Héroïnes

In 1940 Claude Cahun and Marcel Moore, two lesbian and Jewish artists, move from Paris to Jersey island to escape the Nazi persecution. Threatened by the arrival of German troops on the island too, resist. Armed with a 8mm camera, they create an army of "nameless soldiers" who panic the Nazi machine. A film about love, passion for art and the resistance of two heroines who challenge totalitarianism with the power of the imagination; a work that supports the radical flair of its protagonists by resorting to divergent narrative and stylistic registers, juxtaposing the analog creaks of surrealist ascendancy with more "contemporary", muscular, punk-looking forms of subversion typical of genre cinema.

Directed by Astré Desrives, Héroïnes leans on a strong ensemble — Sophie Demeyer, Jeanne Moynot, Aurélien Deseez — to carry a story that balances spectacle with character.

The film landed with audiences for its craft and performances, and remains one of the most talked-about history titles of 2023.