Cinema is known as le septième art (the 7th art) in France, and Paris has played a starring role in its evolution, hosting approximately 900 film shoots per year. Experience cinematic Paris by discovering famous film locations, visiting Parisian and national film archives, taking a behind-the-scenes tour of an art-deco theatre, and catching a movie in one of Paris’ trove of atmospheric cinemas.
The places where the Lumière brothers started cinema
Cinema’s beginnings occurred south of the capital in the French city of Lyon, when on 19 March 1895, brothers Auguste and Louis Lumière shot the first reels of the world’s first motion picture, La Sortie des Usines Lumières (Exit of the Lumières Factories), which showcased workers leaving their photographic-plate factory (now a museum).
The Lumière brothers brought their film to Paris, where they held a private screening on 22 March 1895 at the Société d’Encouragement à l’Industrie Nationale (Society for the Development of the National Industry) before an audience of 200 conference attendees. Later that year, on 28 December 1895, the brothers staged the world’s first paying public film screening in the basement Salon Indien du Grand Café on boulevard des Capucines in the 9e arrondissement, showcasing ten short films including La Sortie des Usines Lumières. This site is now part of the Hôtel Scribe, where an inscription on the building’s facade details its history.
Where to see iconic film sights in Paris
In the heart of the city, deep within the underground shopping mall/transport hub Forum des Halles, 1er, lies Paris’ film archive, Forum des Images. Established in 1988, it serves as an ‘audiovisual memory bank’ of the city, featuring a library and research center that preserves newsreels, documentaries, and advertising from over the years. The center’s five-screen cinema showcases films set in La Ville Lumière (the City of Light).
Far from the typical tourist track in the 12e, you will find the Cinémathèque Française. Its permanent collection contains costumes, vintage equipment, posters, film clips, and props. Included among these are some from the 1902 silent film Le Voyage dans la Lune (The Trip to the Moon), the first-ever science-fiction film, created by Paris magician Georges Méliès, who was present at the Lumière brothers’ screening. Martin Scorsese featured Le Voyage dans la Lune in his Oscar-winning 2011 film, Hugo. The Cinémathèque also unveils temporary exhibitions that examine a film or creator in-depth. Its on-site cinema screens original-language films, including retrospectives of famous filmmakers and artists.
Paris’ landmark cinemas
Paris boasts an array of cinemas, with an estimated screen for every 6000 inhabitants at the last count, including numerous art house and independent theatres.
The art deco landmark Le Grand Rex, located in the 2e, is a listed historical monument that retains its 1932 decor. The venue still screens films and ciné-concerts with orchestras in its seven salles (screening rooms), including its triple-tiered, 2700-plus-seat Grande Salle. Guided tours and fantastic audio-guided behind-the-scenes tours through the projection room and recording and special effects studios are available. It’s a delightful experience for visitors of all ages.
Another listed historical monument, the neo-Egyptian art deco cinema Le Louxor, dating from 1921, features piano-accompanied ciné-concerts; check the calendar for short-film festivals, workshops, and live-music performances. The terrace also offers a scenic view of Montmartre’s basilica, Sacré-Cœur.
Behind the Rodin-sculpted facade of a 19th-century theatre, the Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé, located in the 13e, was revamped by renowned architect Renzo Piano in 2014. Silent black-and-white films are accompanied by a live pianist. Additionally, it features exhibitions covering cinematic history. Also in the 13e, Cinéma Les Fauvettes screens silent-era and contemporary films.
The Latin Quarter, 5e, offers a wealth of cinemas, from art deco gems like Le Champo (renowned for timeless classics) to Le Grand Action (known for cult films) and The Rocky Horror Picture Show fixture Studio Galande, which has screened the iconic 1975 sci-fi horror-comedy every weekend for four decades.
Paris’ most anticipated cinematic reopening is the historical monument La Pagode, a 19th-century Japanese pagoda shipped to France, piece by piece, in 1895 by the then-proprietor of department store Le Bon Marché. He reconstructed the pagoda within his bamboo-filled garden on rue de Babylone, 7e. Converted into a cinema in the 1930s, it was treasured by generations of Parisian film-goers before financial struggles forced its closure in 2015. Salvation arrived in 2017 when New York producer and French-film enthusiast Charles Cohen intervened. Following an €8 million restoration that will preserve both the pagoda and garden while adding a third salle in its basement, it is set to reopen soon.
For session times at cinemas throughout Paris, check L’Officiel des Spectacles. Foreign films (including English-language films) screened in their original language with French subtitles are labeled ‘VO’ (version originale). Films that are labeled ‘VF’ (version française) are dubbed in French. Alternatively, new-release French films with English subtitles can be enjoyed at events hosted by Lost in Frenchlation at independent cinemas, often featuring pre- or post-screening cocktails.
Film festivals in Paris
Paris’ love of cinema is reflected in its vibrant film festivals.
French and international documentary films screen both in and out of competition during late March’s 10-day Cinéma du Réel at various venues, including the Centre Pompidou. Around early July, selected cinemas across Paris offer low-cost entry fees for filmgoers over four days during La Fête du Cinéma. From mid-July to mid-August, free outdoor film screenings occur under the stars in Parc de la Villette as part of Cinéma En Plein Air de la Villette. In August, short films from independent filmmakers compete alongside open-air concerts and workshops during the nine-day festival Silhouette.
Classic filming locations in Paris
Paris serves as the backdrop for countless films, both French and foreign. Classics range from Parisian filmmaker Marcel Carné’s Hôtel du Nord (1938), set along Canal St-Martin, to New Wave director Jean-Luc Godard’s A Bout de Souffle (Breathless; 1960), partly filmed on the av des Champs-Élysées. Other notable films include the James Bond installment A View to a Kill (1985), featuring a spectacular jump from the Eiffel Tower; Les Amants du Pont-Neuf (The Lovers on the Bridge; 1991), set against the city’s oldest bridge; and Jean-Pierre Jeunet’s Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain (Amelie; 2001), which follows a Montmartre café waitress. Additionally, Richard Linklater’s Before Sunset (2004) opens at the enchanting bookstore Shakespeare & Company; Ron Howard’s The Da Vinci Code (2006) features action at the Louvre and &Église St-Sulpice; Sofia Coppola’s Marie-Antoinette (2006) was filmed at the Château de Versailles; Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris (2011) depicts Owen Wilson’s character transported back to Hemingway’s 1920s Paris from outside the &Église St-Étienne du Mont; and Wash Westmoreland’s Colette (2018) features scenes outside the Moulin Rouge.
For a neighborhood-by-neighborhood overview of famous film settings, the Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau provides walks on the trail of film locations in Paris.
