5 must-watch France documentaries that turn the spotlight on hidden challenges facing French society

RTD’s France documentaries explore this land of culture, the good life and…protest, giving a voice to those who feel ignored by their government. RTD film crews offer unique insights into the Yellow Vest protest movement that has shaken France, hearing from its unofficial leaders why small-town France has taken to the streets over a tax intended to be environmentally-friendly. They also get a sneak peek at Roma camps and encounter larger-than life “gens du voyage” spokespeople to understand why France’s Gypsies feel they are being unfairly targeted.

The Yellow Vest protest movement that started in the autumn of 2018 was intended to get France’s elite to listen to the concerns of ordinary people living in “peripheral France”.

Trips to the port city of Calais also feature in RTD’s France documentaries, to hear how migrants and locals are coping with the consequences of the European migrant crisis, while French prostitutes get a chance to explain why they are divided over a law criminalizing their clients.