It's one of the least successful genres in cinemas, but also the one that contains the most nuggets. Documentary is a genre in a class of its own, always close to reality and sometimes attempting to push the boundaries of simple reporting by creating a true work of cinema. Some filmmakers specialize in this genre, while others alternate between fiction and documentary. In fact, some of the world's greatest directors, known for their fiction, have gone on to produce prodigious documentaries, such as Martin Scorsese, Werner Herzog and Agnès Varda.
There are lots of good reasons to go and see documentaries at the cinema. First of all, it's a great way to learn more about subjects that interest you. Documentaries can give you new perspectives on historical events, fascinating personalities or complex subjects. Documentaries are a broad genre and can take many different forms: portraiture, archival illustration, live footage, and more.
They can also make you think about important issues of our time, and help you realize the impact of our actions on the world around us. Finally, watching documentaries in the cinema is a unique, immersive experience that allows you to immerse yourself in a subject in a deeper way than watching a documentary on TV or a computer screen.
Discover below our selection of documentaries currently showing in cinemas and coming soon.
- This list is regularly updated -
Madame Hofmann by Sébastien Lifshitz: Our opinion and the documentary trailer
With Madame Hofmann, Sébastien Lifshitz paints a funny, tender portrait of Sylvie Hofmann, a nurse for 40 years at Marseille's Hôpital Nord hospital. In cinemas April 10, 2024. [Read more]
Steve McQueen's Occupied City: a radical documentary lasting over 4 hours - Our opinion
The filmmaker best known for his masterpiece, "12 Years a Slave", presents "Occupied City", a radical artistic gesture: a documentary of over four hours on the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam during the war. The film is due in cinemas on April 24, 2024. [Read more]
La Belle de Gaza by Yolande Zauberman, special screening at Cannes 2024 Festival
La Belle de Gaza by Yolande Zauberman, a documentary about Palestinian transsexuals fleeing Gaza for Tel Aviv. A special screening at the Cannes Film Festival, the film is due in cinemas on May 29, 2024. [Read more]
A great program to discover without delay!
And to make sure you don't miss out on any of the latest cinema news, don't hesitate to consult our other guides to the seventh art.
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