Discover the best of French cinema, film, and television

Discover the definitive list of popular and critically-acclaimed movies and TV shows from France. Find your next binge-watch, streaming on Netflix, HBO, Hulu, Prime Video, and other top services!

The cinema of France

To speak of French cinema is to speak of the very birthplace of the art form itself, a national passion that blends intellectual depth with incredible style. It is, quite simply, essential. The story begins here, with the Lumière brothers inventing the cinematograph. But its soul was truly forged in the 1960s with the legendary Nouvelle Vague (New Wave). Rule-breakers like Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut tore up the filmmaking handbook, inspiring generations of directors across the globe. This spirit of the cinéma d'auteur—the director as the true artist—remains at the heart of its identity. This legacy has produced a stunningly diverse filmography. It gave the world the whimsical, heart-warming charm of Amélie, the stylish cool of Luc Besson’s blockbusters, and the powerful, intimate dramas of modern masters like Céline Sciamma. It is also home to the prestigious Cannes Film Festival, the world’s most glamorous cinematic showcase. In recent years, this creative excellence has conquered television. The witty series Call My Agent! (Dix pour cent) and the slick, clever adventure Lupin have become massive global sensations. What makes French cinema so enduring is this beautiful balance. It is a cinema of ideas and of pure entertainment, a place where philosophy and fun are the best of friends.

Best French series

  • Poster for Lupin

    Lupin 2021

    Inspired by the adventures of Arsène Lupin, gentleman thief Assane Diop sets out to avenge his father for an injustice inflicted by a wealthy family.

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  • Poster for The Returned

    The Returned 2012

    In the shadow of an enormous hydraulic dam, the lives of the residents of a small French town are changed to their core when hundreds of previously dead relatives all return home on the same day.

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  • Poster for Marianne

    Marianne 2019

    When a novelist realizes her terrifying stories are coming true, she returns to her hometown to face the demons from her past that inspire her writing.

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  • Poster for War of the Worlds

    War of the Worlds 2019

    When astronomers detect a transmission from another galaxy, it is definitive proof of intelligent extra-terrestrial life. The world’s population waits for further contact with bated breath. They do not have to wait long. Within days, mankind is all but wiped out by a devastating attack; pockets of humanity are left in an eerily deserted world. As aliens hunt and kill those left alive, the survivors ask a burning question – who are these attackers and why are they hell-bent on our destruction?

    67
  • Poster for Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir

    Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir 2015

    Marinette and Adrien, two Parisian teenagers, are entrusted with powerful jewels in order to transform into superheroes Ladybug and Cat Noir. But neither hero knows the other's true identity — or that they're classmates!

    78
  • Poster for The Staircase

    The Staircase 2004

    Academy Award-winning documentary filmmaker, Jean-Xavier de Lestrade, presents a gripping courtroom thriller, offering a rare and revealing inside look at a high-profile murder trial. In 2001, author Michael Peterson was arraigned for the murder of his wife Kathleen, whose body was discovered lying in a pool of blood on the stairway of their home. Granted unusual access to Peterson's lawyers, home and immediate family, de Lestrade's cameras capture the defense team as it considers its strategic options. The series is an engrossing look at contemporary American justice that features more twists than a legal bestseller.

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Best French movies

  • Poster for Lucy

    Lucy 2014

    A woman, accidentally caught in a dark deal, turns the tables on her captors and transforms into a merciless warrior evolved beyond human logic.

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  • Poster for Léon: The Professional

    Léon: The Professional 1994

    Léon, the top hit man in New York, has earned a rep as an effective "cleaner". But when his next-door neighbors are wiped out by a loose-cannon DEA agent, he becomes the unwilling custodian of 12-year-old Mathilda. Before long, Mathilda's thoughts turn to revenge, and she considers following in Léon's footsteps.

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  • Poster for The Fifth Element

    The Fifth Element 1997

    In 2257, a taxi driver is unintentionally given the task of saving a young girl who is part of the key that will ensure the survival of humanity.

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  • Poster for The Intouchables

    The Intouchables 2011

    A true story of two men who should never have met – a quadriplegic aristocrat who was injured in a paragliding accident and a young man from the projects.

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  • Poster for Assassin's Creed

    Assassin's Creed 2016

    Through a technology that unlocks the generic memories of his ancestor in 15th century Spain, Callum Lynch discovers he is a descendant of an ancient line of Assassins and amasses lethal skills to take on the oppressive Templar Order.

    62
  • Poster for Taken

    Taken 2008

    Bryan Mills, a former government operative, is trying to reconnect with his teenage daughter Kim. After reluctantly agreeing with his ex-wife to let Kim go to Paris on vacation with a friend, his worst nightmare comes true. While on the phone with his daughter shortly after she arrives in Paris, she and her friend are abducted by a gang of human traffickers. Working against the clock, Bryan relies on his extensive training and skills to track down the ruthless gang that abducted her and launch a one-man war to rescue his daughter.

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