#2: Classic Film at International Festivals
This is Film! #2: Classic Film at International Festivals
This Is Film! #2 explores the curation and promotion of classic films at international festivals. We will be joined by guest speaker Gérald Duchaussoy, curator of Cannes Classics and co-Head of the International Classic Film Market at the Festival Lumière in Lyon.
The Cannes Classics section at the Cannes Film Festival, which has existed since 2004, premieres restored films from around the world. It programs both well-known classics as well as lesser-known gems from countries that historically didn't get as much exposure in the European film market. The Festival Lumière, also taking place in France, is a festival entirely dedicated to classic cinema.
This session will reflect on the role of institutions and festivals in keeping film heritage alive. Gérald Duchaussoy will talk about the importance of bringing restored works to new audiences, to encourage their discovery (or rediscovery), to honour the artists who created them, and to keep great classics in motion.
Gérald will be in conversation with Maral Mohsenin, Director Collection & Knowledge Sharing at Eye. The talk will be followed by a screening of Marcel Pagnol's Merlusse (1935), whose restored version premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2025.
Guest
Gérald Duchaussoy Gérald Duchaussoy has overseen the Cannes Classics section at the Festival de Cannes since 2014 and is co-Head of the International Classic Film Market at the festival Lumière in Lyon. He is a Paris III University graduate and wrote two theses on cigarettes in Hollywood films and on Saturday Night Live.
Programme
Merlusse (Marcel Pagnol, FR 1935, 72’)
Merlusse is a one-eyed, much-feared teacher at an all-boys boarding school. The school empties as Christmas approaches, but a handful of boys are left behind to spend the holidays under the austere watch of Merlusse. This first original screenplay, written by playwright, novelist, and filmmaker Marcel Pagnol, was filmed during the Christmas holidays at the Lycée Thiers in Marseille, Pagnol’s own former school, and the child actors were actual students there. We will be showing the 4K restoration by CMF-MPC and the Cinémathèque française.
This is part of
Details
Production year
2026
Length
150 min.
Event language
English
Country
NL
Part of
This is Film! 2026
This is Film! Film Heritage in Practice is an annual public lecture series in collaboration with the University of Amsterdam devoted to notable projects in the fields of film restoration and film heritage, with international guest speakers and film screenings.
Share your love for film and become a member of the Eye Society.