😀** Paris, a pioneer**
🎥 Amidst the excitement of the late 19th century, as modernity was dawning and eyes were turning towards the future, Paris became the scene of a quiet yet revolutionary birth: that of cinema.
🍿 It was at the Salon Indien in the Grand Café, located at 14 Boulevard des Capucines, that the Lumière brothers presented the first paid public screening in the history of cinema on 28 December 1895. They brought to life an invention that would transform the way we see the world. For the first time, images came to life, were projected, told a story — and captivated an audience spellbound by the magic of movement.
🛋 In the shadows of a screening room, silhouettes flickered, scenes unfolded, and a sense of wonder took hold. It is no longer just reality that we observe, but a new form of storytelling unfolding before the astonished eyes of the audience. More than a technical feat, it is a cultural revolution. Cinema becomes a universal language, an art in the making, a mirror of the world and its emotions. The fictional film is born.
😀 One hundred and thirty years later, we continue to be captivated in the darkened auditoriums. And Paris, the iconic capital of cinema, remains at the top of the bill by continuing to support creative production, with over 6,500 days of filming in 2025 for 92 feature films and 66 series. Paris is also a leader in the distribution of this art form, with 34 so-called ‘independent’ cinemas, most often classified as arthouse, representing 81 screens (or one in five screens in Paris).
🎬 Every year, it fosters the emergence of new talent and innovative forms of storytelling such as virtual reality, augmented reality and immersive experiences. The crowning glory of Paris’s unwavering support for cinematic works: the Grand Rex in Paris Centre was voted the world’s most beautiful cinema in 2024!
🌟** Innovation, Vision, Emotion, Heritage**: these are the strengths that took root in Paris during that historic screening and endure to this day. That defining moment resonates across every screen, reminding us that certain sparks change our perception of reality forever…
Will you be able to feel all the magic?