bibliothèque du cinéma François-Truffaut

The Bibliothèque du cinéma François-Truffaut is a specialized municipal film library in Paris, France, dedicated to cinema, television, and video art. Named after the renowned French film director François Truffaut, the institution provides access to a comprehensive audiovisual collection covering the history and techniques of its focal mediums. Located at 4 rue du Cinéma in the Forum des Halles within the 1st arrondissement, it opened on December 5, 2008. It holds the distinction of being the only library in Paris to offer on a single site the loan of all document types devoted to cinema, and it was the first specialized library in the city to open on Sundays.

The library's collection originated in the early 1960s when librarians Germaine Frigot and Guy Baudin at the 20th arrondissement municipal library began assembling a cinema fund, notably acquiring rare periodicals. Over time, the collection grew but fell into neglect before being transferred in 1983 to the newly opened, more spacious André-Malraux library in the 6th arrondissement on rue de Rennes. Placed under the direction of Gilles Ciment, the collection formally took the name Bibliothèque du Cinéma. It expanded significantly, organizing press reviews, exhibitions, panel screenings, and lecture series, eventually taking over the fifth floor as a screening room. By the late 1980s, space constraints and increasing visitor numbers prompted relocation efforts. Ciment explored multiple vacant locations before joining the prefiguration team of the Bibliothèque de France, which slowed the project. The relocation finally moved forward in 2006 as a specialized library initiative.

The library's holdings encompass a wide array of materials available for both consultation and lending, focusing on the history and techniques of cinema, television, and video art. The collection includes books, periodicals, film music, press reviews, and fiction and documentary films on DVD. It provides 31,700 books, 65 periodical titles, 7,200 press reviews covering 37,000 film titles, 3,000 CDs of film music, and a substantial DVD collection split between consultation and lending copies. The library also publishes bibliographies dedicated to specific genres or cinematographies and hosts free weekly screenings in its cinema room, La Lucarne, alongside regular film-related events and lectures.

Among its notable holdings are the archives of Jean Gruault, a French screenwriter known for his collaborations with François Truffaut. A portion of the Gruault archives has been digitized and is accessible through the catalog of the specialized libraries of the City of Paris. The remainder of the archival collection is available for consultation by appointment and contains materials related to numerous other prominent filmmakers, including Alain Resnais, Jacques Rivette, and Roberto Rossellini, as well as various film projects.

The library is situated within the Westfield Forum des Halles in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, specifically at 4 rue du Cinéma. The facility spans 1,200 square meters, of which 580 square meters are designated as public spaces. It forms part of a broader cinema activity hub located in the Forum des Halles, operating in conjunction with the Forum des images and the UGC Ciné Cité Les Halles multiplex.

The Bibliothèque du cinéma François-Truffaut operates as a specialized municipal library of the City of Paris. It is open to the public, including on Sundays, a first for a specialized municipal library in the city. Visitors can access the library at its address within the Forum des Halles complex to consult materials, borrow items, attend free weekly screenings at the La Lucarne cinema, and participate in regular cinematic encounters. Archival materials beyond the digitized catalog require an appointment for consultation.