Paris’ Most Unique Cinemas: The Cinémathèque Française, Still Going Strong (and Going Global)

17 January 2013 by Dimitri Keramitas    663  
Paris’ Most Unique Cinemas: The Cinémathèque Française, Still Going Strong (and Going Global)
Dimitri Keramitas
By Dimitri Keramitas
The Cinématheque Française is a unique institution—there’s nothing quite like it anywhere else. It’s a repository of France’s cinematic heritage, whose screenings have provided an education to generations of French filmmakers, most famously the New Wave that changed film history. When the government tried to sack its founder, the sainted Henri Langlois, Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut, among others, rebelled and closed down the Cannes Film Festival, throwing their two paving-stones’ worth into the May ‘68 revolution. You won’t get a sense of that history if you visit the Cinémathèque today, as it’s been in a new site since 2005, in a building designed by Frank Gehry, originally for the American Center, and in a very different part of Paris from its long-time location at the Palais de Chaillot. The Bercy area in the 12th arrondissement isn’t one of Paris’ beautiful quartiers, but it’s certainly dynamic with non-stop building and many modern landmarks: the Omnisports stadium, finance ministry, François Mitterrand library, and another important cinema venue, MK2 Bibliothèque. There’s also Bercy Village, a pleasant café-restaurant-boutique complex built from old wine warehouses, with a lovely garden (and a multiplex that’s yet another film institution). The Cinémathèque itself is located on a street with several trendy eateries, and sits on a large, attractive expanse of greenery. The Cinémathèque still has at its mission to keep and show the treasures from France’s rich film patrimony. In the past it also screened movies by Hollywood auteurs, but nowadays its reach goes much further. In diverse thematic programs the center shows the works of filmmakers from Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. The Cinémathèque has a library and museum, and regularly features exhibitions, lectures, and classes. A well-stocked bookstore contains an impressive collection of film-books (many in English) and DVDs. This being France, great culture goes with excellent food, so the Cinémathèque also features a café-restaurant, les quatre cent coups. photo 1 by Jean-Pierre Dalbéra , via Flickr photo 2 by Pittaya Sroilong , via Flickr
  • SUBSCRIBE
  • ALREADY SUBSCRIBED?

More in Cinémathèque, french cinema, Paris films

Previous Article The Prophet of Saint-Germain-en-Laye: Maurice Denis and the Nabis
Next Article Photo of the Week – January 18, 2013

By Dimitri Keramitas

Dimitri Keramitas was born and raised in Connecticut, USA, and was educated at the University of Hartford, Sorbonne, and the University of London, and holds degrees in literature and law. He has lived in Paris for years, and directs a training company and translation agency. In addition, he has worked as a film critic for both print and on-line publications, including Bonjour Paris and France Today. He is a contributing editor to Movies in American History. In addition he is an award-winning writer of fiction, whose stories have been published in many literary journals. He is the director of the creative writing program at WICE, a Paris-based organization. He is also a director at the Paris Alumni Network, an organization linking together several hundred professionals, and is the editor of its newletter. The father of two children, Dimitri not only enjoys Paris living but returning to the US regularly and traveling in Europe and elsewhere.