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Logline

La Clef Revival is a collective of activists, filmmakers and artists who have been fighting for the past 4 years to save a landmark, community-run cinema in the heart of Paris: La Clef.

Synopsis

La Clef is a historic movie theater in Paris’ Latin Quarter, a unique space notably dedicated to screening cinematic works by lesser-represented auteurs from Africa and Latin America. To preserve this legacy for future generations, our collective is trying to buy, restore and reopen the theater. Our vision goes beyond just keeping the lights on and offering inclusive and accessible “pay what you can” film screenings. We run this project through equitable methods of shared governance, and are planning to launch initiatives to support new creative voices through artist residencies, post-production facilities, as well as free and open-access educational workshops.

As a collective, we occupied the cinema for two and a half years to keep it open. We showed a different film every night, and many directors – such as Céline Sciamma, Léos Carax, Jean-Luc Godard and Sophie Calle, among many others – were present for post-screening discussions as a way to support our cause. It was truly an exhilarating time, where moviegoers and filmmakers gathered around a film, a conversation or a drink.

After we were eventually evicted, we embarked on a new chapter of the story and put together a bid to buy the cinema ourselves. Since then, thanks to the support of key figures from the film industry such as David Lynch, John Carpenter and even Martin Scorsese, who wrote an open letter and recorded a video in support, we were able to sign a sales agreement – and are now close to reaching our fundraising goal in order to buy La Clef collectively and reopen it to the public.
 

Directors of the Professionals Committee

Eric Arrivé – “Commons” Expert
Eric is a researcher and an expert in the legal arrangements that enable common property. This is a crucial parameter of the project to take over La Clef: the goal is not simply to buy the cinema, but to protect it durably from real es- tate speculation and to entrust its management to a cooperative of users, who will administer it with complete independence.

Céline Sciamma – French Screenwriter/Director
Céline’s debut feature film was Water Lilies, back in 2008 ; she is best known for Portrait of a Lady on Fire (2019), which won Best Screenplay at the Cannes and European Film Festivals. Her experience as an independent writer and director, and her knowledge of alternative production methods will provide valuable support for the development of artistic residencies at La Clef.

Laurent Tenzer – Member of Cinema Nova (Brussels)
Laurent has been involved in the running of Cinema Nova in Brussels since its inception. This emblematic cinema in the heart of Brussels is dedicated to programming independent films and videos and has been run for twenty years by a team of volunteers. It is a model of alternative cinema management in Europe, which has inspired the project to take over La Clef.

Jean-Marc Zekri – Operator of Reflet Médicis (Paris)
Jean-Marc runs the Reflet Médicis, a historic Arthouse cinema in the Latin Quarter, renowned for its cutting-edge programming of heritage films and recent independent films. Reflet Médicis is part of the network of independent cinemas in Paris : Jean-Marc Zekri has in-depth knowledge of the public sup- port model for such venues.

Directors of the Users Committee

BILLET Victor, co-founder and film producer at SMAC productions collec- tive
BLOT Claire-Emmanuelle, film programmer – most notably at the Entre- vues Festival in Belfort – and member of the Directors’ Fortnight press relations team
FOLENS Chloé, PhD candidate in film history and deputy delegate of the French Directors’ Guild (SRF)
MEIGNAN Bulle, video artist and film programmer
RAGUENES Gautier, film producer at Les films Hatari
PAILLARD Luc, projectionist and cinema employee

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Contact

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