Premiere - A House of Dynamite : Kathryn Bigelow honored by Costa Gavras at the Cinématheque

By Mulder, Paris, Cinematheque, 02 october 0002 to 02 october 2025

This Thursday evening was an intense one at the Cinémathèque Française. This evening concluded the retrospective dedicated to director Kathryn Bigelow, with the premiere screening of her new film, A House of Dynamite. A standing ovation greeted the director. Deeply moved, she thanked the packed house and the Cinémathèque Française. She dreamed of being invited to the Cinémathèque, a place that matters to cinema. She is very honored to be here, in the presence of director Costa Gavras.

Kathryn Bigelow then spoke about her film, A House of Dynamite. In this thriller, a missile of unknown origin is launched at the United States. Kathryn Bigelow evokes the madness of a world living under the constant threat of total annihilation by nuclear weapons. Her film addresses a subject she is passionate about. "It's an important subject, one that speaks to my love for humanity and my hope that we can support humanity given how difficult the world is right now."

Costa Gavras presented her with a plaque in her name. The filmmaker will now have her home in the prestigious Henri Langlois Hall. Kathryn Bigelow concluded with a message of hope to filmmakers struggling to make their films: "The impossible is possible, everything is in your hands." We were lucky enough to see this film on the big screen. It's a captivating and highly successful thriller. It will be available on Netflix on October 24th.

A House of Dynamite, directed by Kathryn Bigelow and written by Noah Oppenheim, marks the filmmaker’s highly anticipated return after Detroit (2017) and had its world premiere at the 82nd Venice International Film Festival on September 2, 2025, earning a Golden Lion nomination and immediate acclaim. The film follows U.S. officials racing to respond to a nuclear missile aimed at Chicago, a terrifyingly plausible scenario heightened by an ensemble cast led by Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos, Moses Ingram, Jonah Hauer-King, Greta Lee, and Jason Clarke, joined by Brian Tee, Kyle Allen, Francesca Carpanini, Abubakr Ali, Malachi Beasley, Aminah Nieves, and Gbenga Akinnagbe. Shot in Trenton, New Jersey and completed at remarkable speed, the production carried the urgency of its own storyline, with critics in Venice comparing the premiere atmosphere to waiting for an incoming alert. 

Synopsis : 
When a missile of unknown origin is launched at the United States, a race begins to determine who is responsible and how to respond.

A House of Dynamite
Directed by Kathryn Bigelow
Written by Noah Oppenheim
Produced by Greg Shapiro, Kathryn Bigelow, Noah Oppenheim
Starring Idris Elba, Rebecca Ferguson, Gabriel Basso, Jared Harris, Tracy Letts, Anthony Ramos, Moses Ingram, Jonah Hauer-King, Greta Lee, Jason Clarke
Cinematography : Barry Ackroyd
Edited by Kirk Baxter
Music by Volker Bertelmann
Production companies : First Light Pictures, Prologue Entertainment, Kingsgate Films
Distributed by Netflix
Release dates : September 2, 2025 (Venice), October 3, 2025 (United Kingdom), October 10, 2025 (United States)
Running time : 112 minutes

Photos and video : Sabine Chevrier / Mulderville