La Clef (cinema)

In 1990, filmmaker Sanvi Panou founded the Images d'Ailleurs project in the cinema, with the goal of presenting African and South America content.

[3] In 2019, a local radical group calling itself La Clef Revival Collective began an occupation of the building, intending to re-open the cinema and continue its operations under a democratic structure.

Later in 2019, the cinema was the site of an action taken by striking workers from the Paris Opera Ballet, who put on a performance of Swan Lake.

The collective also launched a programme titled Studio 34 to support young filmmakers in creating short films,[8] the Tiny Escape: a regular workshop for local children, along with a fanzine, web radios in the building, exhibitions, theater and musical events.

[11] Along with a growing audience, many artists including John Carpenter,[12] Céline Sciamma, Frederick Wiseman, Wang Bing, Leos Carax, Adèle Haenel and various activist groups came to support the occupants’ project.

[18] Artists in exhibition included David Lynch, Alain Guiraudie, Philippe Katerine, Orlan, Pierre Huyghe and Zineb Sedira.