Studio des Ursulines

Studio des Ursulines is a historic one-screen cinema at 10 Rue des Ursulines in Paris's 5th arrondissement. Established by actors Armand Tallier and Laurence Myrga, the venue opened on January 21, 1926, with an ambition unusual for its time: to provide a dedicated home for avant-garde, experimental, and artistically ambitious films. Its founding helped establish a model that later became associated in France with the Art et Essai cinema movement. From its earliest programming, the cinema presented work by figures such as André Breton, Man Ray, Fernand Léger, René Clair, and Robert Desnos. It became a venue for films that were formally innovative or difficult to accommodate within mainstream commercial exhibition. The cinema's history includes several important early screenings and premieres. Between 1926 and 1957, its program included works associated with René Clair, Erich von Stroheim, Josef von Sternberg, Roberto Rossellini, and Howard Hawks. In 1958, it showed films by Satyajit Ray, Andrzej Wajda, Ingmar Bergman, and Luis Buñuel, reflecting its continuing commitment to international and modern cinema. The Studio des Ursulines is also remembered for the controversy surrounding the January 1928 premiere of Germaine Dulac's The Seashell and the Clergyman, adapted from a story by Antonin Artaud. Surrealists André Breton and Louis Aragon heckled the presentation, and the disturbance escalated into a fight that interrupted the screening. Armand Tallier chose not to summon the police; the film was shown again several weeks later. Tallier later became associated with the development of the French Art et Essai movement and with the founding of the Association Française des Cinémas d'Art & d'Essai in 1955. The cinema is notable for retaining its original or historically recognizable facade, one of only two central Paris cinemas described in the reference material as having avoided major alteration. Its intimate scale is part of its identity: the venue has a single screen, and the balcony places some viewers unusually close to the screen. This physical character, together with its long association with experimental and repertory cinema, has made it a distinctive destination for cinephiles. Since March 2003, most daytime programming has been directed toward the Art et Essai audience, with a particular emphasis on younger viewers. Evening programming has focused especially on animation and ciné-club screenings. The cinema has also appeared in French film culture: a late scene in François Truffaut's Jules et Jim takes place there, while the venue was used for scenes in Chantrapas and Après mai. The available reference material does not identify a current owner, parent organization, executive team, founding capital, or financial performance.

Studio des Ursulines was created in 1925 when actors Armand Tallier and Laurence Myrga selected the small Rue des Ursulines in Paris's 5th arrondissement for a cinema devoted to avant-garde and experimental work. The venue opened on January 21, 1926. At a time when specialized art-house exhibition was not yet an established French category, the cinema offered a dedicated setting for artists and filmmakers working outside conventional commercial forms. Its early programs included films and works associated with André Breton, Man Ray, Fernand Léger, René Clair, and Robert Desnos. The cinema soon became associated with important modernist and international screenings. Its program between 1926 and 1957 included films such as René Clair's Le Voyage Imaginaire, Erich von Stroheim's Greed, Josef von Sternberg's The Blue Angel, Roberto Rossellini's Amore, and Howard Hawks's A Girl in Every Port. The venue continued to present major international filmmakers in the postwar period, including Satyajit Ray, Andrzej Wajda, Ingmar Bergman, and Luis Buñuel in 1958. One of the most famous episodes in the cinema's history occurred in 1928, when it hosted the premiere of Germaine Dulac's The Seashell and the Clergyman, based on a story by Antonin Artaud. André Breton and Louis Aragon, associated with the surrealist movement, heckled the screening. The incident developed into a fight and brought the showing to a halt. Tallier did not call the police, and the film was presented again a few weeks later. Tallier's later role in the development of Art et Essai exhibition was significant: he became linked with the movement's organization and with the creation of the Association Française des Cinémas d'Art & d'Essai in 1955. The Studio des Ursulines has preserved a historically distinctive identity. It is a one-screen cinema and retains a facade that has not been substantially altered, making it one of a small number of central Paris cinemas whose exterior remains closely connected to its historical appearance. Its compact interior and balcony contribute to a particularly intimate viewing experience, with some balcony seats located very close to the screen. In the twenty-first century, the venue's programming has continued to center on Art et Essai culture. Since March 2003, daytime schedules have primarily targeted art-house audiences, especially younger people, while evening programming has given prominence to animation and ciné-club events. The cinema has also served as a location in film and documentary culture. A late sequence in François Truffaut's Jules et Jim is set at the cinema, and the venue appears in Chantrapas and Après mai. The available sources do not provide reliable information about later ownership, a corporate parent, current executives, revenue, or financial results.

