Cinémathèque Afrique

The Cinémathèque Afrique has been responsible for preserving, promoting and screening African films for over 50 years. It therefore plays a major role in raising the profile of the African film industry worldwide. Founded in 1961 by the French Ministry of Cooperation, this film archive houses one of the most comprehensive collections of African films from the 1960s to the present day. It also helps to preserve African film heritage by restoring and digitising its collections of films. The archive’s catalogue contains over 1,700 films, more than 600 of which are available for non-commercial public screenings. The Cinémathèque Afrique shares its expertise and is involved in the programming of a large number of festivals around the world. It also loans works to many cultural institutions, such as universities, museums or arts centres. In 2012, it signed an agreement with the Bibliothèque Nationale de France to enable students and researchers to consult part of its film archives on site. With a policy of constantly acquiring new works, the archive provides strong support for the continent’s film creators and promotes the work of young film-makers.