into the ultimate persona non grata, a sad, tabloid-accustomed bad boy, a failed boxer and a living illustration of the excesses of plastic surgery? This film offers, beyond the classic story of a fall and a possible redemption, to draw the complex portrait of a fallen sex symbol who became an icon of trash by the force of representation of the Hollywood system.

Two times winner of the Palme d'Or, Ken Loach is one of the greatest contemporary filmmakers. This documentary shows in a punk and rebellious tone how Loach uses cinema as a political tool that allows to advocate for the advent of a more just society, by raising viewers' awareness.

Thanks to an exclusive and exceptional access to all the director's professional and personal archives, this documentary deciphers his work and the Ken Loach method: to make cinema a political weapon thanks to realistic films that move people. As a humanist, Ken Loach never stopped fighting against the implementation of neoliberalism at the end of the 70s with Margaret Thatcher coming to power in Great Britain. This apostle of subversion has twice won the prestigious Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival for his films The Wind That Shakes the Barley (2006) and I, Daniel Blake (2016). Now 86 years old, the tireless Ken Loach enters the production of his new feature film, The Old Oak, scheduled for release in 2023.

This film offers you the opportunity to learn about the composer's life through his letters, his handwritten notes and the testimonies of great musicians and artists of our time. 

Through writing and music, this film offers an intimate approach to Beethoven's life and work: discover the struggles of a man who never gave up.
Beethoven's correspondence and diaries make for a unique material. It sheds a light on the composer to reveal a side of him that has never been seen before. His temperament, his struggles, what he admired, what he hated, how he lived his life... Most of these precious writings are rarely talked about.

Takeshi Kitano is an international icon. We know the actor, the multi-award-winning filmmaker, but many ignore his split personality: the crazy TV star, the street kid from Tokyo close to the Yakuza, and the political satirist who blasted taboos!

Can we dream of a better guide to introduce us to the cultural history of Japan?

Rosa Bonheur, the animal painter adulated in France in the XIXth century, often forgotten in her country, is nevertheless a major figure of women's emancipation and of the animal cause.

Rosa Bonheur was a major figure of female emancipation: she was the first woman artist to receive the Legion of Honour, from the hands of another woman, the Empress Eugenie, who said on this occasion: “Genius has no sex”. She was also the first woman officially authorized to wear pants; the first to buy property with the fruit of her labor, thanks to the sale of a single painting; she settled in this property with several friends: living between women, sharing their fortunes between them, becoming heirs of each other, they founded a sisterhood that would leave a lasting impression on the French society of the time.

Official selection - 24th Luchon Television Creation Festival

Giacomo Puccini, his heroines, the liberating step forward they are in the history of women’s portrayal on the lyrical stage and what they reveal about the relations between Puccini and women. That is the subject of this documentary, nourished by fresh testimonies of the greatest puccinian sopranos of our time and their performances in Royal Opera House, Vienna State Opera or the Aix-en-Provence Festival ; by reenactment sequences shot in the artist’s tuscan villa ; and by numerous archives. For the 100th anniversary of the death of the most popular opera composer in 2024 and in partnership with the Simonetta Puccini per Giacomo Puccini Foundation and the Giacomo Puccini Lucca Foundation.

A journey into Gene Kelly’s world, genius dancer, choreographer, and director for whom dance was a political commitment.  This nobody from the American ghettos, imbued with the values of the American Dream, was able to forge his own path and create iconic works such as An American in Paris and Singin' in the Rain.

Gene Kelly is a dance icon of the silver screen. His assets – a he-man physique and a husky, immediately recognizable voice, combined with a winning smile, to which a little scar added rugged charm – attracted both male and female audiences. Women longed to be held in his arms while men were able to identify with the true-blue American persona of the Irish boy from Pittsburgh. Of course, his encounters with partners like Judy Garland (opposite whom he made his screen debut), Cyd Charisse, Debbie Reynolds, (to whom he offered starring roles in Singin’ in The Rain and An American in Paris) and Leslie Caron are mesmerizing. But his career coincides perfectly with the rise of the Hollywood musical, a genre he applied his talent and energy to revolutionizing. From his breakthrough as a dancer to his consecration as a director, he continually explored the possibilities of cinema, constantly pushing the envelope: dancing outdoors, literally in the streets; imposing innovative camera movements; and experimenting with new effects, including film animation. When you watch them, you are with the magical Gene Kelly. Dance and music were his instruments of predilection. Each shot, each move, and each measure are a perfect fit for the star whose only model was himself. This is the story of an anti-hero who became an American myth.

As the heiress to one of cinema's greatest couple (Vincente Minnelli & Judy Garland), she followed the “golden path". After winning an Academy Award for her memorable performance in Cabaret, she became one of Hollywood's most beloved and much-maligned living icons.

From a very early age, Liza Minnelli was exposed to the fascinating and legendary world of musical comedy, and though she was barely out of the cradle, she started singing, dancing, and acting. From her Oscar-winning performance in Cabaret to electrifying stage presence, the documentary explores her rise amidst the shadows of her legendary parents, Judy Garland, and Vincente Minnelli. Through archival footage and intimate interviews, it reveals her triumphs, struggles with addiction, and resilient spirit. Despite personal setbacks, Liza's talent and determination shine, inspiring audiences worldwide. With poignant insights and memorable moments, the film celebrates Liza's enduring legacy as an entertainment powerhouse and beacon of strength in the face of adversity.