Natan tells the remarkable story of Bernard Natan, a Romanian immigrant who came to Paris in 1905 and became involved almost immediately with French cinema. After fighting for France in World War I he became a French citizen, and immediately got back into producing films. In the late 1920s he took control of the Pathé film group, and under his leadership Pathé went on to produce epic films such as Les Miserables. But Bernard Natan has become largely written out of French film history; convicted of fraud in the 1930s he was stripped of his citizenship, imprisoned and ultimately sent to his death Auschwitz. Even in death he was persecuted; his name became synonymous with pornography, and his reputation destroyed by these untrue stories.
This film makes attempts to restore Bernard Natan’s reputation and in the process reclaim a place in film history for a pioneer who was shockingly treated.
Made under the Arts Council’s Reelart scheme, Natan premiered in the Dublin International Film Festival, and has subsequently played at film festivals around the world including the prestigious Telluride Film Festival.
