Whenever I’m home for extended periods, every night becomes movie night! Whether you’re a fan of romance or suspense with your popcorn, there are plenty of engaging options available en français !

Enter Hoopla from stage right! With almost 400 options available for loan in French, Hoopla is a great way to introduce a bit of je ne sais quoi into your movie collections. These options are available through the Boston Public Library which is currently allowing users to check out up to 12 items a month on Hoopla. If you're not from Boston, your local library's Hoopla platform may offer a slightly different selection of films. Films are available for three days after borrowing.



Feeling a bit overwhelmed with the sheer number of options? Start with some familiar faces in this star-studded list of available films.

Amelie is arguably Audrey Tautou’s most famous film to date. This lighthearted and charming romance hardly needs an introduction to francophiles! Hoopla also offers a large portion of Tautou's filmography and two films from love interest Mathieu Kassovitz! Movie marathon, anyone?

Asterix at the Olympic Games offers a return to childhood favorites with the help of live-action Asterix, Obélix, and their historic shenanigans. You can find Gérard Depardieu’s full Hoopla catalog here, including the comedy Potiche (where he shares the screen with big names like Fabrice Luchini and Catherine Deneuve).

With Love…From The Age Of Reason follows Margaret (played by Sophie Marceau) as she receives a life-changing letter on her 40th birthday from her 7-year-old self. Other favorites from Marceau’s catalog include Female Agents and LOL.

The Women on the 6th Floor is an oft-recommended coup de coeur from the library (featuring the illustrious Fabrice Luchini and Sandrine Kiberlain) that follows both a bourgeois family on the lower levels and the working women who live under the eaves.

Little White Lies features both Marion Cotillard and Jean Dujardin and is directed by Guillaume Canet. The story follows a group of friends on their summer getaway filled with love, comedy, and uncovered secrets!

Samba is currently the only film featuring Omar Sy on Hoopla. Sy plays the titular character, an undocumented immigrant battling deportation, opposite Charlotte Gainsbourg, an immigration advocate. Opposites inspire in this film that shows a different side of Paris. Fingers crossed that more of Sy’s filmography makes its way to Hoopla (looking directly at you, Demain tout commence!, a personal coup de coeur from the library’s collection that will make you both laugh aloud and cry like never before).

Full Moon in Paris is a classic romantic comedy from the legendary Eric Rohmer. In this Film Movement Classic, we follow the story of independent Louise in 1984 Paris. Will she pick her boyfriend, her best friend, or the bad boy musician?

Odette Toulemonde is a charming romantic comedy and the only of Catherine Frot’s films on the platform. Cheery Odette is thrilled to meet her favorite author, Balthazar Balsan, who hopes he can learn a bit about happiness from his biggest fan.

Since Hoopla only offers one film from classic French comedian Louis de Funès, you might be interested in checking out Dany Boon’s more recent catalog of knee-slappers, also on Hoopla! His 2008 film Bienvenue chez les Ch'tis / Welcome to the Sticks follows Boon’s Philippe as he schemes to get transferred to a gorgeous seaside town… only to end up in the far north!

The Big Picture is a more stressful genre of film than the others on this list. Romain Duris and Catherine Deneuve shine in this thriller about one man’s reinvention after being suspected of murder.


Give Hoopla’s French film collection a try, then come back here to give us your recommendations!

Ingrid Marquardt

Librarian

Ingrid began her passion for French through the immersion program in Milton, MA, and has followed it around France and the world. She took a break from this first love to pursue a B.A. in English with a minor in Irish Studies at Boston College and a Masters of Library and Information Sciences at Simmons College. She is thrilled to meld her excitement for libraries and French language and culture in her position at the Center!

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