The important Cinémathèque de Toulouse celebrates its 60th anniversary with expansion projects

Founded in 1964, the Cinémathèque has become a cultural pillar of the Pink City. Very popular with Toulouse residents, the place should expand to accommodate more works and spectators.

Founded in 1964 by thessayist and film critic Raymond Borde, the Cinémathèque de Toulouse is one of 19 French regional film libraries; it is the most important behind that of Paris. In addition to its 54,000 copies of films (fiction, documentaries, films shot in the region, family films, art films and videos), it has the largest collection of cinema posters in France – more than 80,000 – ranging from 1907 to the present day.

It all started in 1952 with the Toulouse Film Club hosted by Raymond Borde. Concerned about preserving films as a material object, he created a collection of reels recovered from fleas, from fairgrounds and the Cinéma Éducateur network and film breakers. In February 1964, supported by a team of film buffs, he created the Toulouse cinema library and established it in association law of 1901. Raymond Borde remained president of the Cinémathèque until 1990. More recently, the position was occupied by the director Robert Guédiguian and since 2022 by Agnès Jaoui, for three years.

Toulouse has always maintained a special link with the 7th art. On the website of the Cinematheque, we can read that “the practice of cinema has always been strong. Toulouse is indeed home to a significant number of cinemas, and film clubs, following the Second World War, reinforced the popular cinephilia which characterizes it. Whether it is the Toulouse Youth Film Club (CCJT) or the Toulouse film club created by Marcel Tariolthese initiatives have trained several generations of spectators and, in a certain way, participated in the creation of the Cinémathèque de Toulouse.

With more than 90,000 spectators, she can look to the future with peace of mind. Despite everything, there is no question of resting on one’s laurels. Projects abound. They concern the conservation center in Balma, on the outskirts of Toulouse.

Expansion projects

Opened in 2004, it houses the “film” (reels) and “non-film” (posters, photos, advertising documents, archive funds, etc.) collections of the Toulouse cinema library. De new spaces storage facilities should emerge as well as suitable spaces for the long-term conservation of the most fragile elements of the collections.

As for broadcasting, new spaces will be set up at 69 rue du Taur to better accommodate spectators. A third room should see the light of day. Delivery of the site is planned for the end of 2025 with the new Cinémathèque commissioning in early 2026.