About the Show
Season 4 of Cinéma Français, LPB's ongoing showcase of French heritage and language, consists of six French language films. The program is hosted by Dr. William Arceneaux, the founder of La Fondation Louisiane and director of The Foundation for Excellence in Louisiana Public Broadcasting.
Season 4 Schedule
LE BON ET LES MECHANTS (GOOD GUYS AND BAD GUYS)
Sunday, January 18
Spanning the uneasy years from 1935 to 1945, this crime drama follows a band of thieves navigating survival as France edges toward war and occupation. As loyalties shift, the boundary between criminal and patriot steadily erodes.
MADAME ROSA (MAMA ROSA)
Sunday, January 25
Set in the working-class neighborhoods of Paris, this deeply humane drama follows an elderly Jewish woman devoted to caring for the children of prostitutes. Her bond with an adolescent Algerian boy becomes a tender reflection on compassion, dignity, and survival on society’s margins.
L’ARMEE DES OMBRES (ARMY IN THE SHADOWS)
Sunday, February 1
In Nazi-occupied France, a small group of Resistance fighters moves in secrecy between safe houses and covert missions, bound by loyalty and haunted by betrayal. With capture and execution always near, the film offers a stark meditation on endurance, sacrifice, and moral resolve.
LA BANQUIERE (THE LADY BANKER)
Sunday, February 8
Inspired by a true story, this historical drama traces the rise of Emma Eckhert from modest beginnings to financial prominence between 1914 and 1938. As her influence expands in a male-dominated world, ambition, public trust, and consequence quietly converge.
POLICE PYTHON 357 (THE CASE AGAINST FERRO)
Sunday, February 15
A seasoned police inspector becomes ensnared in a deadly web of corruption when a secret relationship ends in murder. As evidence is turned against him, the pursuit of justice gives way to betrayal and institutional rot.
UN COEUR EN HIVER (A HEART IN WINTER)
Sunday, February 22
Set in the world of classical music, this subtle drama follows a gifted violinist drawn to a reserved violin maker whose emotional distance proves both alluring and impenetrable. As longing meets restraint, the film reflects on love, detachment, and the quiet cost of feelings left unspoken.