La Cinémathèque française Archives

Overview

La Cinémathèque française is a French non-profit film organization founded in 1936, holding one of the largest archives of film documents and film-related objects in the world. Based in Paris's 12th arrondissement in a building designed by Frank Gehry, it offers daily film screenings, temporary exhibitions, and access to an exceptional library and archive for researchers. The archives component, accessible through the Bibliothèque du film and the Espace chercheurs, contains some of the most extensive written and iconographic records of cinema history in existence.

History and Founding

The Cinémathèque française was founded on September 2, 1936, by Henri Langlois, Georges Franju, Jean Mitry, and Paul Auguste Harlé. Langlois and his colleagues recognized that silent films were being destroyed as the industry transitioned to sound, and set about rescuing films from recycling facilities, distribution houses, and flea markets. During the German Occupation of France in World War II, Langlois and colleagues smuggled thousands of films and documents out of occupied Paris to protect them from destruction. After the war, the French government provided resources for the institution, which grew steadily through the following decades. In 1963, it moved to the Palais de Chaillot. In 1992, the Bibliothèque du film (BiFi) was established to manage the non-film archive collections. In 2005, the Cinémathèque moved to 51 rue de Bercy, and in 2007 it formally merged with the BiFi, combining their holdings under one institution.

Collections and Holdings

The Cinémathèque's collections encompass more than 40,000 films, over 33,700 archival dossiers organized across more than 210 fonds covering directors, scriptwriters, actors, producers, cinematographers, and production companies, as well as 24,120 film and festival posters, 61,300 photographs of films and personalities, 27,700 press review files on films released in France since 1945, more than 4,000 historical projection machines, 25,000 magic lantern slides (assembled since 1938), and over 3,500 costumes and accessories. The library also holds approximately 5,400 rare volumes and 202 historical film periodicals.

Notable Materials

Among the most significant archival holdings are complete collections of papers from major filmmakers including François Truffaut and Louis Malle, 1,405 original Lumière films produced between 1896 and 1900, and the fonds of numerous New Wave directors. The archives also hold materials related to film criticism, production design, and the technical history of cinema.

Access and Usage

The Bibliothèque du film is open to all—students, researchers, professionals, and film enthusiasts. Digitized materials including posters, costume designs, photographs, and press dossiers are accessible in the reading rooms. Photographic collections, archival dossiers, and rare printed materials are available by appointment at the Iconothèque and Espace chercheurs. The online catalogue Ciné-Ressources allows searching across the full archive.