Foundation by Henri Langlois 1936 (≈ 1936)
Creation with Paul-Auguste Harlé, conservation mission.
1948
First room avenue de Messine
First room avenue de Messine 1948 (≈ 1948)
60 seats and the first cinema museum.
1963
Installation at Chaillot Palace
Installation at Chaillot Palace 1963 (≈ 1963)
Support from André Malraux, link with the state.
1968
Langlois crisis and reintegration
Langlois crisis and reintegration 1968 (≈ 1968)
Mobilization of filmmakers (Truffaut, Godard).
2005
Moving to Bercy Street
Moving to Bercy Street 2005 (≈ 2005)
Frank Gehry building, former American Center.
2025
Governance reform and antenna in Marseille
Governance reform and antenna in Marseille 2025 (≈ 2025)
CNC integration, opening a new site.
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui
Aujourd'hui Aujourd'hui (≈ 2025)
Position de référence.
Key figures
Henri Langlois - Co-founder and Director (1936–1977)
Visionary, preserver and broadcaster of film heritage.
Costa-Gavras - President (since 2007)
Reform governance, manage recent controversies.
Frank Gehry - Architect of the current building
Designed the former American Center (1994).
André Malraux - Minister of Culture ( 1960s)
Financial support and installation in Chaillot.
Serge Toubiana - Director General (2003–2015)
Author of the report "All the memory of the world".
François Truffaut - Filmmaker iconic
Active member of the Defence Committee in 1968.
Origin and history
The French Cinematheque was co-founded in 1936 by Henri Langlois, whose mission was to preserve, restore and broadcast films, as well as objects related to cinema (poster, costumes, decors). Supported financially by Paul-Auguste Harlé, she moved from Avenue de Messine (1948) to Rue d'Ulm (1955), before joining the Palais de Chaillot in 1963 thanks to André Malraux. His eclectic approach, combining masterpieces and B series films, attracted filmmakers such as Truffaut, Godard or Rivette, forming the New Wave.
In 1968, Henri Langlois was ousted under ministerial pressure, triggering a historic mobilization: French (Truffaut, Resnais) and international directors (Chaplin, Kubrick) obtained his reintegration. The Cinémathèque then moved to the Palais de Tokyo (1980s), then to 51 rue de Bercy in 2005, in a building designed by Frank Gehry for the American Center. It merged in 2007 with the BiFi, strengthening its collections (40,000 films, 25,000 plates of magic lantern, 2,100 costumes).
The Cinémathèque's collections also include 6,000 technical devices, 500,000 photographs and 23,000 partially digitized posters. His exhibitions (like the one on Tim Burton in 2012, record with 350,000 visitors) and his retrospectives (Bergman, Lubitsch) make it a major cultural place. In 2025, she reformed her governance to integrate the state (via the CNC) and announced an antenna in Marseille, with a room of 128 places and educational activities.
The Cinémathèque was also marked by controversies, such as the programming of films by Roman Polanski (2017) or The Last Tango in Paris (2024), raising debates on the contextualization of works. Its current president, Costa-Gavras, recognized in 2025 the need to accompany screenings of sensitive films with critical analyses.
Since 2005, its attendance has increased sharply (518,000 visitors in 2011), with a rejuvenated audience (22% under 26 in 2017). Its funding is based on grants from the CNC, sponsorship and own resources (tickets, bookstores). Despite criticism of its governance (the Court of Auditors' report in 2025), it remains a pillar of film culture, combining conservation, research and dissemination.
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Collection
Avec plus de 40 000 films et des milliers de documents et d'objets liés au cinéma, elle constitue une des plus grandes bases de données mondiales sur le septième art.
