From ciné-goûters to screenings for cinephilie

Though the number of works on cultural diplomacy is in general quite substantial, very few concern the production and distribution of films. The cinemas established by French cultural institutions are likewise virtually absent from many studies on the history of cinema, and notably from those on its theaters. By analyzing the distribution systems of French and world cinema which promote local production, and their audiences, all the analyses presented in the book establish an initial assessment on the life of cinemas belonging to the Instituts français and the Alliances françaises. First spaces of French culture’s unilateral influence, then windows onto “cultural diversity,” the history of these theaters is certainly complex. We preferred to approach it and render it with all of its contradictions.