Timeline

Heritage classified

Key figures

Origin and history

The Lumière villa, built between 1899 and 1902 in Lyon in the Monplaisir district, was the residence of Antoine Lumière, father of inventors Auguste and Louis Lumière. This place became the heart of their innovations, including the Cinématograph, patented in 1895, which allowed the filming and screening of the first film of history, La sortie de l ́usine Lumière in Lyon. The villa, sold in 1967 and bought by the municipality in 1976, was preserved despite the partial destruction of the old Lumière factories.

In 1982, the Institut Lumière settled there, transforming the villa into a museum and conservation centre dedicated to cinema. The Premier-Film hangar, the last vestige of the original factory, was restored and converted into a projection room in 1998. The institute, led by figures such as Thierry Frémaux or Irene Jacob, has been organizing the Festival Lumière since 2009, celebrating the 7th art with screenings, exhibitions and awards.

The site also houses a Filmmakers' Wall (inspired by the Walk of Hollywood Fame), a documentation centre named in tribute to historian Raymond Chirat, and a photo gallery in the former factory warehouse. Ranked a historic monument in 1986, the villa symbolizes the legacy of the Lights, pioneers of cinema, whose 1,425 restored films were registered in UNESCO's Memory of the World register in 2005.

The museum's collections include major inventions such as Autochrome (first colour photograph), Photostereosynthesis, or pre-cinema devices. The villa, surrounded by a park, also hosts open-air screenings in the summer (Summer in cinemascope) and thematic cycles in its rooms, including one decorated with armchairs bearing the names of famous directors.

The Institut Lumière also manages a network of three art and essay cinemas in Lyon (Lumière Fourmi, Bellecour, Terreaux), renovated in 2014-2016. Its role goes beyond conservation: it disseminates film culture through publications (in partnership with Actes Sud), temporary exhibitions, and meetings with filmmakers, perpetuating the innovative spirit of the Lumière brothers.

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