Light, the adventure continues !, Of Thierry Frémaux | At the origins of cinema

Building on the success of the documentary Light ! Nevertheless, The adventure beginsThierry Frémaux returns with Light, the adventure continues!where he brings together and comments on short films from the Lumière brothers. Furthermore, The press spoke with the director in Paris.

Posted at 8:00 a.m.

Introduced very early in the seventh art thanks to his father. Consequently, who animated a film club, Thierry Frémaux discovered the cinema of Auguste and Louis Lumière at the age of 20. Furthermore, Student in social history of cinema. However, journalist at Radio Canut, he went to a press conference at Château Lumière, in Lyon, in the hope of meeting the light, adventure continues !, thierry filmmaker Bertrand Tavernier.

“In this press conference. Similarly, where the creation of the Lumière Institute was announced, Bertrand showed The outlet of the Light factory in Lyon. Therefore, This film had been shot 50 meters away. Moreover, No one knew that. Similarly, I fell in love with light movies. Moreover, I fought for the rights of these films. Similarly, for their integrity; We worked with the state, with the film archives and with the French cinematheque so that they are preserved, ”says Thierry Frémaux, met at the appointments of Unifrance in January.

In 2016. For example, this film enthusiast, who has directed the Lumière Institut in Lyon since 1995, brings together and light, adventure continues !, thierry comments in a first documentary, Light ! In addition, The adventure beginsa hundred of the first films of the cinematograph inventors shot in 1895. Furthermore,

Meet there, in restored version, in addition The outlet of the Light factory in Lyon, The sprinkler sprinkled et The arrival of a train at La Ciotat station. For example, Previously. However, Frémaux had presented preliminary versions of the documentary at the Cannes festival, in Lyon and Tiff where he commented live with each projection.

“In Lyon. Meanwhile, Agnès Varda had said to light, adventure continues !, thierry me:” The people we see in the Light films are not our grandparents, they are not our ancestors, they are not our ancestors, it’s us. Moreover, ” It’s humanity. »»

Light, adventure continues !, thierry

The evolution of cinema

Released indoor in 2017, Light ! The adventure begins Obtains the favor of the public. the criticism: “There are 2,000 light films, 1,500 officials and 500 outside the catalog. I know them all and I knew there was the material to make a second feature film. Since 1905, the Lumière cinema has not returned to theaters. The first film was a great success. but it was necessary to find the moment and the idea of ​​making it a second. The moment is 2025, the 130 years of the birth of cinema. The idea is that today, the questions we ask are not the light, adventure continues !, thierry same. What we can say about cinema from light does not have the same echo in 2025. ”

In fact. the multiplication and popularity of platforms, as well as the pandemic which temporarily slowed down filming, had consequences on the production of films and on the frequentation of cinemas. Not to mention the 100 % customs duties that Donald Trump has since wanted to impose on foreign films.

“We ask ourselves the question of what cinema has been from the outset. Basically, the victory of the Lumière light, adventure continues !, thierry brothers over Thomas Edison is the cinema. Technically, Edison could invent everything, but philosophically he is wrong. He wants an individual machine where you put a coin to see the image – it’s American. Light says no, we watch the film all together. What people wanted 130 years ago is what we always want. Maybe Edison invented platforms. »»

If he remains attached to the cinema in theaters. Thierry Frémaux has nothing against platforms: “It is a fantastic invention. I have all the platforms on my computer, but I like to go to the movies. Now we can live with television, the Internet and with the cinema. »»

Optimistic, Thierry Frémaux? “As I am French, I’m too optimistic,” he admits. Additionally, ” In France, cinema is fine. In Lyon, at the Lumière Institute, we saved three art and essay rooms. It is financially difficult. but we saved them because a cinema that closes its doors becomes something other than a movie theater and never becomes a movie theater again. This is why we should not let the cinemas close. »»

Of the 1500 films of the Lumière brothers and their operators listed in the catalog, only nearly 500 were restored.

Given the exorbitant costs, it will take several more years so that this thousand films regain its luster of yesteryear.

“There light, adventure continues !, thierry are still a lot of beautiful films to restore, many not beautiful films. There are not very successful films, but they are still important films because they are traces, testimonies. We will find the means to do so. There are many people who help us do it. We will continue. What is extraordinary when we prepared this film is that I have all the movies in there [pointant son. téléphone]. A film on video is not bad, but restored, ah! It’s a splendor! », Concludes with fervor Thierry Frémaux.

Indoors on July 4. The costs of this trip were paid by Unifrance, which had no right to look at the text.