Cinematographic festival named after the Lumiere brothers in Lyon ( fr. Festival Lumière, English. Grand Lyon Film Festival ) – an interesting event in the world of cinema, intended for the general public. The festival is dedicated to the history of cinema and is mainly engaged in retrospectations of the classics of world cinema. It takes place annually in October and lasts a little over a week.
The history of the Lumiere Brothers Festival began recently. It was first held in 2009 and was created by the efforts of the leaders of the Lumiere Institute – Bertrand Tavernier and Thierry Fremo, who felt that in the French city of Lyon, in the homeland of cinema, there can be no film festival. So there was a cinematic festival dedicated to the famous brothers Lumiere, the founders of cinema. Moreover, initially it was focused specifically on the history and classics of cinema for the general public.
The already debut film festival of 2009 was a huge success, both among ordinary viewers and film professionals. The aspirations of the organizers were successful and convinced the public: there is a film festival in Lyon, and the old cinema continues to delight the audience. And now every year in October the city lives in the rhythm of a large film event dedicated to the classics. Famous directors, actors, critics, historians, writers come here ..., and, of course, numerous tourists.
One of the main distinguishing features of this film festival – is not only what old films are shown here in the giant thousands of thousands, but that these are directorial versions. Also, almost the main event of the event is the invitation to the festival of the filmmaker, who made a significant contribution to the history of world cinema, who is awarded the main prize « Lumiere ».
The first winner of the Lumiere Brothers Prize at the Grand Lyon Film Festival was the famous actor, producer and film director Clint Eastwood. The prize, provided by the festival organizers and representatives of the Lumiere Institute for outstanding services in the cinema field, was awarded to him in 2009.
As part of the festival, film screenings are held at various venues in the city. For example, in 2010, 90 films were presented at 180 sessions in 35 city cinema halls, where over 60 thousand people came. And each film was definitely presented by one of the famous filmmakers. In 2020, about 150 films took part in the festival.
Although most film screenings and main ceremonies take place at the Lyon Institut Lumière, the festival covers the whole city, and some tape demonstrations and performances by event guests are held in other rooms of Lyon, and part of the films is even shown on the open-air city venues. Also, in addition to the main events of the Lyon Film Festival, a rich cultural program awaits guests.
It should be noted that the Lyon Film Festival named after the Lumiere brothers, in a series of French and European film festivals, undoubtedly has its own highlight. And he skillfully combines traditional cinematic and digital civilizations, through the attraction of modern technologies for the revival of classical works of old cinema ( retrospectives, new editions, restoration ... ).