Lumière, Le Cinéma!
Nov 22, 2024 | IMDB 7
104 min Watch NowDocumentary, History
In one of those wonderful coincidences of history, lumière, the French word for “light,” was also the last name of brothers Auguste and Louis, whose brilliant invention, the cinematograph, helped to inaugurate the most beloved art form of the last 130 years. Institute Lumière director Thierry Frémaux uses Lumière, Le Cinema! to guide the viewer through over a hundred shorts—some famous, some forgotten, some never before seen—directed by Lumière and company. In the process, Frémaux illuminates how the brothers employed the camera as a creative instrument as they (and their operators) mastered framing, staging, and subject selection for quotidian and exotic microdocumentaries as well as the first ever fictional motion pictures. The result is not only a glorious re(telling) of the genesis of cinema but a profound meditation on the beautiful world captured—and the mysterious world imagined—by the Lumières.
MOVIE COMMENTS
SIMILAR MOVIES
Wounded Edges
Wicked Wishes: Making the Wishmaster
Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power
The Making of a Mobster: 'Mickey Blue Eyes'
The Glorious Story of Castles
Beneath the Surface: The Making of 'Dark Water'
The 'Frankenstein' Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster
PALOMA
Yakutia — Between The Worlds
Oh Les Filles!
Lover of Men: The Untold History of Abraham Lincoln
Tax Shelter Terrors
The Omen Legacy
Poumon Vert et Tapis Rouge
To Tell the Truth: A History of Documentary Film (1928-1946)
The Sparks Brothers
Jackie Chan: Down to Earth
Celine Dion: Rise of a Diva
Visions, Dreams and Magic: The Unmade Films of Michael Powell
Bruce Springsteen – The America whisperer
SIMILAR MOVIES
Wounded Edges
IMDB 0 | Feb , 2026
In July 2022, a forest fire broke out on Monte Gambarogno in Ticino, Switzerland. Wound Edges is my emotional response to this landscape, filmed on 16mm and hand-developed with the forest’s ashes. Each frame carries physical traces of the land’s memory, blending destruction with resilience. The soundscape—field recordings, burned wood, contact microphones on trees, and the presence of fire—echoes the forest’s wounds. A reflection on human impact, impermanence, and the haunting beauty of transformation.Wicked Wishes: Making the Wishmaster
IMDB 3.5 | Jan , 1997
Lowndes County and the Road to Black Power
IMDB 1.5 | Dec , 2022
Through first person accounts and searing archival footage, this documentary tells the story of the local movement and young Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) organizers who fought not just for voting rights, but for Black Power in Lowndes County, Alabama.The Making of a Mobster: 'Mickey Blue Eyes'
IMDB 6 | Jul , 1999
The Glorious Story of Castles
IMDB 8.7 | Nov , 2018
The Glorious Story of Castles Carriers of myths and legends, castles strongly mark our imaginations, appearing most often as the pivot of a dark and barbaric period. Reality is different. They are full of mystery and grandeur, emblematic abstractions of the Middle Ages, they testify to medieval civilization.Beneath the Surface: The Making of 'Dark Water'
IMDB 8 | Dec , 2005
The 'Frankenstein' Files: How Hollywood Made a Monster
IMDB 7.7 | Jan , 1999
The history of Frankenstein's journey from novel to stage to screen to icon.PALOMA
IMDB 8 | Jul , 2024
The relationship between a young director and her actress during the filming of her first short film.Yakutia — Between The Worlds
IMDB 10 | Sep , 2024
A documentary road movie. Traveling across his homeland, the filmmaker explores what Yakut cinema is, and what it means to the Sakha people and to himself.Oh Les Filles!
IMDB 7.4 | Jul , 2019
What if French Rock were born with Edith Piaf? From sweet sixties pop to today's gender-indifferent anthems, from feminist rebels of the seventies to fashion icons of the social media age, from Françoise Hardy to Christine & The Queens, via Vanessa Paradis, Catherine Ringer, Charlotte Gainsbourg and many more, Oh Les Filles! tells the untold story of French female rock stars. Narrated by Clémence Poésy, this groundbreaking documentary combines interviews and iconic footage to radically reverse perspectives and give the patriarchy a kick!Lover of Men: The Untold History of Abraham Lincoln
IMDB 0 | Sep , 2024
An examination of the intimate life of America's most consequential president, Abraham Lincoln. As told by preeminent Lincoln scholars and never before seen photographs and letters, Lincoln's romantic relationships with men is detailed. The lens is widened into the history of human sexual fluidity and focuses on the profound differences between sexual mores of the 19th century and those we hold today.Tax Shelter Terrors
IMDB 5 | Dec , 2017
The first feature-length documentary that fully explores how the toxic social and political Canadian context after 1968 created some of the most nihilistic and imaginative Canadian cult films of the 1970s and 80s and beyond.The Omen Legacy
IMDB 7 | Oct , 2001
The true stories that spawned the serie tale of Damien, a small boy with an angelic face, whose very name still conjures up thoughts of Satan. This documentary shares spine-tingling information about the the all-too-memorable flick that has terrorized film audiences since 1976.Poumon Vert et Tapis Rouge
IMDB 4.8 | Sep , 2021
To help Francis Hallé in his fight to save the last tropical forests, a documentary filmmaker with a passion for nature decides to make his first film: "The Botanist", an ecological thriller with Leonardo DiCaprio. He traces his path with malice, obstinacy, and discovers, with candor, the arcana of the seventh art. Even if he never gives up, will his film ever exist?To Tell the Truth: A History of Documentary Film (1928-1946)
IMDB 0 | Nov , 2012
A detailed history of documentary filmmaking in the US and the UK from 1929 to 1945. The first part, Working for Change, focuses on 1929-1941 and the social movements of the times, The Great Depression, The New Deal, and the awakening of the Leftwing in the UK. The second part, The Strategy of Truth, focuses on 1933-1946 and explores the role of film as propaganda during World War II, and the different forms it took in the US, the UK, and Germany.The Sparks Brothers
IMDB 7.3 | Jun , 2021
Take a musical odyssey through five weird and wonderful decades with brothers Ron & Russell Mael, celebrating the inspiring legacy of Sparks: your favorite band’s favorite band.Jackie Chan: Down to Earth
IMDB 0 | Apr , 2026
An in-depth look at the past four decades of work by legendary martial artist, Jackie Chan.Celine Dion: Rise of a Diva
IMDB 7.2 | May , 2024
In 1988, 20-year-old Céline Dion won Eurovision for Switzerland with the song ‘Ne Partez Pas Sans Moi’, a moment that kickstarted her international career and propelled the young Celine to world fame. This documentary looks back through the archives at an event that changed the Quebec singer's life, with interviews from the song’s composer as well as from Scott Fitzgerald, the British singer who was runner up at Eurovision 1988, beaten by just one point.Visions, Dreams and Magic: The Unmade Films of Michael Powell
IMDB 0 | Jul , 2024
Discover the unrealised visions and passion projects of revered British filmmaker Michael Powell, in this fascinating documentary featuring Oscar-winning editor Thelma Schoonmaker.Bruce Springsteen – The America whisperer
IMDB 8 | Jul , 2024
The life of Bruce Springsteen has been told many times, from the angle of the adored rock star, American icon.