Documentary film

Documentary film is presented by the Cinémathèque du documentaire par la Bpi (documentary film library) and the Cinéma du Réel festival.

vue générale de la petite salle pendant une projection
Petite salle, Centre Pompidou, photo Cécile Desauziers, Bpi [cc By-NC-ND 2.0]

La Cinémathèque du documentaire à la Bpi 

Since January 2018, the Bibliothèque publique d’information has been commissioned by the Cinémathèque du documentaire to offer documentary films on the big screen almost every day to anyone interested in cinema. In the theaters of the Forum des images, the mk2 Bibliothèque, and the Centre Wallonie-Bruxelles, films from around the world, from classics to the latest creations, are presented with their authors to give us time to watch and think about the world together at the cinema.

Logo Cinémathèque du documentaire

In tune with the hopes, dreams, and concerns that permeate society, documentary filmmaking is experiencing extraordinary growth. It attracts an ever-increasing audience. In cinemas, on television, and on social media, it offers an exceptional diversity of perspectives, styles, and forms every day.

The Bpi’s documentary film program promotes both contemporary and heritage cinema, highlighting entire sections of cinema that remain largely unknown to this day. Organized into three major seasons from fall to spring, the program offers retrospectives to discover filmmakers, themes, and countries.

Regular events are offered throughout the year: Du court, toujours, Fenêtre sur festivals, Trésors du doc, les Rencontres d’Images documentaires, la Fabrique des films, la Cinémathèque idéale des banlieues du monde, le Ciné-Club de Panorama, Nouvelles écritures, evenings with France Télévisions, ARTE, and La Scam, premieres, and more. Les yeux doc à midi offers free screenings of films from the Les yeux doc platform on the big screen. Popular education sessions, university sessions, and sessions for schoolchildren round out the program. Meetings and masterclasses with all the filmmakers are at the heart of the program.

Documentary cinema is at the heart of the identity of the Bpi, a pioneer and the first multimedia library in France. Documentary cinema is part of a broader mission of national cooperation to promote its distribution with Les yeux doc, Cinéma du réel, and the Cinémathèque du documentaire par la Bpi. Its digital distribution is ensured throughout France by the video-on-demand platform Les yeux doc, through libraries that subscribe so that their users can enjoy it. Its distribution on the big screen is handled not only by the Cinémathèque du documentaire par la Bpi, but also by the Cinéma du réel festival.

Cinéma du réel Festival 

This international festival, created by the Bpi in 1978, takes place every year in March and is the unmissable event for documentary cinema, exploring its many forms, reflecting its time and production, and serving as a laboratory for writing about the world.

The Cinéma du réel website helps you choose from a packed program and gives you access to archives from previous festivals. You can also subscribe to the festival newsletter.

Publié le 03/02/2022 - CC BY-SA 4.0