As in other aspects of life, the French have resisted American imports to their cinemas more than most. With a diversity probably unparalleled anywhere else, independent cinemas in Paris show films from all over the world. Alongside new releases there are retrospectives of old classics, both foreign and French. In Paris in the 1990s a gritty political consciousness emerged in the so-called ‘cinéma de banlieue’, spearheaded by Mathieu Kassovitz’s La Haine (1996), a hard-hitting look at racism, violence, fury and alienation in the Paris suburbs. In 2000 teacher Fabrice Genestal made the equally brutal La Squale – using real kids in real schools – to draw attention to the horrific trend of gang rapes on teenage girls in the suburbs. More often than not, successful French films have been critically acclaimed abroad but sidelined commercially as ‘arthouse’. In 2001 Jean-Pierre Jeunet directed an international box office success with Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amélie Poulain (released elsewhere simply as Amélie), set in Jeunet’s own neighbourhood of Montmartre. The charming, fairytale escapades of Amélie (Audrey Tatou) touched the hearts of 25 million viewers worldwide and smashed the view of contemporary French cinema as being exclusively arty, pretentious or overly concerned with mood. Most foreign films are shown in their original language with French subtitles. Check for 'vo', version originale, next to show times. Check also for reduced daytime rates and on Mondays. In the summer don’t miss the Open-Air Film Festival, when film masterpieces are screened in the Parc de la Villette . http://www.versionoriginale.com is an excellent source of film listing info. Cinéma du Moulin de la Galette, 1 ave Junot, 75018, T 01 42 51 13 79, http://www.cine13.com M Abbesses. A warm, intimate cinema screening mostly French arthouse films. Call to reserve an armchair or sofa. Forum des Images, 2 Grande Galerie, Porte St Eustache, Forum des Halles, 75001, T 01 44 76 62 00, http://www.forumdesimages.net €5.50, students €4.50 day pass. M Les Halles. A film archive with festivals, evenings with directors, children’s afternoons and selected screenings of 7,000 Paris-related films. Images d’Ailleurs, 21 rue de la Clef, 75005, T 01 45 87 18 09. M Censier-Daubenton. An independent cinema screening foreign films and documentaries not widely released, with a leaning towards African-American and African films. La Géode, 26 ave Corentin-Carlou, 75019, T 08 92 68 45 40, http://www.lageode.fr M Porte de la Villette. A giant ball containing a 180° cinema where films about nature, sport or science are screened, often in 3D. La Pagode, 57 bis rue de Babylone, 75007, T 01 45 55 48 48. M St-François Xavier. A two-screen arthouse cinema in a crumbling 19th-century pagoda.
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Paris - £5.99
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