Calling all cinephiles: film festivals & art house cinemas in Grenoble
February 18th, 2010 | Published in Features, Info & Advice, Life & Culture | 3 Comments
Film Projector Lens. Photo: Daniel Leininger
Are you a film buff? Know your Nouvelle Vague from your Cinéma Vérité? Grenoble has a wealth of cinemas and film festivals to cater for all movie tastes. Grenoble Life’s Camille Bromley investigates.
During the grey Grenoble winter I frequently find myself ducking out of the rain and snow and into the cozy darkness of the movie theater. Grenoble’s a particularly rich city for movie lovers; lately there’s been one film festival after another, while the numerous movie theaters in town already provide plenty of occasions to see lesser-known or international films.
Most of the theaters mentioned below show films in their original language with French subtitles—check for VF (version française) or VO (version originale) next to the listing. Ticket prices in the art cinemas range from about three to six euros, and are free in some special cases as part of film festival programs. Be sure to catch some of the extras with film festival screenings, as they often program-in shorts, stage talks before the film or dialogues afterwards, invite the filmmaker to be present, or even plan a goûter.
The theater of choice for all cinephiles in Grenoble would be La Salle Juliet Berto, home to the Ciné-Club de Grenoble. Juliet Berto is conveniently located on Place Saint André, across from the former Tribunal court. The Ciné-Club projects films each Wednesday at 8:00 pm, and many more films are shown throughout the week at Juliet Berto on behalf of other associations. The Ciné-Club has just finished a cycle of film noir, including The Maltese Falcon; a cycle of B horror movies, including Invasion of the Body Snatchers; and will kick off a cycle around the theme “strange love” with Hal Ashby’s Harold and Maude on March 3rd.
The biennial film festival Cinéduc concluded their 10-day program last week. This year’s theme was Bonjour le Bonheur!, and included daily films, debates, and conferences exploring how happiness is portrayed in cinema spanning all corners of the world and all decades in film history. If you’ll be in Grenoble in 2012, keep an eye peeled for the next festival.
La Cinémathèque de Grenoble is another association that projects films regularly (about 120 showings per year) at Juliet Berto. The films are often accompanied by talks, debates, conferences, and meetings with the directors. Last week I saw a free showing of Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent classic Metropolis, along with Arrival of a Train at a Station, one of the Lumière brothers’ first films. Currently they are projecting a cycle of animated films and films for children. To come is a selection of established classics, including The Grapes of Wrath; an evening with Yemenite director Khadija Al-Salami and her films; a conference on cinema and pornography; and a showing of Jacques Tati’s Mon Oncle. From July 6th to 10th this year, the Cinémathèque de Grenoble will also hold its annual Festival du Court Métrage en Plein Air. Thirty to forty short films competing for prizes will be shown under the stars in the center of Grenoble.
Until March 3rd, the cinéma le Méliès is hosting a series of children’s films and events. Among the 14 films being shown are The Wizard of Oz and Where the Wild Things Are.
This year’s annual Festival isérois du film sur la Résistance, organized in connection with the Museum of Resistance and Deportation, will take place from March 15th to 25th. Classics of European cinema, documentary films, and conferences will be held in various theaters in Grenoble and the surrounding area.
From April 20th to 27th, the organization Vues d’en face will hold its annual Festival international du film gay et lesbien. The films are not yet selected.
While it’s not film, there is also a Marionnette Festival happening now, from February 15th to 28th, on stages across Isère.
Listing of independent/art house cinemas:
La salle Juliet Berto
Passage du palais de justice, 38000 Grenoble
04 76 54 03 08
Le Méliès
3, rue de Strasbourg, 38000 Grenoble
04 76 47 99 31
Mon ciné
10, avenue Ambroise-Croizat, Saint-Martin-d’Hères
04 76 44 60 11
Espace Aragon
19 bis boulevard Jules Ferry, 38190 Villard-Bonnot
04 76 71 22 51
Commercial movie theaters:
La Nef
18, boulevard Edouard-Rey, 38000 Grenoble
08 92 68 00 31
Le Club
9 bis, rue du Phalanstère, 38000 Grenoble
04 76 87 46 21
Multiplex Pathé-Chavant
21, boulevard Maréchal-Lyautey, 38000 Grenoble
08 92 68 00 31
Les 6 Rex
13, rue St Jacques, 38000 Grenoble
08 92 68 00 31
*Film showings for the theaters without websites can be seen on www.allocine.fr or in the weekly publications GreNews and Grenoble & Moi.
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February 22nd, 2010 at 9:14 am (#)
Great post. Since the birth of my daughter 10 months ago I have only been able to go to the cinema three times, which has not been easy for me as a like-minded cinephile. I am a big fan of La Nef and Le Club. I went to see the Coens’ “A Serious Man” at the latter yesterday: quite strange, haven’t made up my mind if I liked it or not!
March 10th, 2010 at 6:16 pm (#)
[...] Given the dubious French proclivity for dubbing foreign language films into la langue maternelle, you may want to exercise caution when going to the cinema. Le Club (rue du Phalanstère) and La Nef (boulevard Edouard-Rey) are two theatres with dependably interesting programmes, all in version originale. For more info on the city’s movie theatres and film festivals, check out this comprehensive guide. [...]
October 24th, 2011 at 1:14 pm (#)
[...] for les sportifs, I would like to think – from its thriving music and cinema scene (covered here and here) to its brocantes – the cultural side of the city has not been entirely neglected. Add [...]