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Cinema Le Champo - Paris 5th à Paris 1er dans Paris 5ème

Patrimoine classé
Cinéma
Paris

Cinema Le Champo - Paris 5th

    1 Rue Champollion
    75005 Paris 5e Arrondissement
Cinéma Le Champo - Paris 5ème
Cinéma Le Champo - Paris 5ème
Cinéma Le Champo - Paris 5ème
Cinéma Le Champo - Paris 5ème
Cinéma Le Champo - Paris 5ème
Cinéma Le Champo - Paris 5ème
Cinéma Le Champo - Paris 5ème
Cinéma Le Champo - Paris 5ème
Cinéma Le Champo - Paris 5ème
Cinéma Le Champo - Paris 5ème
Crédit photo : LPLT - Sous licence Creative Commons

Timeline

XIXe siècle
Époque contemporaine
1900
2000
22 juin 1938
Opening of the cinema
1941
Fire and innovation
1955
Opening of the 2nd room
7 avril 2000
Historical monument classification
2012
End of retro-reflex
2025
Global ranking
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui

Heritage classified

Cinema, part of the building (Box BN 32): registration by order of 7 April 2000

Key figures

Roger Joly - Owner and innovator Created the retro-reflex system in 1941.
Christiane Renavand - Artistic director Daughter of Joly, managed cinema in 1980.
Jacques Tati - Symbolic sponsor Name associated with cinema since 1988.
François Truffaut - Filmmaker iconic He was called "headquarters".
Jean Tiberi - Mayor of Paris Support for ranking in 2000.
Catherine Trautmann - Minister of Culture Signatory of the protection order.

Origin and history

Le Champo, officially named Le Champo - Espace Jacques-Tati, is an independent art and essay cinema located at 51 rue des Écoles, at the corner of rue Champollion in the Latin Quarter. Inaugurated on June 22, 1938 on the site of an old bookshop, it owes its name to the adjacent street. As early as 1939, he was taken over by Roger Joly, an industrial enthusiast of cinema, who installed in 1941 a system unique in Europe: the retro-reflex, a periscope projection process housed in an apartment above the room, preserved until 2012. In 1955, a second room opened in the basement, in former cabaret premises, before being integrated into the complex.

Cinema became a cult place for film-makers, attracting figures such as François Truffaut (who called him "headquarter") or Claude Chabrol ("second university"). Threatened by real estate projects in the late 1990s, he was saved thanks to his ranking in historical monuments on April 7, 2000, after a mobilization including the Mayor of Paris Jean Tiberi and the Minister of Culture Catherine Trautmann. In 1988, on the occasion of his 50th anniversary, he adopted the name of Jacques Tati, the historic godfather of the site, and his hall will have an original holiday poster offered by his family.

Specializing in heritage cinema, Champo organizes cycles dedicated to directors (Kurosawa, Lynch, Tati) and thematic nights. His bold programming, from the time of his opening with Drôle de drama by Marcel Carné, contributed to the rediscovery of films such as La Grande Illusion or La Kermesse heroique. Despite a decline in attendance (from 5,000 weekly spectators in 1940 to 2,000 in 2018), it remains a symbol of Parisian cinematic culture, ranked 10th most beautiful cinema in the world by Time Out in 2025.

The architecture of the Champo is marked by its historical projection system and its renovations ( 1950s, 1970s, 1993). Its unique entrance, since the 1970s, serves both rooms. The venue was also the scene of controversial events, like the cancellation in 2019 of Roman Polanski's pre-première-première-première. In 2023, he celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Films du Losange by welcoming figures such as Isabelle Huppert or Olivier Assayas.

External links