On set: "De Gaulle", two films, one historic destiny
Six years in the making, two films and a rare ambition: the film “De Gaulle: Résistance” is preparing to meet its audience where epic productions can truly be experienced, namely on the silver screen. Directed by Antonin Baudry, the film is one of the most eagerly awaited French films of the year, designed for the big screen. Adapted from the book by historian Julian Jackson and presented out of competition at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, this biopic, with its decidedly modern staging, traces the journey of General de Gaulle, bringing the French Resistance back to life amid the turmoil of 1940.
As the film’s principal partner, BNP Paribas also helped finance the production through its Image & Media Business Centre. Featuring an all-star cast (Simon Abkarian, Benoit Magimel, Mathieu Kassovitz, Niels Schneider), this historical epic comes in two parts: “De Gaulle: Résistance” will be in French cinemas from 3 June 2026. The second part “De Gaulle: Liberté” is due for release on 3 July 2026. Go behind the scenes of this cinematic adventure through interviews with the film's cast and crew on We Love Cinema by BNP Paribas.
Cinema and society: passing on and sharing the nation's collective memory
Behind Antonin Baudry's camera, an entire era is brought back to life. Beyond the spectacle, the film opens up a broader reflection on the role of cinema as a guardian of memory. BNP Paribas' commitment to this historical figure goes beyond the cinematic realm. From supporting film production to preserving archives, BNP Paribas also contributes to preserving and passing on the nation’s collective memory, helping to make history more accessible, engaging and shareable.
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Sharing History with future generations
To accompany the release of “De Gaulle: Résistance” and help share this major chapter of history, BNP Paribas is inviting nearly 10,000 people to discover the film in French cinemas, through invitations distributed on the Croisette in Cannes, tickets to be won on welovecinema.bnpparibas... On 18 June 2026, the Group also marks the anniversary of General de Gaulle's historic “Appeal of 18 June” by offering 2,000 cinema tickets to travellers in the boarding area of Terminal 2D at Paris-Charles-de-Gaulle Airport (in partnership with Paris Aeroport). Another 3,000 will be given out to visitors of the Group's 59 branches whose address bears the General's name, throughout France. A tangible way to bring history to life and enable as many people as possible to experience this story on the big screen.
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BNP Paribas: supporting the preservation of national heritage
The Mission Libération's Commemorative ProgrammeTo preserve an essential part of the national memory while making it accessible, BNP Paribas helped secure the acquisition of 400 items from General de Gaulle's personal archives into public collections during an auction held at the end of 2024. Some 140 lots were thereby pre-empted with the support of BNP Paribas and made available to the BnF and the National Archives, where they are now accessible to the general public. This approach is part of a broader commemorative context, supported by the Liberation Mission, from which BNP Paribas was the main sponsor between 2024 and 2025. The aim of this initiative was to commemorate the end of the Second World War and the liberation of mainland France.
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André Debray, the banker who served the Resistance
Discover the portrait of André DebrayIn occupied Paris in the 1940s, a director of the Banque de Paris et des Pays-Bas led a secret life. Under the pseudonym “Bossuet”, André Debray presided over the Financial Committee of the Resistance, secretly bringing together Michel Debré, Jacques Chaban-Delmas, René Courtin and Jacques Soulas in his own office. Together, they devised a clandestine loan programme which, passed from hand to hand, financed the Resistance networks. A true story worthy of the finest spy thrillers.
A summer full of emotion: when cinema becomes a celebration!
In summer, film festivals reminds us how unique the cinema experience remains: the place where we discover films and share the emotion of a screening as part of a collective experience. BNP Paribas supports the entire cinema value chain: by backing film production (with more than half of all films produced in France funded by the Group), by supporting cinema exhibitors (with more than half of all cinemas financed in France), and by inviting as many people as possible to experience the emotions of cinema throughout the year, during summer festivals and events.
Celebrating film in France and beyond
In France, The Fête du Cinéma, which runs from 28 June to 1 July 2026! For 4 days, invite all film lovers to take advantage of a flat rate of €5 per screening to discover all the films currently showing in all cinemas across France. A partner of the Fête du Cinéma for 22 years, BNP Paribas is building on this momentum by offering 15,000 tickets to all film lovers: including 5,000 to be won on welovecinema.bnpparibas, and 1,500 to young people from partner associations of the BNP Paribas Foundation. A tangible way to help make the Fête du Cinéma an unmissable annual event for film lovers.
