 CINEMATEK seen fromRue Baron Horta/Baron Hortastraat | |
  Location within Brussels Show map of Brussels  Cinematek (Belgium) Show map of Belgium | |
| Established | April 9, 1938; 87 years ago (1938-04-09) |
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| Location | Centre for Fine Arts,Brussels |
| Coordinates | 50°50′38.7650″N4°21′36.5011″E / 50.844101389°N 4.360139194°E /50.844101389; 4.360139194 |
| Type | Cinematheque |
| Founder | |
| Public transit access | |
| Website | www |
TheRoyal Belgian Film Archive[1][2] (French:Cinémathèque Royale de Belgique;[3]Dutch:Koninklijk Belgisch Filmarchief[3]), operating under the brand nameCINEMATEK, is the nationalcinematheque ofBelgium. The institution collects, preserves and makes available an extensive film collection, with a particular focus on Belgian cinema, and also organises film screenings, exhibitions and educational programmes.[4]
CINEMATEK is abiculturalpublic utility foundation, subsidised byBELSPO and supported by theNational Lottery [nl;fr]. Its aim is to preserve films and documentation of lasting aesthetic, technical or historical value and make them accessible to researchers, students, journalists and film enthusiasts.[5]
The Royal Belgian Film Archive has its origins in the 1930s, a period when the first film museums were established throughout Europe and beyond.Stockholm opened its cinematek in 1933, followed byBerlin in 1934,Milan,London andNew York in 1935, and in 1936Henri Langlois founded theCinémathèque française inParis. InBrussels, three young intellectuals,André Thirifays [fr],Henri Storck andPiet Vermeylen, who had been organising the film clubLe Club de l'Écran (transl. The Screen Club) since 1931, decided not only to screen quality films, but also to actively contribute to the preservation of film history. Encouraged by Henri Langlois, with whom they had built up a close relationship, they founded the non-profit organisation Belgian Film Archive on 9 April 1938.[1][6]
Nevertheless, the Archive had a difficult start. Despite the enthusiasm of its founders and their team, includingDimitri Balachoff [fr],Paul Davay andRené Jauniaux, the collection only contained three films until 1944. Development was slow and was often ignored or viewed with contempt by political authorities. It was not until 1951 that the institution received its first public subsidy. Until the end of the 1960s, the Archive focused mainly on organising art and experimental film screenings at theCentre for Fine Arts, as part ofL'Écran du Séminaire des Arts (transl. The Screen of the Arts Seminar), the successor toLe Club de l'Écran, often using copies kindly provided by Henri Langlois.[6]
An important turning point for the Archive came after theSecond World War with the arrival ofJacques Ledoux. After the war, he offered his services to the Archive and became its official curator in 1958, a position he held until his death in 1988. Ledoux became the face of the Archive, driven by his passion for cinema and for preserving film heritage. He strengthened the professional organisation, set up extensive archiving and conservation systems, and established a restoration department. Under his leadership, the collection grew considerably and the institution became one of the most important film archives in Europe.[6][7]
The film collection grew rapidly, prompting Jacques Ledoux to establish the Film Museum in the Centre for Fine Arts on 21 December 1961,[8] in collaboration with architectConstantin Brodzki and visual artistCorneille Hannoset [fr]. The Museum initially offered a small auditorium with a hundred seats and was later expanded to include exhibition spaces on the prehistory of cinema and a silent film theatre.[6][7]
Ledoux organised important international competitions for experimental films, such asEXPRMNTL [nl;fr] andL’Âge d’Or [nl;fr], and ensured the screening of high-quality new films with Ciné-découvertes. His ethics for collection management, with a clear distinction between showing and preserving, also influenced his role within theInternational Federation of Film Archives, where he held various positions between 1961 and 1977.[6][7][9]
In October 2000, theFederal Government removed the Archive from the scientific policy department of the federal budget and transferred responsibility for its subsidies to theNational Lottery [nl;fr]. WhileGabrielle Claes was curator, she reported that this change created significant financial complications. The National Lottery initially refused to pay 80 percent of the Archive’s budget at the start of the year and only provided funds quarterly. A specialroyal decree was required to release the subsidy, but its delay left the Archive without access to essential resources, forcing it to borrow money to cover basic expenses.[10]
Claes also highlighted challenges related to storage and expansion. The first floor of a new building was already full, and the Archive had received approximately 6,000 new films in a single year. Additional floors required investment in air conditioning, shelving and other infrastructure, which she estimated at six to seven millionBelgian francs. Claes noted that these costs, combined with staff salaries and mortgage repayments for a recently acquired second storage facility, placed a significant strain on the institution.[10]
