15 November 2025 at 5 p.m. at the MJC Monchat in Lyon
La Grande Illusion, one of the major films of the pre-war period, made a lasting impression on audiences thanks to Renoir’s direction, the actors’ formidable performances, and the film’s desire to reconcile the French rather than flatter antagonisms. One of its actors, Sylvain Itkine, a Jew from Lithuania, was deeply involved in popular education and social movements in his daily life. In 1943, he joined the Resistance in Lyon. Denounced, he was arrested and tortured to death in August 1944. A conference-debate will be led by Olivier Barrot on the life of Sylvain Itkine, followed at 8pm by a screening of the film La Grande Illusion.