The Cinémathèque

Preserving the international film heritage is at the heart of the Cinémathèque’s mission.

Its collections now include thousands of film prints, ranging from silent movies to more contemporary works, and cover every genre: masterpieces of cinema history as well as unexpected rarities. Alongside these are posters, photographs, magazines, specialized books, and technical objects that trace the material history of cinema.

Stored in specially equipped facilities at Cloche d’Or, the collections benefit from optimal temperature and humidity conditions, constant monitoring, and sophisticated tracking. Films are literally “refrigerated” to slow down their deterioration, while paper documents and objects are carefully catalogued and protected.

At the Cinémathèque, preservation does not mean freezing in time: it means preparing films for rediscovery and passing on to future generations a shared experience of the big screen that has lasted for over 120 years.

Although the Cinémathèque does not have an in-house restoration laboratory, it regularly contributes to international restoration projects thanks to the rarity and richness of its collections. By providing original materials from its archives, it helps to bring masterpieces of cinema back to life and to reconstruct versions as close as possible to the filmmakers’ vision.

Its collections have, for instance, played a key role in the restoration of 'Lola Montès' by Max Ophüls and 'Mr. Arkadin' by Orson Welles — a work that earned the team the memorable compliment from Peter Bogdanovich: “This is what Orson would have done.”

More recently, the Cinémathèque contributed to the monumental restoration of 'Napoléon' as seen by Abel Gance (first part), which premiered at Cannes Classics 2024. This event highlights the crucial importance of archives in the preservation and revival of the world’s cinematic heritage.