• 2003

  Programming focus expands toward younger Art et Essai audiences

  [1]Studio des Ursulinesen.wikipedia.org

  Beginning in March, daytime programming primarily targeted Art et Essai audiences, especially younger viewers, while evenings emphasized animation and ciné-club events.

• 1958

  International modern cinema programming

  [1]Studio des Ursulinesen.wikipedia.org

  The cinema showed work by Satyajit Ray, Andrzej Wajda, Ingmar Bergman, and Luis Buñuel.

• 1955

  Association with the Art et Essai movement

  [1]Studio des Ursulinesen.wikipedia.org

  Founder Armand Tallier became associated with the creation of the Association Française des Cinémas d'Art & d'Essai.

• 1928

  Controversial premiere of The Seashell and the Clergyman

  [1]Studio des Ursulinesen.wikipedia.org

  The premiere of Germaine Dulac's film was interrupted by a surrealist protest and fight before the work received a later screening.

• 1926

  Opening of the cinema

  [1]Studio des Ursulinesen.wikipedia.org

  Studio des Ursulines opened on January 21 and began presenting avant-garde cinema to Paris audiences.

• 1925

  Cinema founded

  [1]Studio des Ursulinesen.wikipedia.org

  Actors Armand Tallier and Laurence Myrga established the cinema on Rue des Ursulines with a mission centered on avant-garde and experimental film.

A historic, intimate Paris cinema positioned around avant-garde, experimental, international, repertory, and Art et Essai film culture, with programming that also serves younger audiences and animation or ciné-club communities.

• Cinema exhibition · 1926

  Art et Essai film screenings

  The cinema's core offering is the exhibition of artistically distinctive, experimental, international, and repertory films outside the mainstream commercial circuit. This programming tradition dates to the venue's founding in the 1920s and remains central to its identity.

• Cinema exhibition

  Animation screenings

  Evening schedules have included animation as a recurring focus, complementing the cinema's broader art-house and cinephile orientation.

• Cinema exhibition and cultural programming

  Ciné-club screenings

  The venue hosts ciné-club-oriented evening programming, using screenings as part of a film-culture and discussion context rather than treating the cinema solely as a commercial entertainment outlet.

• 1928

  Disruption of The Seashell and the Clergyman premiere

  The premiere of Germaine Dulac's The Seashell and the Clergyman at Studio des Ursulines was heckled by André Breton and Louis Aragon. The disturbance escalated into a fight and stopped the screening. Armand Tallier did not call the police, and the film was shown again several weeks later.

  Source

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• 2003

  Refocus daytime programming on Art et Essai audiencesStrategy

  Background

  The cinema continued adapting its schedule while preserving its historic art-house identity.

  Action taken

  From March 2003, most daytime programming was aimed at Art et Essai audiences, particularly younger viewers; evening programming emphasized animation and ciné-club screenings.

  Aftermath

  The change reinforced the cinema's role as an intimate cultural venue serving both established cinephiles and younger audiences.

  Source

• 1925

  Create a cinema dedicated to avant-garde filmStrategy

  Background

  Armand Tallier and Laurence Myrga chose to establish a specialized venue at a time when French art-house exhibition had not yet become a standardized cinema category.

  Action taken

  They founded Studio des Ursulines as a venue for experimental, avant-garde, and artistically ambitious films.

  Aftermath

  The cinema became an early French example of specialized art-house exhibition and a precursor to the Art et Essai model.

  Source

1. 1Studio des Ursulinesen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Studio des Ursulines official websitestudiodesursulines.com