Timeline

Key figures

Origin and history

The Forum des images, originally called Vidéothèque de Paris, was founded in 1988 under the impetus of poet Pierre Emmanuel and inaugurated by Jacques Chirac, then Mayor of Paris. Its primary mission was to create an audiovisual memory of the capital by collecting films on Paris since 1895, from various sources: fiction, documentaries, advertisements or amateur archives. With an innovative consultation system combining robotics and computing, it provided immediate public access to its collections, also accessible via Minitel. This pioneering project aimed to preserve and disseminate images reflecting the urban, social and cultural evolution of Paris.

From the 1990s, the institution expanded its programming beyond the Paris framework, organizing thematic cycles ("The Crazy Years", "May 68") and festivals such as the Rencontres internationales du cinéma in Paris (RICAP, 1995) or the biennial New Images of Japan (1999). In 1998, it was renamed the Forum des images to reflect its openness to all forms of contemporary images, including virtual reality, video games and comics. Under the direction of Michel Reilhac (1992-2002), and Laurence Herszberg (2002-2017), she launched events such as Mania Series (2010) or Pocket Films, while developing educational missions with young people.

Between 2005 and 2008, the Forum closed for a major renovation led by architects Anouk Legendre and Nicolas Desmazières (cabinet X-TU), with a budget of €7.6 million financed by the City of Paris. The new site, reopened in December 2008, includes transparent facades, a programmable light ribbon and three cinemas equipped for all formats (35mm, 4K, etc.). In 2018, led by Claude Farge, the Forum launched TUMO Paris, a free digital creative school for 12-18 year olds, a partnership with the Armenian school TUMO Yerevan. This initiative is part of its desire to democratize access to new technologies and artistic education.

The Forum des images is also distinguished by its unique collections: more than 8,000 titles centered on Paris, including rare films, documentaries produced internally (on neighbourhoods such as Belleville or events such as the packaging of Pont-Neuf by Christo), and partnerships with specialized funds (Centre Simone de Beauvoir, Ciné-archives). Its archives, formerly available in a dedicated room, are now available free of charge in posts in its spaces and in the nearby François Truffaut library. The institution plays a key role in preserving the audiovisual heritage while remaining a living place for creation and debate.

Beyond its heritage vocation, the Forum des images is a major player in Parisian cultural life, hosting external festivals such as the Étrange Festival or Urban Films Festival, and organizing recaptures of the charts (Quinzaine des Réalisateurs, Annecy). His regular appointments, such as 100% doc (documentary cinema) or Panic Cinema (gender films), as well as his young public programmes (CineKids, Tout-Petits Cinéma), make it an inclusive and intergenerational space. Since 2018, he has also developed TUMO Paris 4 – School of climate, expanding his field of action to include ecology and social innovation.

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