This remarkable film spent 63 years on the shelf unedited before film editor Henri Colpi discovered more than six hours of André Antoine’s saga and trimmed the footage to an exquisite 79 minutes.

The dramatic family story is set on two barges, the Hirondelle and the Mésange, as they bring coal and other supplies to areas depleted by the recent war. Antoine’s pioneering film was depicted in an almost documentary style, and his dazzling realism would take many years to catch on.

Restored by the Cinémathèque Française.

Live musical accompaniment by Stephen Horne and Diana Rowan

Special support from the French American Cultural Society and the Cultural Services of the French Embassy in the United States

Co-presented by Alliance Française of San Francisco