The Fantastic Realism of Georges Franju

A hard-hitting look at mental health misdealing, Franju’s first fiction feature stars Jean-Pierre Mocky as a young man adrift from purpose, who is institutionalized by his dad, a miserable lawyer. Audiences feel François’s pain as he struggles to reclaim his freedom, especially now that he has fallen in love (Anouk Aimée).

An early body-horror marvel, Franju’s influential chiller sees a surgeon/mad scientist (Pierre Brasseur) take extreme measures to restore the face of his daughter (Édith Scob) after a disfiguring car accident. Misunderstood upon its release and now rightfully recognized as a masterpiece, Franju’s best-known work is memorably gruesome and gorgeous.

Part Agatha Christie whodunit, part William Castle gimmickry, with a dash of giallo, Franju’s mischievous follow-up to Eyes Without a Face watches a greedy family (including a baby-faced Jean-Louis Trintignant) scramble to inherit a fortune… all while the beneficiaries begin turning up dead.

Before directing his debut narrative feature in 1958, Franju made a series of extraordinary shorts, notably documentary portraits of French society in the 1950s: the nocturnal Paris in La Premiere nuit (The First Night, 1958), a portrait of Notre-Dame, Cathédrale de Paris (1957) – both newly restored.

An exquisite Emmanuelle Riva appears in the title role of a complex woman stifled by a confining provincial existence and loveless marriage. Her increasing resistance to playing the role of perfect wife and mother triggers an intense, murderous hatred for her boring, landowner husband (Philippe Noiret)

This playful, hyper-stylish homage to Louis Feuillade’s silent serials follows the titular black hat and cloak–wearing vigilante, whose latest target is a thieving banker, entangling his virtuous daughter, her child’s scheming governess, and a detective on Judex’s trail.

“If the visual intensity of the silent film had never existed, Franju would have invented it.” – Raymond Durgnat

In this adaptation of Jean Cocteau’s novel, delusions of reality are conveyed through two very different yet equally idealistic protagonists in WWI France: a Polish widow (Emmanuelle Riva) who aids wounded soldiers on the front lines and a starry-eyed teenager (Fabrice Rouleau) who creates a new identity in order to enlist.

Franju’s wild final feature, and second foray into Feuillade territory, is a pulpy fantasy/crime thriller featuring a search for treasure hidden by the Templars, a red-masked villain known as The Man Without a Face (plus his army of zombielike killers), and Gayle Hunnicutt equipped with a catsuit and deadly darts.

Watch Parisian superheroes Ladybug and Cat Noir travel to New York City in this TV special from the global smash hit animated series.

Throughout the weekend, Tinker Auditorium will feature a pop-up Comic Arts Fest Artist Alley & Bookstore: a hub for book signings and meetings with authors, as well as exclusive books and merchandise for sale. Food and beverages will also be available for purchase.

What does it mean to look at America from the outside? Julie Rocheleau (Globetrotters) and Elene Usdin (Detroit Roma, René·e aux bois dormants) discuss how their work approaches America as a place of projection, displacement, and imagination.

What defines a modern superhero? Leading comics artists, including Fabrice Sapolsky and Julie Rocheleau, exchange on questions of morality, politics, gender and violence around the figure of the superhero.

Witness the collaboration between music and visual art in this Great Gatsby-inspired live illustrated concert. Artist Benjamin Lacombe will bring the classic novel to life through projected real-time illustration, paired with contemporary jazz from New York-based musicians who shape their music to Lacombe’s images as they appear.

Dive into the history and mythology of the superhero through the first episode of this acclaimed PBS documentary featuring interviews with Stan Lee, Chris Claremont and other stars of the comics industry. Through this unusually rich gathering of writers, artists, editors, and screen creators, the documentary unfolds as a rare and authoritative oral history of the American superhero, narrated by those who have defined, expanded, and reinvented it. Following the screening, hear from director Michael Kantor, writer Laurence Maslon and comics writer Ivan Cohen.