Les félins [Joy House / The Love Cage] (René Clément, 1964)
May
14

Barbara Hill (Lola Albright) going through Marc Borel's (Alain Delon) passport, which states Marc's date of birth as May 14. On Barbara's desk several curiosities, including a shrunken head in a glass case. DP: Henri Decaë.
“My Hermès handbag!” Week-end (Jean-Luc Godard, 1967)
May
9
UN Global Road Safety Week

A terrible, bloody, car crash. There's cars on fire and several injured sprawled around. A lucky survivor exclaims MY HERMÈS HANDBAG! DP: Raoul Coutard.
A traffic accident: UN Global Road Safety Week *
– Corinne
The bourgeois make their way to the countryside, and find themselves in a cacophony of car crashes, primitive urges, and political uprisings.
* In 2025, this actually takes places from May 12 – 18.
“Producers are something I can easily do without”Le mépris [Contempt] (Jean-Luc Godard, 1963)
May
5
Europe Day

Michel Piccoli, director Fritz Lang, Jack Palance, and director Jean-Luc Godard behind the scenes. The clapperboard held by Godard is for the movie that Lang's working on in Le Mépris, an adaption of Homer's Odyssey. DP: Raoul Coutard.
A director from the EU for Europe Day
– Fritz Lang
A film in a film, the former directed by Fritz Lang, directed by Godard.
“With nothing to do, no news and in terrible solitude, we were 100 unfortunates awaiting our fate. I had no illusions about my own. If I could only escape, run away…”Un condamné à mort s'est échappé ou Le vent souffle où il veut [A Man Escaped] (Robert Bresson, 1956)
May
2

A hand with dirty nails writing on a scrap of paper with a pencil stump. It starts “Mai 2 Ma chère maman, Je suis à la pris[…]“. DP: Léonce-Henri Burel.
– Fontaine
“I had appealed to the people to fast on April 6, and the whole nation followed my call. Who was I? But it was the voice of God… India was awakened that day.”Vagabunden Karawane [Vagabond’s Band] (Werner Penzel, 1980)
Apr
16
હડતાળ

A member of Embryo plays a harmonium with a bemused साधु [sadhu] sitting behind him (still via). DPs: Pitt Koch & Helge Weindler.
A film set in India in remembrance of Gandhi's હડતાળ [hartal], a peaceful protest against the Jallianwala Bagh Massacre, in the form of a nationwide fast and prayer on April 16, 1919.
– Mahatma Gandhi, via
In 1979, krautrock group Embryo toured Iran, Afghanistan and India by bus, while performing with local musicians and documenting their trip.
Daïnah la métisse [Dainah the Mixed] (Jean Grémillon, 1932)
Apr
15
Titanic

Mechanic Michaux (Charles Vanel) and Daïnah (Laurence Clavius) on the Art Deco liner. DPs: Louis Page & Georges Périnal.
A cruise ship in remembrance of the sinking of the Titanic on April 14–15, 1912.
Mestiza Daïnah, who accompanies her illusionist husband on the luxury cruise ship he works on, loves to flirt and tease the other sex, including the ship's engineer Michaux. When she disappears, suspicion falls not only on Michaux, but also on her Black husband.
Les demoiselles de Rochefort [The Young Girls of Rochefort] (Jacques Demy, 1967)
APr
10
Siblings Day

Sisters Delphine and Solange Garnier mid-song, played by real-world sisters Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac. DP: Ghislain Cloquet.
Siblings as main characters for Siblings Day (USA/Canada)
– Delphine & Solange
“All the ideas I'd previously had were shown to be completely false. This was the first time I had really seen the strength and the power of a mass struggle; ordinary people directly participating in organizing their communities, and the defense of their communities.”The Patriot Game (Arthur MacCaig, 1979)
Apr
4
MLK Jr. – 1968

A older lady calmly clips her hedges while a British soldier attempts to hide behind them (via). DPs: Arthur MacCaig & Théo Robichet.
The assassination of Martin Luther King Jr.: civil rights being fought for.
– Arthur MacCaig, title card
“Dear child,
l received your letter and hope you will write often. l hope you won’t stay away too long and that you’ve found a job by now. If you’re doing well, we’re happy. Even though we do miss you. When will you be back? Everything is fine here, but Sylviane is home with the flu. My blood pressure is low. l’m on medication for it. Today is my birthday. l feel sad. lt’s quiet at the shop. Tonight we’re going out to dinner with friends. That’s all. Your birthday is coming up. l wish you all the best. Write to me soon about your work, about New York, about everything. Lots of love from the three of us.News from Home (Chantal Akerman, 1976)
Apr
3
Pony Express Day

New York, a street scene. Superimposed a quote from one Chantal Akerman's mother's letters. DPs: Jim Asbell & Babette Mangolte.
Mail or a mail carrier for Pony Express Day (USA).
Your loving mother” (quote via)
Chantal Akerman reads out letters that her mother wrote to the former's stay in New York City between 1971 and 1973. The words slowly blend with the city.