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| Festival Lumière (Lyon) | |
|---|---|
| Name | Festival Lumière |
| Founded | 2009 |
| Location | Lyon, France |
| Founders | Organisation internationale de la Francophonie; Institut Lumière; Thierry Frémaux |
| Language | French, English |
Festival Lumière (Lyon) Festival Lumière is an annual film festival held in Lyon, France, celebrating cinema heritage, restoration, and classic films; it was established by the Institut Lumière, led by Thierry Frémaux, with connections to the legacy of Auguste Lumière and Louis Lumière. The festival brings together filmmakers, archivists, critics, and institutions such as the CNC, Cineteca di Bologna, British Film Institute, and Cinémathèque française to screen restored prints and host retrospectives, masterclasses, and tributes recognized across the international festival circuit that includes Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, and Berlin International Film Festival. It serves as both a celebration of the Lumière brothers’ invention and a working forum for restoration labs like Gaumont, Pathé, and archives such as the Library of Congress, BFI National Archive, and Cinémathèque de Toulouse.
The festival originated in 2009 under the auspices of the Institut Lumière, a cultural institution founded by Baron Éric de] __Not linked__? (note: do not create aliases) and historic figures linked to the Lumière legacy including Auguste Lumière and Louis Lumière; it was organized by Thierry Frémaux with support from local bodies like the Mairie de Lyon and national bodies such as the Ministry of Culture (France). From its inaugural edition the festival forged partnerships with major restoration projects from FIAF, UNESCO, European Film Academy, and archives including the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Academy Film Archive, and the Cinémathèque royale de Belgique. Early programs placed emphasis on tributes to auteurs like Alfred Hitchcock, Federico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa, and Orson Welles while engaging with restoration milestones such as Martin Scorsese’s work with The Film Foundation and the restoration of titles by Carl Theodor Dreyer and Satyajit Ray.
The festival is produced by the Institut Lumière with artistic direction by Thierry Frémaux, programming committees including curators from the CNC, Unifrance, European Film Academy, and specialists from the Cinémathèque française and British Film Institute. Programming blends retrospectives of filmmakers such as Jean-Luc Godard, François Truffaut, Ingmar Bergman, and Yasujiro Ozu with restored classics from studios like Pathé, Gaumont, and United Artists, plus new restorations presented by houses like Criterion Collection and laboratories such as L'Immagine Ritrovata. Sections include retrospectives, world premieres of restorations, homages to film professionals including Catherine Deneuve, Martin Scorsese, Wes Anderson, and thematic strands highlighting national cinemas like Italian cinema, Japanese cinema, Indian cinema, and movements such as French New Wave. The festival also organizes masterclasses, conferences, and roundtables featuring representatives from FIAF, Cineteca di Bologna, Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, and film schools like La Fémis and Lodz Film School.
Festival honors include the prestigious Lumière Award presented to cinema figures such as Meryl Streep, Pedro Almodóvar, Warren Beatty, Hayao Miyazaki, Joaquin Phoenix, and Isabelle Huppert; the award is announced alongside retrospectives and restoration premieres supported by partners like the CNC and Institut Français. The festival collaborates with entities like the EFA and UNESCO on heritage recognition and sometimes aligns with archival awards given by FIAF and The Film Foundation. Honorary prizes have been bestowed on institutions including the Cinémathèque française, British Film Institute, and studios such as Paramount Pictures and Warner Bros. for contributions to preservation and film culture.
Screenings take place across historical and modern venues in Lyon including the Institut Lumière’s villa, the Auditorium de Lyon, the Pathé Bellecour, and the UGC Confluence, with special outdoor events in locations like the Place Bellecour and screenings at museums such as the Musée des Confluences. The festival regularly features restored 35mm, 70mm, Technicolor prints, and digital restorations presented by laboratories like L'Immagine Ritrovata, Gaumont Color Laboratories, and the TitraFilm. Collaborating institutions bring prints from archives such as the Museum of Modern Art (New York), the Academy Film Archive, the National Film Archive (India), and the Cineteca di Bologna for rare screenings of works by Buster Keaton, Charlie Chaplin, Dorothy Arzner, and D.W. Griffith.
The festival attracts filmmakers, actors, critics, and archivists such as Martin Scorsese, Pedro Almodóvar, Isabelle Huppert, Catherine Deneuve, Wes Anderson, Agnes Varda, Agnieszka Holland, and preservationists from The Film Foundation, FIAF, and the Library of Congress. Critics and historians from institutions like the British Film Institute, the Cinémathèque française, Sight & Sound, Cahiers du Cinéma, and the Museum of Modern Art (New York) regularly participate in panels, alongside festival directors from Cannes Film Festival, Berlin International Film Festival, and Venice Film Festival. Retrospectives often feature surviving collaborators or family members of filmmakers such as the estates of Federico Fellini, Akira Kurosawa, Ingmar Bergman, and Satyajit Ray.
The festival has played a key role in film preservation and the global restoration movement by catalyzing projects with Cineteca di Bologna, The Film Foundation, CNC, and archives like the Academy Film Archive and the British Film Institute, influencing programming at Cannes Film Festival, Venice Film Festival, and national retrospectives in institutions such as the Museum of Modern Art (New York) and the Cinémathèque française. It has elevated awareness of film heritage for audiences, students from La Fémis and Lodz Film School, and professionals from Gaumont and Pathé, while reinforcing Lyon’s identity as a cinematic birthplace alongside the historical contributions of Auguste Lumière and Louis Lumière. The festival’s collaborations with UNESCO and FIAF underscore its role in preserving cinematic memory and shaping film historiography, archival standards, and exhibition practices across museums, archives, and festivals worldwide.
Category:Film festivals in France Category:Lyon Category:Film preservation