Cinémathèque québécoise facts for kids
The Cinémathèque québécoise is a special place in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. It's like a huge library and museum for films and TV shows. Its main job is to save, organize, and show films, TV programs, and everything related to them. This way, people can enjoy and learn from them for many years to come.
The Cinémathèque has an amazing collection! It includes over 35,000 films from all times and places, 25,000 TV shows, 28,000 posters, and 600,000 photos. They also have old film equipment, scripts, books, magazines, and even costumes from movies! You can also watch rare films and videos in their movie theatre.
You can find the Cinémathèque at 355 De Maisonneuve Boulevard East, in an area of the city called the Quartier Latin. The Institut national de l'image et du son, another film school, is right next door.
Contents
History of the Cinémathèque
The Cinémathèque québécoise started a long time ago.
How it Began
It was first created in 1963. Back then, it had a different name: "Connaissance du cinéma." Soon after, it was called the "Cinémathèque canadienne."
In 1971, the organization changed its name to what it is today: the Cinémathèque québécoise.
Building and Growth
From 1994 to 1997, the Cinémathèque building was completely redesigned. It was a big project by a company called Saucier + Perrotte. The new design was so good that it won a special award in 1999!
In 2017, the Cinémathèque québécoise worked with other film groups. They put together a show of 150 important films. This celebrated Canada's rich film history.
What the Cinémathèque Does
The Cinémathèque québécoise is a nonprofit organization. This means it works for the public good, not to make money.
Its Main Goal
The Cinémathèque focuses on two main areas:
- The film, TV, and video history of Quebec.
- Animated films from all over the world.
For these two areas, its most important jobs are:
- Collecting: Getting films, TV shows, and related items.
- Organizing: Keeping track of everything.
- Protecting: Making sure these items are safe for the future.
- Showing: Letting people see and learn from these works.
They also collect things that help explain the films. These include scripts, photos, newspaper articles, and historical documents.
The Cinémathèque also collects important films from Canada and around the world. They want to make these films available for everyone to enjoy and learn from.
Amazing Collections
The Cinémathèque's collections are truly special. They show how much film and TV have changed over time.
How the Collections Grew
The Cinémathèque's collections really started to grow in 1967. This happened after two big events:
- A show of Canadian films: Copies of these films became the first part of the collection.
- A world show of animated films: For this event, the Cinémathèque got 250 old silent animated films. These became the start of their animation collection.
In 1968, the Cinémathèque made a deal with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC). The CBC agreed to give all its animated films to the Cinémathèque. They also gave things like film negatives, storyboards, and drawings.
In 1969, the Cinémathèque received the library of Canadian filmmaker Guy L. Coté. This collection had books, magazines, and newspaper clippings. It was first kept at another library so people could use it. In 1981, it moved to the Cinémathèque's building. It became part of the "Médiathèque Guy-L.-Coté."
During the 1970s, the Cinémathèque worked to help Quebec filmmakers understand how important it was to save their films. In 1974, they checked their photo collection. They found thousands of photos related to films from around the world, Canada, and animated films. They also had photos of important film personalities.
The 1980s saw a big increase in the Cinémathèque's collection. Hundreds of films were added every month. When the Cinémathèque moved to a new building in 1982, the National Film Board of Canada gave them most of the animated films they had made. The Cinémathèque also collected nearly 1,000 scripts. Many important people and companies also donated their photo collections during this time.
In 1992, a technician from Radio Canada, Camille Moulatlet, made a huge donation. He gave 63 cameras and 200 projectors! This greatly improved the Cinémathèque's collection of old film equipment.
In 1994, the Cinémathèque officially started collecting TV programs too. They decided to get shows made by independent producers.
Later in the 1990s, the Cinémathèque changed how it accepted items. They decided to only accept donations, not temporary loans. They also became more selective about the types of film materials they would keep.
Between 2003 and 2007, Moses Znaimer donated 289 old television sets. This was another important addition to the equipment collection.
In 2008, the Cinémathèque's mission grew even more. They started to include other new types of media. In 2011, they acquired the research center of the Daniel Langlois Foundation. This added even more valuable resources to their collections.
See also
In Spanish: Cinemateca Quebequense para niños
