Cinéma Saint-Denis

Cinéma Saint-Denis is a movie theater located at 77 Grande Rue de la Croix-Rousse in the 4th arrondissement of Lyon, France. It is the last remaining neighborhood cinema on the Croix-Rousse plateau and, along with Le Bellecombe, one of only two cinemas within Lyon's city limits to be run exclusively by volunteers. The cinema is housed at the end of a short pedestrian cul-de-sac, with its entrance facing a bar that serves hot and cold drinks. It has a single auditorium with 237 seats and has been part of the art-et-essai (art house) cinema network since 1995. It is also a member of the Groupement régional d'actions cinématographiques (G.R.A.C.). The cinema is equipped with 3D projection technology and a Digital Theater System (DTS) with Dolby Digital (SRD) sound. Since 2013, it has been equipped to accommodate people with reduced mobility as well as visually and hearing-impaired audiences. A red velvet curtain automatically retracts at the start of each screening. The cinema prioritizes the quality of the films it shows and has a partnership with the Agence du court métrage to screen a short film before the intermission and the feature presentation. It also hosts performances by the theater workshop of the nearby Groupe scolaire Saint-Denis, presentations of short films from the cinema option at Lycée de Saint-Just, and short films from the "J Court" festival. It participates in the Centre national du cinéma et de l'image animée (CNC) programs "Collégiens au cinéma" and "Lycéens au cinéma." The development of digital technologies allowed the cinema to replace paper displays with dynamic displays starting in 2010, first next to the box office and then on the street. In September 2017, a computerized ticketing system was installed with new tickets, followed the next year by new magnetic subscription cards, reducing waiting times. The Saint-Denis also accepts dematerialized payments via a bank card terminal and has equipped itself to welcome high school students holding a Pass Culture or Pass Région. The cinema was featured as the location of a murder in the Lyon police television series Cherif, in the episode "La Dernière Séance" (season 4, episode 8), broadcast in 2017. The cinema is run by an association of about fifty volunteers who take turns keeping this emblematic Croix-Rousse plateau venue alive. Nine teams handle the different screening sessions, each composed of five members: a head of auditorium, a projectionist, a cashier, and two ushers. The association is directed by a ten-member administrative committee elected for three years and renewed at a general assembly. The current president is Marcel Buthod. The cinema offers about ten screenings per week, showing between three and four different films, scheduled on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 8:30 p.m., Friday at 2:30 p.m., 6:15 p.m., and 8:30 p.m., Saturday at 3:00 p.m., 5:30 p.m., and 8:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Currently closed on Wednesdays, the cinema is considering adding a Wednesday screening to program films dealing with themes to defend (ecology, migrants...), or with local ties (cinema and gastronomy, films shot in Lyon, off-site screenings of Lyon events such as Nuits de Fourvière, Nuits Sonores, biennales...), or belonging to film genres rarely shown at St-Denis (B-movies, manga...).