She criticised the reliance on National Lottery funding, which she described as unpredictable and unsuitable for long-term planning. Unlike other cultural institutions with multi-year funding, the Archive’s operations were assessed annually, making sustainability and preservation more difficult. Claes secured public statements of support from filmmakers, includingMartin Scorsese.[10][11]
On 10 December 2002, the Museum ceased to exist as an independent non-profit organisation and was integrated into the Archive.[8]
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From 2006 to 2008, film screenings were temporarily housed inCentral Gate due to a major renovation of the Archive. Under the direction ofRobbrecht & Daem [nl], the Decorative Arts Room was restored to its originalArt Deco style and furnished as a reception and exhibition space. In addition, two new film theatres were built underground, a technically challenging project due to the limitations of the building.[9]
On 31 January 2009, the Royal Belgian Film Archive reopened under the new name CINEMATEK,[9][12] more than a year later than planned and six years after the first renovation works had started. In addition to a space for the permanent collection of objects from the history of cinema, the renovated building houses two cinema theatres: the Ledoux theatre (117 seats; named after Jacques Ledoux) and the Plateau theatre (29 seats; named afterJoseph Plateau, inventor of thephenakistoscope). Both auditoriums are equipped with analogue and digital projectors and have a piano for live accompaniment. The Plateau auditorium is mainly used for silent film screenings.[9]
To mark the reopening, CINEMATEK organised an open weekend with screenings of films byFrançois Ozon,Alfred Hitchcock,Tex Avery,Buster Keaton andCharlie Chaplin, among others. In the months that followed, film cycles onNew Hollywood andBelgian cinema were presented, as well asretrospectives dedicated toLuis Buñuel,Ernst Lubitsch,Joseph Mankiewicz,Rainer Werner Fassbinder and Alfred Hitchcock.[9] In 2011, CINEMATEK had 143,318 film copies, representing 67,213 titles, ranging from fiction and documentaries to short and feature films, with an annual growth of approximately 2,000 copies.[6]
An important current focus remains thedigitisation of the collection, a costly but necessary step to preserve films now that traditional film layers such as acetate are beginning to degrade. CINEMATEK remains largely dependent on the tenacity, ingenuity and management of its leaders, as well as the trust of the local film industry, as it strives to continue fulfilling its mission of preserving, restoring and disseminating film culture.[6]
CINEMATEK holds one of Europe’s most diverse film collections, includingfiction films,documentaries, andnewsreels documentingBelgian andinternational history.[13] While its focus is on Belgian cinema, the archive also preserves significant international films, including works on film byMan Ray,Marcel Duchamp, andFernand Léger.[14] As of 2018, the archive held 47,726 films and over 100,000 film materials, with more than 8,000 items originating from Belgium.[15] The holdings are accessible through screenings, exhibitions, lectures, educational programmes, publications, and digital platforms.[13]
The cinematheque has works ofChantal Akerman, which includes her films, scripts, letters, research materials, photographs, press articles, interviews, subtitles, and production documents, many of which are catalogued, digitised, and partly available for consultation in the CINEMATEK Library. It also holds the works and personal collections ofCharles Dekeukeleire, an early Belgian filmmaker and avant-garde pioneer;Henri Storck, known for both documentary andexperimental cinema spanning silent and sound periods and one of the founders of CINEMATEK; andAlfred Machin, a French filmmaker active in Belgium from 1908 and regarded as a foundational figure in Belgian cinema.[13]
In addition, CINEMATEK manages film collections from Belgian government agencies, including thearmy,National Railway Company of Belgium, andSabena, encompassingtraining films,advertisements, andinterviews. The archive also preserves footage from conflicts involving Belgium, including theFirst andSecond World Wars.[13]
CINEMATEK acquires films throughdeposits and donations from distributors, producers, institutions, and individuals. New items undergo physical assessment to determine their condition, with attention to mould, rust, odours, and decomposition. Films at risk, including those affected byvinegar syndrome, are isolated for treatment. Items are identified, catalogued, and stored according to pellicle type such as nitrate, acetate, or polyester under climate-controlled conditions to ensure long-term preservation.[16]
Digitisation and restoration are carried out through the Digilab. The centre is equipped with advanced scanning equipment, restoration software, and infrared technologies. Restoration is performed on copies rather than originals and includes cleaning, repair, scanning, stabilisation, defect correction, and colour calibration. Reference materials or consultation with filmmakers may be used to ensure fidelity to the original work.[16][17]
Digital preservation usesopen formats, with films stored on servers andLinear Tape-Open (LTOs) tapes and regularly migrated tonewer media. Standardised deposits include uncompressed masters,Digital Cinema Packages (DCPs), mezzanine files, and associated documentation. Multiple backups are maintained at separate locations to safeguard long-term access to both analogue and born-digital film materials.[16]
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