Lyon: Where the Cinema was created
Institut Lumière in Lyon Monplaisir (8th arrondissement)
It was in 1895 that the Lumière brothers released the very first motion picture, “Workers Leaving the Lumière Factory”, much to the wide-eyed wonder of the crowds.
Fast forward 120ish years and you’ve got yourself a glittering and much-worshipped film-vulture venue in the 8th district of Monplaisir, the Institut Lumière, rue du Premier Film, promoting and preserving anything and everything to do with cinema.
It is complete with a dazzling Art Nouveau Museum, the First Film Shed (restored and revamped by Didier Reppelin and Pierre Colboc in 1997) and a wall that pays homage to filmmakers past and present.
Oh, and a garden. Sumptuous. Dip into its eclectic mix of films, get lost in the cinematographic universe of the museum, or just sit in the garden and count the geeks as they geek-walk by.
The Factory Shed or Hangar, the very first film set in the world.
Lumière, a Museum and an International Film Festival
The Institut Lumière, the actual family home of the Lumière, was founded in 1982 by Bernard Chardère (Positif magazine) along with Maurice Trarieux-Lumière, grandson of Louis Lumière. Its president was famous French filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier who remained the president of the institute until his death in September 2021.
Today it is directed by Thierry Frémaux, the chap behind Cannes Film Festival, and has as its president French actress Irène Jacob.
The Festival Lumière, the glamourous stunner of a festival which takes place every October, is when the Institute truly comes ALIVE. But even throughout the year it is brimming with ideas and debates, conferences and a panoply of projections to make your mouth water.
L’Institut Lumière also bought some gorgeous arty cinema venues that were struggling financially in 2014: La Fourmi, le CNP Terreaux et le CNP Bellecour.
Villa Lumière, an Art Nouveau castle
The Villa Lumière, nicknamed the “Château”, is where you’ll find the museum. It was dreamt up by Antoine, the bon vivant and big-spender Lumière daddy, whose ideas were fed to architects Boucher and Alex from 1899 to 1902.
What they came up with is a feast for the eyes. An Art Nouveau mash-up of irregular forms, varied elevations of cornices and balustrades, jutting out, curving, looming in yellows and creams and browns.
Step inside and see the vibrant social life and artistic thirst of Antoine Lumière in full splendour. Art Nouveau ceramic and carved wooden fireplaces stand alongside marquetry wooden floors, marble plinths, floral motifs upon floral motifs.
There’s a winter garden, a conservatory with beautiful bay windows, a billiard room, an imposing staircase whispering at you to step up…
How Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph
Institut Lumière cinéma museum. Great for kids.
The museum puts the spotlight on the ingenious engineers that were the Lumière brothers and their invention, the Cinematograph.
It pops it along the timeline of animated images, from the magic lantern, Edison’s kinetoscope, the Demeny chronophotograph, to the prototype Louis developed for his early film tests on paper in 1894.
We also learn of the brothers’ avid curiosity, their insatiable quest for frame and aesthetic, making them not only engineers but artists in their own right.
Thus we uncover the Photorama (for 360 degree panoramic images), the stereoscopic projector (for 3D imagery, many taken by the wives of the Lumière lot), as well as the Autochrome plates, known nowadays as slides, democratising images that little bit further.
Louis created these plates thanks to the tiniest mosaic of coloured grains of potato starch, giving an impressionist painting feel.
All this and more bear witness to the innovative and exciting times at the turn of the 20th century.
The Film Shed, the First Film Set in the World
The “Hangar” was the factory where mostly women worked to produce the instantaneous photographic plates the Lumière brothers had whipped up.
These “blue label” plates became world famous, more land was given, and business literally boomed. It was father Antoine who pushed for the social security of their workers, making the Lumière family not simply inventors and artists, but philanthropists too.
One day of 1895, Louis Lumière placed his camera opposite the said shed and filmed the workers as they came out. “Sortie d’Usine” thus became the very first film, and the Factory Shed or Hangar, the first film set.
So you can imagine the atmosphere in the Hangar today.
Both locals and international folk come to discover or rediscover films from all over, in a multitude of different styles and epochs, from Chaplin to the Nouvelle Vague and beyond, from the very place the motion picture was born.
269 seats guaranteed to take you on a journey. In original version.
If you’re a lover of the moving stories that flicker before your eyes, if you get goose-bumps at the bright lights of film, head to the Institut Lumière. It won’t disappoint.
What to Know Before you Go to Lumière Institute in Lyon
- Tip 1:
See the incredible ‘pincer hand’, another of Louis Lumière’s inventions but nothing to do with cinema. It was designed to relieve amputees from WW1.
- Tip 2:
Visit the garden. It’s between the Villa Lumière and the First Film Shed. 7000 square metres of relentless green.
- Tip 3:
Lyon’s walk of fame is worth a look. Started in 1982 it already features a modest array of filmmakers’ plaques who presided the glitzy Festival Lumière in the past.
2023 Lumière Museum Update
The museum will welcome visitors at the end of September 2023, and the two cinema halls will host attendees of the Lumière festival starting from October 14th.
By All Saints’ Day, everything will be fully open.
Since January 2023, the Lumière Villa has been closed for various renovations, including the installation of an elevator to facilitate access for individuals with limited mobility, the refurbishment of certain technical facilities, and the introduction of new arrangements in some areas of the villa.
Despite the ongoing work at the villa, the other activities facilitated by the Lumière Institute will not be affected. The public can still enjoy the offerings at other venues which remain operational: the large cinema hall at the Hangar, the First-Film Bookstore, and the Lumière Café will continue to welcome visitors as usual.
Visitor Reception Open at the Hangar from 2 PM
During the renovation period and the closure of the Lumière Villa, an information and ticketing point is available at the Hangar of the First-Film from Tuesday to Sunday, between 2 PM and 6 PM. The cinema hall at the Hangar, the First-Film Bookstore, and the Lumière Café maintain their regular opening hours.