The history of Cinéma Saint-Denis begins in 1920 when Abbé Clapot created the Saint-Denis-Palace, although a projection had taken place in the courtyard next door in July 1919, announced in the parish bulletin of the time: "La Fête du Retour, a family celebration on the terraces of 77 Grande Rue de la Croix-Rousse, for Sunday, July 6, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. All soldiers of the Great War, their families, and all parishioners of St-Denis-la-Croix-Rousse are invited. Numerous attractions, varied games, new targets, cinema, Guignol, etc., are planned for the amusement of children and the joy of parents." The first mention of its existence as a cinema of Saint-Denis appears in the parish bulletin of December 1920: "NOTRE CINEMA (Saint Denis Palace) 77 Grande Rue de la Croix-Rousse, January 1 (1921), at 3 o'clock, gala matinee for Families: ESTHER, Great biblical drama." During its first decade, the cinema showed only silent and short films. Sounds were produced by musicians: pianists, singers, small chamber ensembles, very large orchestras for prestige halls, not to mention the instrument favored by American halls, the Wurlitzer organ, equipped with "effects" stops for certain sound effects. Sometimes bonimenteurs (lecturers) added narration, commenting on the action, situating it in space and time, lending their voices to actors, revealing their thoughts and feelings. Screenings at Saint-Denis were sometimes accompanied by musicians from the parish. Already at that time, the cinema faced constraints: finding morally correct films (the cinema was parochial and had to show films of good morals) and making screenings profitable to ensure the sustainability of Cinéma Saint-Denis. "Indeed, at that time there was no box office. Revenue came from the collection taken at each screening, and from the price of the 'Family Card' required for..." Over the decades, the cinema evolved. It became part of the art-et-essai network in 1995 and joined the Groupement régional d'actions cinématographiques (G.R.A.C.). It is now the last neighborhood cinema on the Croix-Rousse plateau and one of only two cinemas within Lyon's city limits to be run exclusively by volunteers, along with Le Bellecombe. The cinema has a single auditorium with 237 seats. It is equipped with 3D technology and DTS/Dolby Digital sound. Since 2013, it has been accessible to people with reduced mobility and visually and hearing-impaired audiences. A red velvet curtain automatically retracts at the start of each screening. The cinema has a partnership with the Agence du court métrage to screen a short film before the intermission and the feature. It also hosts performances by the theater workshop of the nearby Groupe scolaire Saint-Denis, presentations of short films from the cinema option at Lycée de Saint-Just, and short films from the "J Court" festival. It participates in the CNC's "Collégiens au cinéma" and "Lycéens au cinéma" programs. The development of digital technologies allowed the cinema to replace paper displays with dynamic displays starting in 2010, first next to the box office and then on the street. In September 2017, a computerized ticketing system was installed with new tickets, followed the next year by new magnetic subscription cards, reducing waiting times. The Saint-Denis also accepts dematerialized payments via a bank card terminal and has equipped itself to welcome high school students holding a Pass Culture or Pass Région. The cinema was featured as the location of a murder in the Lyon police television series Cherif, in the episode "La Dernière Séance" (season 4, episode 8), broadcast in 2017. The cinema is run by an association of about fifty volunteers who take turns keeping this emblematic Croix-Rousse plateau venue alive. Nine teams handle the different screening sessions, each composed of five members: a head of auditorium, a projectionist, a cashier, and two ushers. The association is directed by a ten-member administrative committee elected for three years and renewed at a general assembly. The current president is Marcel Buthod. The cinema offers about ten screenings per week, showing between three and four different films, scheduled on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday at 8:30 p.m., Friday at 2:30 p.m., 6:15 p.m., and 8:30 p.m., Saturday at 3:00 p.m., 5:30 p.m., and 8:30 p.m., and Sunday at 2:30 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. Currently closed on Wednesdays, the cinema is considering adding a Wednesday screening to program films dealing with themes to defend (ecology, migrants...), or with local ties (cinema and gastronomy, films shot in Lyon, off-site screenings of Lyon events such as Nuits de Fourvière, Nuits Sonores, biennales...), or belonging to film genres rarely shown at St-Denis (B-movies, manga...).

• 2018

  New magnetic subscription cards introduced.

• 2017

  Featured in TV series Cherif; computerized ticketing installed in September.

• 2013

  Equipped to accommodate people with reduced mobility and visually/hearing-impaired audiences.

• 2010

  Replaces paper displays with dynamic displays.

• 1995

  Joins the art-et-essai cinema network.

• 1921

  First documented screening as a cinema: 'Esther' on January 1.

• 1920

  Abbé Clapot creates the Saint-Denis-Palace cinema.

• 1919

  First projection in the courtyard next to 77 Grande Rue de la Croix-Rousse in July.

Neighborhood art house cinema focused on film quality, community engagement, and volunteer management.

• Art house film screenings

  Weekly screenings of art-et-essai films, about ten per week.

• 3D screenings

  Equipped with 3D projection technology.

• Short film screenings

  Partnership with Agence du court métrage to screen a short before intermission and feature.

• Theater performances

  Hosts performances by the theater workshop of Groupe scolaire Saint-Denis.

• Community events

  Hosts short film presentations from Lycée de Saint-Just and 'J Court' festival.

1. 1Cinema Saint-Denis - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Cinéma Saint-Denis - Wikipédiafr.wikipedia.org