In early 2022, journalist and feminist activist Elvire Duvelle-Charles, who runs the Clit Revolution account on Instagram (nearly 120,000 followers), wanted to interact more with members of her community. "I started by organizing movie outings to meet them. That's when I realized that most of them didn't go regularly, or at all. So I came up with the idea of a movie club." As a result, she launched the feminist movie club Tonnerre at the Cinéma Majestic (Paris 11th), presenting a film written or directed by a woman one Thursday a month.
Well known to cinephiles, the practice has been around practically since the dawn of the seventh art. And it's never been more in vogue, not least thanks to actors in tune with current themes (feminism, LGBTQIA+ issues, etc.). These include the drag culture film club Arlequeen, also at the Majestic; the women's film club launched by the magazine Gaze at La Gaîté Lyrique; and Pop & Psy, a monthly meeting on mental health in film by Dr. Jean-Victor Blanc, at the Brady.
In addition to smaller movie theaters, programming that goes beyond previews has also become a priority for larger structures like MK2, with the launch in 2020 of the MK2 Institut, a vast program of conferences and talks in the network's theaters. As proof that the concept works, in May the giant YouTube teamed up with this network to create the YouTube movie club, with meetings that broadcast YouTube videos on the big screen in MK2 cinemas.
With attendance at movie theaters faltering in the wake of the lockdown and the rise of streaming, the question of renewing audiences arises. Indeed, while big productions are still attracting audiences as much as they did before the Covid-19 crisis, according to a CNC report published in July, this is not the case for arthouse films. It was with this in mind that Elvire Duvelle-Charles knocked on the door of Dulac Cinémas, owner of several independent movie theaters in Paris, including the Majestic: "The Majestic's programming is committed, cutting-edge, with independent cinema, which matched well with the values of Clit Révolution. We set ourselves the challenge of filling an independent movie theater every month with a film by a female director, and we did it."
For exhibitors, the strategy is paying off. The Brady (Paris 10th) has scheduled five regular movie clubs for the 2023-2024 season, supported by media or organizations. In this small independent movie theater, these special screenings, followed by a discussion at the end of the screening, are packed to the rafters. "As we're a second-run theater, in other words, one that shows films several weeks after they're released, the film teams are no longer available to do promotional work with us. It's therefore complicated to program special screenings," explained Jason Benhaim, director of programming at the Brady. "And yet, it's extremely important for an independent movie theater to revitalize its programming. It's essential for us to offer something original and succeed in differentiating ourselves. That's what movie clubs are for. Generally speaking, the audience is younger than average, hypermotivated, there to chat."
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