La Bataille de Gaulle, an ambitious, historical, and political diptych, breaks away from standard, hagiographic biopics. From the outset, French director Antonin Baudry aimed to deliver a dense, hybrid epic that blends historical drama, action, adventure, and even moments of comedy as the films follow Charles De Gaulle through four years of World War II, beginning after France surrendered to Germany in 1940.
The second installment, J'écris ton nom (released internationally under De Gaulle – Liberté), depicts the events from 1943 up to the Liberation of Paris. It focuses mainly on De Gaulle’s political impact—standing firm in this vision of France as he takes on both Churchill and Roosevelt. The film also shines a particular light on General Philippe Leclerc’s military contributions from the desert in North Africa to France, as well as on Jean Moulin and the painful birth of the Resistance, highlighting the political and philosophical conflicts brought about as he structured the movement.
SCOPE OF WORK
J’écris ton nom (Liberté) required a total of 418 VFX shots, managed across several studios, with BUF Compagnie as the lead vendor. The Yard VFX was tasked with delivering 38 shots featuring invisible visual effects anchored in physical reality. Across all 38 shots, The Yard provided extensive complex compositing work.
The majority of the shots entrusted to The Yard focused on the battles of Ksar Ghilane (Tunisia) and Fezzan (Libya), located in the Sahara desert. Filmed in Morocco, the shots required complex set extensions, army expansions, integration and animation of period-accurate CG military assets complemented by dynamic dust and sand effects.
Photo credits : © 2026 PATHÉ FILMS - TF1 FILMS PRODUCTION - BELVÉDÈRE - AUVERGNE-RHÔNE-ALPES CINÉMA.
Beyond set extensions, the scope included color grading, actor face replacements on vintage newspaper photos, muzzle flashes, meticulous removal of modern-day anachronisms, among others.
