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The French Cinémathèque is a private organization French (association of the type law 1901) mainly financed by the State. The missions of the French Cineclub are safeguarding, the restoration and the tographic diffusion of the inheritance Cinéma. With more than 40.000 films and thousands of documents and objects related to the cinema, it constitutes the greatest world database on seventh Article.

Origin

The origin of the Cineclub goes back to 1935 when Henri Langlois and Georges Franju which, since years, recovered and saved old film copies, created a film club entitled the Circle of the cinema, to show and make known works of the past.

The following year, the September 2nd 1936, with the moral support and financier of Paul-Auguste Harlé, was born the French Cineclub which had the role, under the direction of Henri Langlois, to preserve films, to restore them, to show them and give to the new generations, a cinematographic teaching. In addition to films, the Cineclub started to collect all that had milked with the cinema: cameras, posters, publications, costumes and even decorations of films.

Some dates

The October 26th 1948, a room of projection of 60 places as well as the first museum of the cinema of Henri Langlois are inaugurated on three stages to the 7, Avenue of Messine, in the 8th district of Paris. It is in this room that meet in particular François Truffaut, Jean-Luc Godard, Jacques Rivette, Eric Rohmer and Suzanne Schiffman.

February 1st 1955, the Cineclub moves and settles in a new room (260 places) to the 29 of the Rue of Ulm, in 5th. The June 5th 1963, the Cineclub settles in the room of the Palais of Chaillot thanks to the appropriations allocated by André Malraux, Ministre for the Culture, and becomes related to the public authorities.

In February 1968, Andre Malraux, under the pressure of the ministry for Finances, requires changes in the management of the French Cineclub and returns Henri Langlois. A defense committee constitutes itself, the French scenario writers (of which Abel Gance, François Truffaut, Alain Resnais, Georges Franju, Jean-Luc Godard, Chris Marker, Jacques Rivette, Alexandre Astruc, Claude Chabrol, Pierre Kast, Claude Berri, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze, Jean Eustace, André Cayatte, Eric Rohmer, Jean Rouch, Joris Ivens, Robert Bresson, the actors Jean-Pierre Léaud, Claude Jade, Francoise Rosay and Jean Marais) mobilize himself, of the protest demonstrations are organized, and Henri Langlois is reinstated in the head of the Cineclub the April 22nd.

The June 14th 1972, it is the inauguration of the first large museum of cinema, Place of Trocadéro. April 2nd 1974, Henri Langlois receives a Oscar of honor, then a César. He dies the January 13rd 1977.

In 1980, one inaugurates a room of projection of the French Cineclub to the Center Pompidou. Costa-Gavras is named president of the Cineclub in 1981. Starting from 1984 and until in 1996, Jack Lang, Minister for the Culture, initiates the project, taken again by its successors, to install a great cinematographic institution within the Palais of Tokyo, close to Trocadéro. Jean Saint-Geours becomes president in 1991.

Great retrospectives are then organized, making it possible to the film enthusiasts to appreciate the work of a scenario writer in his entirety: Ingmar Bergman, Ernst Lubitsch, Fritz Lang, Robert Bresson. Programmings sets of themes (Western…) are added to it.

The Cineclub is a time transferred to the Palais from Tokyo.

The July 24th 1997, a fire sets ablaze the roof of the Palais of Chaillot. Works of the museum of the cinema, evacuated in one night, are intact but the French Cineclub must leave Chaillot. The room of projection is closed during more than one year. The November 7th of the same year, one inaugurates the room of the Grands Boulevards.

In this last room, the Cineclub explores " territoires" cinematographic new, with films " with the marge" , like the series B.

The June 30th 1998, having decided the abandonment of the project of refitting of the Palate of Tokyo, Catherine Trautmann, Minister for the Culture, announces its decision to install the " House of the cinéma" in old the American Arts center to the 51, Street of Bercy, in 12th. Jean-Charles Tacchella is elected with the presidency of the Cineclub in June 2000. The October 29th 2002, Jean-Jacques Aillagon, Minister for the Culture, announces that the French Cineclub and the Bibliothèque of the Film (BiFi) will be the two institutions which will cohabit, then will amalgamate, in the building of the 51, Rue of Bercy under name " French Cineclub ". In 2003, Serge Toubiana presents his " report/ratio; All memory of the world " and becomes managing director of the Cineclub in April.

In September 2003, the producer and realizer Claude Berri was appointed president of the Cineclub. The February 28th 2005, the rooms of the Palate of Chaillot and the Grands Boulevards were closed and the new site of the French Cineclub, with the 51 Rue from Bercy in Paris, in the old building of “Américan Center” of the architect Frank Gehry, opened with the public the September 28th 2005.

Since January 1st 2007, the French Cineclub amalgamated with the BiFi - Library of film and since June 2007, the French Cineclub is chaired by Costa-Gavras.

Quotations

“ I remember the Cineclub of the avenue of Messine. ”, Georges Perec, I remember , 34.

“ the realizers of the whole world know the cinématèque Frenchwoman, it is our spiritual residence. ” Martin Scorsese

External bonds

Site of the Cineclub
Site of the ex-BiFi, Library of the Film
collective Catalog of the collections documents of the French Cineclub, the Cineclub of Toulouse, the euro-regional Cineclub/Institute Jean Vigo of Perpignan and of the audio-visual Files of Monaco.

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