In 1979, the BibliothĂšque publique dâinformation (Public information library) created CinĂ©ma du rĂ©el, an international festivalfor ethnographic and sociological films, at the Centre Pompidou, with support from the C.N.R.S. (French national center for research) and the ComitĂ© du film ethnographique (Ethnographic film committee), in order to promote documentary cinema.
The event is organized by the BibliothĂšque publique dâinformation partnered by the association Les Amis du CinĂ©ma du rĂ©el (Friends of the CinĂ©ma du rĂ©el), created in 1984.
The festival mixes documentaries, essays and experimental films in selections that reflect a diversity of genres and different forms of cinematic approach to the world. It has become one of the rare festivals to highlight heritage films and look back at the different genres, but at the same time it also creates a dialogue between these and contemporary creation.