Newspapers, photographs and historical documents shed light on the people and events behind the story on screen: the birth of the Free France, the Resistance, the role of the Allies and African troops, and the Liberation of France.
The exhibition also reveals a remarkable chapter in the history of the Institut itself. In June 1940, its director Denis Saurat was among the earliest French intellectuals in London to support Charles de Gaulle, making the Institut an important meeting place for figures associated with Free France.
More About the Free France and the Institut français
Watch an exclusive short documentary tracing the history of the Institut français in London and the central role it played during WWII in supporting the General de Gaulle and the Free French movement.
De Gaulle, a certain idea of France
To learn more about De Gaulle, you can listen to a conference held at the French Institute in 2018 with renowned historians Julian Jackson, Sudir Hazareesingh and Marc-Olivier Baruch.