From Ciné-goûters to Screenings for Cinephilie

Though the number of works on cultural diplomacy is in general quite
substantial, very few concern the production and distribution of films. The
cinemas established by French cultural institutions are likewise virtually
absent from many studies on the history of cinema, and notably from those on
its theaters. By analyzing the distribution systems of French and world cinema
which promote local production, and their audiences, all the analyses
presented in the book establish an initial assessment on the life of cinemas
belonging to the Instituts français and the Alliances françaises. First spaces
of French culture's unilateral influence, then windows onto "cultural
diversity," the history of these theaters is certainly complex. We preferred
to approach it and render it with all of its contradictions.