The Great Arch

Nominated for eight César Awards, winner of Best Production Design and Best Special Effects

In 1983, Danish architect Johan Otto von Spreckelsen, whose only completed work consisted of four churches and his own house, won a competition to design the Grande Arche, a proposed new Paris landmark that would forever alter the iconic street-view of the Arc de Triomphe. Stéphane Demoustier’s deeply researched, procedurally immersive drama tells the true story of von Spreckelsen (Claes Bang, The Square), who personally won the favor of president François Mitterrand, only to find this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity imperiled in the face of daunting obstacles: endless struggles over the project’s budget, squabbles for control, and his own lack of experience. The all-star cast also includes Swann Arlaud (Anatomy of a Fall), Sidse Babett Knudsen (The Duke of Burgundy), and Quebecois writer-director-actor Xavier Dolan (Mommy), performers who breathe life into a meticulously reconstructed period piece. A Cohen Media Group release.