Antonin Baudry & Simon Abkarian Talk French Box Office Hit ‘De Gaulle’: “The National Icon Did Not Exist In 1940”

Director Antonin Baudry has made *De Gaulle: Resistance and Liberty*, a two-part historical epic about how the little-known general became a leader of the French Resistance after France surrendered to Nazi Germany in 1940. Its success in France and upcoming US premiere bring attention to a period Baudry says has rarely been shown on screen, while the film presents de Gaulle as an isolated and unusual figure rather than the established national icon.

The story runs from 1940 to 1942, following de Gaulle, Winston Churchill and Fernand Bonnier de la Chapelle, without flashbacks. The $84 million Pathé production took more than five years to make and has earned over $50 million in France since its summer release. Both films will screen back-to-back in Los Angeles on 7 November, with the second part making its US premiere, followed by a discussion with Baudry and actor Simon Abkarian.