De Gaulle: Résistance

Name: De Gaulle: Résistance
Start: 2026-10-23T13:30:00+02:00
End: 2026-10-27T13:30:00+01:00
Location: Podium 't Beest

took place · 23 Oct 2026

Podium 't Beest, Goes

cinema culture

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Description was written before the event

June 1940: France signs an armistice with Germany. In the midst of chaos, one man refuses to surrender - General Charles de Gaulle. As a newly declared enemy of the state, he flees without military support or any hope to London to salvage the remnants of his fallen homeland. His conviction: a free France will emerge, and Europe will not lay down its arms before Nazi Germany.

De Gaulle: Résistance is the first part of an epic two-part saga about de Gaulle, directed by Antonin Baudry. Baudry, with a background as a diplomat in the French government, brings a sharp political perspective to the story. The roles are divided among Simon Abkarian (Casino Royale) as de Gaulle, Simon Russell Beale (House of the Dragon, The Death of Stalin) as Winston Churchill, and Mathieu Kassovitz (La Haine) as Admiral Darlan.

The film had its world premiere at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival.

About: Simon Abkarian

Simon Abkarian's path led from the Lebanese civil war through the Armenian theatre scene in Los Angeles to Ariane Mnouchkine's Théâtre du Soleil in Paris. A multiple Molière winner and familiar face from Casino Royale, he is currently at the centre of French cinema as the lead in the summer blockbuster La Bataille de Gaulle.

5M+

cinema-goers La Bataille de Gaulle in France (Aug 2026)

€74M

production budget La Bataille de Gaulle

3×

Molière Awards won (2001 and 2020)

What's new

2026-09
La Bataille de Gaulle, the two-part epic with Abkarian as De Gaulle, was selected as France's submission for the 2027 Oscars.
2026-08
The two-part La Bataille de Gaulle surpassed the 5 million cinema visitors mark in France and became the biggest French summer hit of 2026.
2026-07
Abkarian received the Golden Medal from the Armenian Ministry of Culture and the Golden Apricot Master Award at the 23rd Golden Apricot Film Festival in Yerevan.

Tracks

La Bataille de Gaulle (2026)Two-part historical epic as General De Gaulle - summer hit in France with 5 million+ visitors

Casino Royale (2006)International breakthrough as villain Alex Dimitrios opposite Daniel Craig

Ararat (2002)Highly acclaimed role as painter Arshile Gorky in Atom Egoyan's film about the Armenian genocide

L'Armée du Crime (2009)Portrayal of resistance fighter Missak Manouchian, directed by Robert Guédiguian

Une bête sur la lune (2001)Theater role for which he won the Molière Award for Best Actor

About: Simon Russell Beale

Holder of three Olivier Awards, a Tony Award and a knighthood, Simon Russell Beale ranks among the most decorated British actors working today. His range stretches from Shakespeare and Harold Pinter to film and television, with barely a genre left untouched.

Won Olivier Awards

4×

Won Evening Standard Award for Best Actor (record holder)

Won Tony Award (Best Actor, The Lehman Trilogy)

Received Knighthood (2019)

What's new

2026-07
The Donmar Warehouse announced that Russell Beale will play the role of Hirst in February 2027 in a major revival of Harold Pinter's No Man's Land, opposite Rupert Everett as Spooner, directed by Patrick Marber.
2026-07
Russell Beale played the role of Herod in Jesus Christ Superstar at the London Palladium (13-25 July 2026) and is also scheduled for a guest appearance in the same production at the Theatre Royal Drury Lane in December 2026.
2026-07
Russell Beale plays Liberace in the world premiere of Martin Sherman's I'll Be Seeing You, directed by Alan Cumming, at the Pitlochry Festival Theatre (12 September - 11 October 2026).

Tracks

The Lehman TrilogyNational Theatre/Broadway production; Tony Award for Best Actor

Hamlet (National Theatre, 2000)Evening Standard Award Best Actor and Critics' Circle Award

The Death of Stalin (2017)International film role as Lavrentiy Beria

Candide (National Theatre, 1999)Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical

House of the DragonRole as Ser Simon Strong in the HBO series (2022)

About: Mathieu Kassovitz

French filmmaker and actor Mathieu Kassovitz stands as one of the most distinctive voices of his generation - first celebrated as the director of La Haine, and equally recognised for his performances in Amélie and Le Bureau des Légendes. His career now spans more than four decades and two continents.

won Césars (Most Promising Actor 1994; Best Film and Best Editing for La Haine 1995)

best director at the Cannes Film Festival 1995 for La Haine

What's new

2026-06
The two-part historical film De Gaulle, in which Kassovitz plays the role of François Darlan, is scheduled for release in France in the summer of 2026 - part one on 10 June, part two on 3 July.
2025-05
Kassovitz founded the production company Venturi Production during the Cannes Film Festival together with Monegasque entrepreneur Gildo Pastor, aimed at films, series and documentaries that focus on technology and science.
2025-04
Kassovitz gave the starting signal for the 48th edition of the 24 Heures Motos at the Bugatti circuit in Le Mans in April 2025, as a guest of honour because of his passion for motorcycles.

Tracks

La HaineHis directorial debut that gave him worldwide recognition; winner Cannes 1995 and César Best Film

Le Fabuleux Destin d'Amélie PoulainPlayed the romantic lead role as Nino Quincampoix opposite Audrey Tautou (2001)

The Fifth ElementInternational acting role in Luc Besson's science fiction film (1997)

Le Bureau des LégendesLong-running French spy series; played Guillaume Debailly (from 2015)

Les Rivières pourpresDirected this successful police thriller with Jean Reno and Vincent Cassel (2000)

De Gaulle: Résistance

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