CSP: Experience at the Cinémathèque
October 8, 2006
Every year the Cinémathèque hosts Cinespaña, a festival for Spanish cinema. During this festival, along with playing the films in competition, the Cinémathèque brings in directors, actors, etc. to speak and has concerts each night. I was able to attend one of these concerts and then returned later that week to watch some short films playing in the festival. This was actually the first time saw a film there and so there were a few interesting things I observed:
Both nights that I went (for the concert and the film) the Cinémathèque was fairly busy, which was exciting because I think this speaks to the importance of cinema here. There were a variety of individuals, most came with friends and family (I didn’t notice anyone who seemed to be alone) and I didn’t really see any young children—most seemed to be in their teens or older. I was surprised at the mix of ages though, it definitely wasn’t just the artsy-only-into-the-independent-stuff 20-30 year olds that seem dominant crowds at similar events back home. Granted, I haven’t really spent much time at things like this in the States, and I also don’t live in a large city…so I can’t generalize to much. There were also several Spanish speakers there, since it was, after all, a Spanish film festival. Pretty neat that the event drew in people not only from other French cities, but also from other countries.
I showed up a few minutes before the start of the film and had to wait around for about 20 minutes because our theatre was still showing a film…because it didn’t start on time…because we are in France. I then followed a crowd of about 20 others into a small theatre. It was pretty awesome because the room didn’t seat more than 30 and all the rows were elevated high enough to see over the heads of those in the row ahead. It definitely felt like a private screening, which was cool. I think they have a few other small theatres and then one large theatre. And, it was so nice because food isn’t sold at the Cinémathèque (at least not that I know of), so I didn’t have some guy behind me crinkling a bag during the entire film. Nor were any groups of obnoxious or giggling teenagers. I enjoyed my experience overall and I liked most of the short films in the competition…and it was great because there were French subtitles (since the films were in Spanish)…which meant I could understand more. Yay!
I think the fact that they don’t sell food, along with the small theatres, and the absence of previews, speaks to the fact that at the Cinémathèque the goal is to watch films as a work of art. Though it is a social event, and a good way to spend time with friends and family, the main objective here seems to be in creating an environment where films can be watched not only for fun but with an objective eye. The Cinémathèque seems to also allow this to be further explored with the other things it offers, like the cinema library and the guests/speakers they host.
Every year the Cinémathèque hosts Cinespaña, a festival for Spanish cinema. During this festival, along with playing the films in competition, the Cinémathèque brings in directors, actors, etc. to speak and has concerts each night. I was able to attend one of these concerts and then returned later that week to watch some short films playing in the festival. This was actually the first time saw a film there and so there were a few interesting things I observed:
Both nights that I went (for the concert and the film) the Cinémathèque was fairly busy, which was exciting because I think this speaks to the importance of cinema here. There were a variety of individuals, most came with friends and family (I didn’t notice anyone who seemed to be alone) and I didn’t really see any young children—most seemed to be in their teens or older. I was surprised at the mix of ages though, it definitely wasn’t just the artsy-only-into-the-independent-stuff 20-30 year olds that seem dominant crowds at similar events back home. Granted, I haven’t really spent much time at things like this in the States, and I also don’t live in a large city…so I can’t generalize to much. There were also several Spanish speakers there, since it was, after all, a Spanish film festival. Pretty neat that the event drew in people not only from other French cities, but also from other countries.
I showed up a few minutes before the start of the film and had to wait around for about 20 minutes because our theatre was still showing a film…because it didn’t start on time…because we are in France. I then followed a crowd of about 20 others into a small theatre. It was pretty awesome because the room didn’t seat more than 30 and all the rows were elevated high enough to see over the heads of those in the row ahead. It definitely felt like a private screening, which was cool. I think they have a few other small theatres and then one large theatre. And, it was so nice because food isn’t sold at the Cinémathèque (at least not that I know of), so I didn’t have some guy behind me crinkling a bag during the entire film. Nor were any groups of obnoxious or giggling teenagers. I enjoyed my experience overall and I liked most of the short films in the competition…and it was great because there were French subtitles (since the films were in Spanish)…which meant I could understand more. Yay!
I think the fact that they don’t sell food, along with the small theatres, and the absence of previews, speaks to the fact that at the Cinémathèque the goal is to watch films as a work of art. Though it is a social event, and a good way to spend time with friends and family, the main objective here seems to be in creating an environment where films can be watched not only for fun but with an objective eye. The Cinémathèque seems to also allow this to be further explored with the other things it offers, like the cinema library and the guests/speakers they host.
posted by Brittany at 8:46 AM
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