A Man of His Time () is a 2026 drama film written and directed by Emmanuel Marre, and loosely based on his great-grandfather's life. A co-production of France and Belgium, it stars Swann Arlaud as Henri Marre, a collaborationist during the Vichy France, a puppet state established by Nazi Germany during the World War II.
The film had its world premiere in the main competition of the 79th Cannes Film Festival on 20 May 2026, where it won the Best Screenplay prize and three parallel prizes. It will be theatrically released in France and Belgium on 30 September.
Synopsis In 1940, Henri Marre arrives in Vichy with aspirations to publish his manuscript Notre Salut, which he hopes will rescue France. Day after day, he dedicates himself to collaborating with the Vichy regime.
Cast Swann Arlaud as Henri Marre Sandrine Blancke as Paulette Marre Mathieu Perotto as Gasque Jean-Baptiste Marre as Maux Harpo Guit as Harpo Mathilde Abd-el-Kader as Corinne Florian Surrier as Theophile Claudine Barthel-Fournier as Arlette
Production
Development A co-production between France and Belgium, A Man of His Time was produced by Michigan Films (Belgium) and Kidam (France), in co-production with Condor Films, Les Films Pelléas, Unité, Les Films de Pierre, The Ink Connection, Actarus, France 2 Cinéma, RTBF, Be tv & Orange, and Proximus.A Man of His Time film poster Arlaud's character, while fictional, was inspired by Emmanuel Marre's own great-grandfather Henri Marre, who was a provincial inspector at the Limoges office of the Commission for the Fight against Unemployment in the 1940s.
Filming Principal photography began on 14 April 2025, with shooting scheduled to last nine weeks. Filming took place in Vichy, Limoges, Bordeaux and Brussels.
Initially intending to shoot on 16mm film, for budget, shot length and camera size reasons, cinematographer Olivier Boonjingp chose to shoot with two Digital Bolex cameras instead.
Release A Man of His Time was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2026 Cannes Film Festival, where it had its world premiere on 20 May. It will have its North American premiere in the Main Slate of the 2026 New York Film Festival. It was also selected for the 71st Valladolid International Film Festival.
International sales were handled by Paris-based company Charades. The film will be released theatrically in France and Belgium on 30 September 2026, distributed by Condor Distribution in France and Cinéart in Belgium. 1-2 Special acquired the film for the United States, currently planning a theatrical release in 2027.
Reception Critical response Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 69 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "generally favorable" reviews.
Accolades Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Cannes Film Festival 23 May 2026 Palme d'Or Emmanuel Marre Best Screenplay Prix des Cinémas Art et Essai Prix de la Citoyenneté Special Mention CST Award for Best Artist-Technician Nicolas Rumpl Rome Film Festival 13 October 2026 Gillo Pontecorvo Award Emmanuel Marre
References
External links
A Man of His Time at Cannes Film Festival