Chanel Backs Reopening of Historic Paris Cinema
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- Chanel financed the renovation and relaunch of the 208-seat Left Bank venue, serving as lead partner in an unusual coalition of producers, bankers, and cultural patrons including producer Charles Gillibert and investment banker Grégoire Chertok.
- Saint-Germain-des-Prés cinema reopened with a gala screening of Paweł Pawlikowski's Cannes competition title "Fatherland," presented by Cannes chief Thierry Frémaux and attended by CNC president Gaëtan Bruel.
- Formerly known as the Olympic Saint-Germain, the venue hosted premieres by Truffaut, Rohmer, and Costa-Gavras, whose political thriller "Z" played 20 consecutive weeks following its 1969 release.
- Bruel used the occasion to defend France's cinema financing system against mounting political pressure from far-right voices, citing CNC data showing admissions up 20% in the first five months of the year and French films holding roughly 44% of the domestic market — on par with American movies.
- New managing director Mathilde Lamour positioned the venue as "a home for all cinemas," programming auteur films, repertory screenings, filmmaker conversations, and retrospectives rather than operating as a conventional commercial cinema.
- Marion Cotillard appeared at the venue the day after opening for a screening of Bertrand Mandico's "Roma Elastica," part of a Cannes-heavy opening slate that also includes Emmanuel Marre's "A Man of Our Time" and Charline Bourgeois-Tacquet's "A Woman's Life."
Why it matters: The gala doubled as a political staging ground ahead of France's presidential election: Bruel defended the CNC's public-interest cinema model with fresh data (admissions up 20%, French films at 44% market share) against far-right critics who call it 'cultural protectionism,' while also warning that small independent venues need protection from larger industry players.
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