Practical info: Studio 28 is located at 10 rue Tholozé in the 18th arrondissement (Metros Abbesses or Blanche). The large set of surrealist light fixtures in the same auditorium were created by artist/film director Jean Cocteau. It last saw serious use when Charlie Chaplin showed his movies here.

Once you’ve entered the auditorium, settle into your plush red seat, let your eyes adjust to the dark, and make sure you check out the old piano nearby. The cinema offers a rare opportunity to experience films the way they were before the multiplex-it’s no wonder that Audrey Tautou’s “Amélie Poulain” headed to Studio 28 every Friday.Īlso to note: Studio 28 maintains a rotating display of artwork, and showcases the hand- and footprints of famous actors and directors who have premiered films there.Ī bar at the end of the lobby opens onto a small beer garden (enclosed in winter) where you can sit and have a drink or some snacks before the show. During July, it offers a special reduced-fare series featuring international classics like “Rebel Without a Cause”, “East of Eden”, “Roman Holiday”, and “Double Indemnity”, among others. Today, Studio 28 provides a delightful experience while remaining relatively inexpensive, compared to other Paris movie theatres. Studio 28’s fame was secured when Salvador Dali and Luis Buñuel premiered one of the first surrealist films there: “ L’Age d’Or” (The Golden Age). With just 170 seats and about ten screenings a week, it has earned a special place in the Parisian filmscape.įounded in 1928 (hence the name), it immediately carved a niche in history as the world’s first avant-garde art theater. My own favorite cinema is little Studio 28, the only movie house on the hill of Montmartre. “V.o.” is “version originale,” which means the film is presented in its original language with subtitles in French.)

(In cinema listings, “v.f.” stands for “version francaise,” meaning it’s dubbed in French with no subtitles.

With almost 400 theaters in Paris showing 600 films on any given day, choosing just one film can be daunting.įirst things first: Get your hands on a Pariscope, the weekly entertainment guide available at any newsstand, or visit.

When the sun sets in Paris, what’s an insomniac Cheapo to do? Why not take in a film? After all, cinema is as French as camembert cheese.

Cinema studio 5