Cinémathèque Française: the French film archive hosts talks and interviews with filmmakers
The Cinémathèque is also screening films
mk2 Curiosity: the film production and distribution company mk2 provides free access to a weekly selection of films
PLease note access to TV shows isn’t normally free.
One of the topics covered by our first-year students is decolonisation. Au service de la France (in English A Very Secret Service) is a recent comedy-drama series that looks at France’s role as a declining international power in the 1960s, as seen through the eyes of the French Secret Services. Available on Netflix.
If you like police procedurals, you may already know about Engrenages (in English Spiral), which is grittier than most mainstream French TV in this genre, and shows Paris from a much less stereotyped perspective than usual. Available on Netflix, Amazon Prime, and YouTube on subscription.
Comédie-Française: the French state theatre is showing a programme of performances, interviews, readings etc. each evening during lockdown
Théâtre du Soleil: this avant-garde Parisian theatre has a Vimeo channel where you can view complete or partial performances. More extracts, interviews etc. from the Théâtre du Soleil
Théâtre de la Tempête: a selection of performances and readings
Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe: this long-established national theatre is screening performances of work by various authors from France and elsewhere, including the 17th-century playwright Molière
The website French Culture is a public radio channel with plenty of interesting material. Search the archives for shows such as ‘La Compagnie des œuvres’ and the ‘Compagnie des poètes’ you can usually find something on the writer or artist who interests you.
Alternatively, scroll through the list of broadcasts and podcasts.