In Belgium, BNP Paribas Fortis’s We Love Cinema Days (September) unites 450 cinemas with a ‘buy one, get one free’ offer, attracting massive audiences and supporting both indie theaters and multiplexes
Now showing: films financed by BNP Paribas
After the cinemas and the audiences, it's time for the films themselves! The leading financial partner of European cinema, BNP Paribas provides support, through its Image & Media Business Centre and the specialised subsidiaries Cofiloisirs and Cinécapital, for a wide variety of films to discover in cinemas. Art films, comedies, thrillers or epic dramas: several films will be released in the coming weeks. Discover the films financed by BNP Paribas that will be showing in cinemas between 1 June and 30 July 2026.
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La Bataille de Gaulle : L'âge de fer
by Antonin Baudry -
La Bataille de Gaulle : J'écris ton nom
by Antonin Baudry
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IN WAVES
by Phuong Mai Nguen -
Un champ de fraises pour l’éternité
by Alain Raoust -
LA CHALEUR
by Stéphane Demoustier -
LE TRIANGLE D’OR
by Hélène Rosselet-Ruiz -
LES VACANCES DE GOLO & RITCHIE
by Martin Fougerol et Ahmed Hamidi -
LES MATINS MERVEILLEUX
by Avril Besson
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Anna et les enfants
by Diane Clavier -
Miss Mermaid
by Pauline Brunner et Marion Verlé -
In Waves
by Phuong Mai Nguyen -
Permis de détruire
by Eric Fraticelli -
De la Comédie française
by Bertrand Usclat et Martin Darondeau
Six ways to enjoy cinema all summer long
From darkened cinemas to open-air screenings, summer festivals invite the public to experience films in a different way: events that extend the big screen experience beyond the Fête du Cinéma. As a partner of nearly 30 festivals worldwide, BNP Paribas supports this dynamic by celebrating the richness and diversity of films, from French-language cinema to Italian cinema, including the new generations of filmmakers.
Nouvelles vagues
From 23 to 28 June in Biarritz, the Nouvelles Vagues festival puts youth in the spotlight through screenings, talks, discussions and concerts.
Cinéma Paradiso
From 1 to 4 July, the festival will once again bring together the best of cinema, music and celebration in the majestic Cour Carrée of the Louvre.
Dolce Vita-sur-Seine
2 cities, 1 celebration, 2 festivals. From 2 to 6 July, enjoy the best of French and Italian cinema, with twin programmes in Paris and Rome.
Cine Society
Throughout the summer, experience open-air cinema in Lisbon's most exclusive locations, and (re)discover the greatest films in the history of cinema.
Films on the green
An open-air film festival dedicated to French cinema, in New York, Chicago, Philadelphia, Los Angeles, Washington and Houston.
Green Film Festival
From 10 to 16 August in Krakow, the BNP Paribas Green Film Festival presents a unique selection of films dedicated to environmental themes.
BNP Paribas, the leading financial partner of cinemas
of cinema screens in France are financed by BNP Paribas
The Group supports cinema operators with their new-build, renovation and equipment projects.
cinema tickets offered for the Fête du Cinéma 2026
BNP Paribas invites as many people as possible to share the magic of the silver screen.
through its various partnerships, including 75,000 in France.
à travers ses différents partenariats, dont 75 000 en France.
A date, a cinematic story: 1931, the renovation of the Gaumont Palace
Before multiplexes, premium screens and next-generation cinemas, the goal was already the same: to make cinema a collective experience to be fully enjoyed on the big screen. For over 100 years, BNP Paribas has supported the development of cinema, from the production of films to the transformation of the venues that screen them.
In 1931, this story was already taking shape in Paris at the Gaumont Palace, a legendary cinema in the 18th arrondissement. That year, BNC (one of the predecessor banks of BNP Paribas) granted a loan of 46 million francs to finance the renovation of this remarkable venue, capable of accommodating up to 6,000 spectators. At a time when talking pictures were transforming the audience experience, the Gaumont Palace became the symbol of a new era.
Nearly a century later, this dynamic continues with modernisation and innovation projects, such as the Pathé BNP Paribas cinema in Paris. From the iconic venues of yesterday to the cinemas of today, a single thread connects these commitments: to support the venues where cinema is experienced, shared and passed on.
- Read on Well of History: the BNC and the Gaumont-Franco-Film-Aubert group
The new Gaumont Palace in Paris, inaugurated in 1931.
