The Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé Foundation is presenting a major exhibition featuring more than 300 works and documents that shed light on the French film industry between 1940 and 1944
From November 27, 2026, to July 10, 2027, the Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé Foundation presents “Screens Under Pressure: Cinema During the Occupation.” Through more than 300 works, film clips, posters, costumes, and previously unseen archival materials displayed across two floors, the exhibition explores the daily lives of the French people who frequented movie theaters between 1940 and 1944. Divided into two major chronological and thematic sections, the exhibition highlights the challenges faced by a film industry caught between censorship, propaganda, anti-Semitic plunder, and a surge of artistic creativity. On the ground floor, visitors are immersed in the production processes of newsreels and documentaries under the control of the Vichy regime and the Occupation authorities, accompanied by screening booths and contemporary film costumes. On the first floor, visitors learn about film productions amid shortages, double censorship, the ousting of Jewish figures, and the creation of Continental Films. The exhibition also explores the diversity of genres (light comedies, romances, fantasy) and stars (Danielle Darrieux, Arletty, Fernandel, Tino Rossi), culminating in the masterpiece of the Liberation, *Les Enfants du paradis*. In parallel, the Foundation is organizing a symposium, specialized discussions, and a dedicated film series at the Cinémathèque Pathé (“Pontcarral, Colonel of the Empire,” “Goupi Mains Rouges,” “The Assassination of Santa Claus,” etc.).
