Practically a must-see destination for film lovers visiting the city of light, the Cinémathèque Française Film Center and Museum is dedicated to everything related to celluloid, past and present. Housed in a building designed by renowned architect Frank Gehry, who is notable in his own right, the Cinémathèque includes a film museum with a permanent exhibition exploring film throughout its brief but vibrant history. It also hosts frequent temporary exhibits that pay tribute to specific film directors, national film traditions, or periods in film history.
Regular Retrospectives on Directors and Classic Genres:
The center’s screening rooms host multiple retrospectives on classic films and directors, and the program also highlights up-and-coming directors and actors. The cinemathèque also includes a movie library where curious academics and moviegoers explore a large collection of movie posters, photographs, photographs, and of course books and reviews. In short, if you are interested in the history of cinema and especially French cinema from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day, reserve some time for an afternoon or two in this unusual place.
Location and contact information:
La Cinémathèque is located in the 12th arrondissement (arrondissement) of Paris, south of the Seine River and not far from the surprisingly contemporary and up-and-coming neighborhood of the National Library (Bibliothèque Nationale). It’s also close to lesser-known (but pleasantly green) outdoor attractions like the Parc de Bercy and Promenade Plantée, a romantic walkway built over a defunct railway line.
Direction:
51 rue de Bercy
district 12
Metro: Bercy (lines 6 or 14)
Tel: +33 (0) 1 71 19 33 33
Visit the official website (French only)
Opening hours and tickets:
Center and cinemas: Monday to Sunday. Closed on Tuesday, December 25, January 1 and May 1. The movie ticket counter opens daily at 12:00 pm (10:00 am on Sundays).
Cinema museum opening hours: the museum is open from Monday to Saturday from 12:00 pm to 7:00 pm Sundays from 10:00 am to 8:00 pm Closed on Tuesday, December 25, January 1 and May 1 .
Cinema Library Hours: Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 10:00 am to 7:00 pm Saturday from 1:00 pm to 6:30 pm Closed on Tuesdays, Sundays and French holidays.
Tickets: entry to the permanent collections and exhibits is free for all visitors. Admission prices vary for temporary exhibitions – call ahead. Admission to the temporary exhibitions is free for visitors under 13 years of age.
Check this page for current prices
Places of interest and attractions near the Cinemateca:
- The National Library District
- Promenade Plantee and Viaduc des Arts (great for a walk)
- The Bastille district / Gare de Lyon
- Butte aux Cailles neighborhood
Highlights of the visit:
La Cinemathèque has a lot to offer, so if you want to get the full experience, we suggest that you allocate a full afternoon to explore the permanent and temporary exhibits in the film museum, followed perhaps by an afternoon or evening screening.
The museum
A veritable treasure trove of objects and archives related to the history of celluloid, the permanent collection at Cinemathèque features hundreds of artifacts. The museum traces the history of cinema through the development of magic lanterns and optical instruments, showing how new technologies flourishing in the 19th century eventually led to the innovations that would make motion picture possible. The legacies of film pioneers, such as the Lumière brothers and Georges Méliès, are explored in the historical exhibition.
Other notable sections of the museum display legendary costumes, script collections, notes and drawings, movie posters, and other artifacts. Scenes from films that marked the history of celluloid are reproduced, from Hitchcock to Fritz Lang, Charlie Chaplin or Francois Truffaut. Temporary exhibitions have recently focused on that of Fritz Lang Metropolis , Stanley Kubrick, and Jacques Tati.
Go here to download a free, comprehensive audio guide (in English) that explores the collections at the film museum.
Screenings and retrospectives at the Cinemathèque:
The center hosts dozens of retrospectives and themed film shows each year, often in conjunction with temporary exhibits at the museum that focus on a particular film director, genre, period, or national film heritage. See the current program here (only in French).
