One of the glories of French cultural life is that on certain days of the year known as the Journées du Patrimoine, the public can visit museums, concert halls, old buildings, gardens and many places that are not usually open to the public (including the president’s residence, the Élysée Palace) free of charge, even though in almost all cases it is important to book tickets in advance.
During the last Journées du Patrimoine weekend, I had the pleasure of going with two friends to the newly relaunched Cité du Cinéma, a vast space (667,362 square feet) in the suburb of Saint Denis. Developed from an old thermic power station built in the early 20th century, the site was repurposed and used by the French film director Luc Besson as a huge film studio between 2000 and 2024. During the 2024 Paris Olympics, the athletes, who stayed in new housing nearby, used the main hall as a dining space and training facility. It has now been relaunched as “a major cultural and event destination,” according to the official website.
While the massive interior of the main building is certainly impressive on first sight, the weekend’s organizers were faced with the problem of how to make best use of the space. The program announced tours of film studios and dance events, but none seemed to be available while we were there. Instead, cheesy pop songs blared out from a large stage, where a host of gaudily attired karaoke “performers” provided tuneless renditions of the songs. Some people in the crowd were clearly enjoying themselves, but it would certainly have been less cringeworthy if more talented musicians had been given the chance to perform. Slightly more successful was a crane with a platform from which audience members could jump onto a huge cushion.
Perhaps the best part of the outing was the chance to watch De la Comédie Française, a recent comic film by directors Martin Darondeau and Bertrand Usclat, in the complex’s enormous cinema . Set in the hallowed theater of the Comédie Française and performed largely by actors currently attached to the company, the movie follows the chaotic build-up to the opening night of a performance of Shakespeare’s Macbeth as director Nina (beautifully played by Pauline Clément) deals with a whole series of obstacles, including a doorman who knows her but refuses to let her into the building because she can’t find her ID card, a superstitious actor who refuses to wear a jacket that he thought was green (considered unlucky onstage), a married couple whose troubled relationship disintegrates in full view of the other actors, and various mechanical mishaps onstage.
While the film’s plot does not manage to avoid a number of clichés, it is wittily written, energetically performed, refreshingly short (only 75 minutes long) and genuinely funny.
It will be interesting to see if the Cité du Cinéma becomes an integral part of the Parisian cultural scene. Plans are underway to program films, exhibitions and concerts (including an all-night technofest on October 2). Starting in November, the Usine de Films Amateurs will offer three-hour film-making workshops for amateurs, who will have the chance to create their own short film. Studios are available for professionals, and spaces can be rented for private events and meetings.
The building offers pleasant views over the Seine and is surrounded by many (largely empty) recently built apartment blocks and office buildings. At the moment, the area seems somewhat arid, but there are small signs of rebirth with a few existing shops and restaurants and others that are due to open in the coming months.
It will probably take some time for the Cité du Cinéma to find its way, just as Centquatre in Paris, another cavernous empty space, took a couple of years to become the busy multipurpose venue it is today, hopping with restaurants, exhibitions, dance parties and young people practicing dance routines on their own in all available spaces.
La Cité du Cinéma: 20, rue Ampère, 93200 Saint-Denis. Métro: Carrefour Pleyel or RER D : Stade de France Saint-Denis. laciteducinema.fr
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