Bérénice Bejo to Star as First Female Director Alice Guy Blaché in HBO Max, France Télévisions Drama

HBO Max and France Télévisions said Wednesday that they have started filming in Paris on a six-part series, described as an “international fresco,” starring Bérénice Bejo about “the extraordinary life of Alice Guy Blaché — the world’s first female director and one of the cinema industry’s forgotten pioneers.”

Filming on the series, entitled Alice, will continue through December across France, Belgium, and Canada.

“From Paris’s Belle Époque to New-York and early Hollywood, Alice follows the remarkable journey of a visionary artist who defied conventions and expectations as a filmmaker, entrepreneur, wife, and mother,” reads a description of the project. “Her loves, her battles, and her relentless pursuit of recognition unfold against the birth of modern cinema.”

Academy Award nominee Bejo (The Artist, The Past, Oss 117, Under Paris) stars alongside Thibaut Evrard (Differente, Escort Boy, No Man’s Land, Paris Police 1900) as mentor Léon Gaumont, Oscar Lesage (The Count of Monte-Cristo,…