Simply relax and create unforgettable moments, visit La Cité du Cinéma, a unique shooting film set infrastructure in France. Take a tour and follow the guide through this top movie cinema city location located in Seine-Saint-Denis.
Cité du Cinema is the brainchild of the film director and producer Luc Besson, who is one of France’s most successful and famous film directors. It took him 12 long years to work and make his dream come true; to give birth to a French film city complex where technological support services and creative requirements can be adapted to the script writer, director, actor, set designer, accredited partners or participants. It aims to focus more and more on the different jobs within the film industry to interact effectively with colleagues, clients and external contacts from post-production to film distribution on the same location.
This 16 acres high-flyer project known as Hollywood-sur-Seine is the largest new film multiplex masterminded by Luc Besson himself in the outskirts of Paris. This mega film hub is a pride of place in the entertainment industry. It will surely seduce you into a cinema mood to pay tribute to the film industry and retrace the steps of filmmakers and stars. Follow the guide and breathe in the spirit of this unique scenery setting to enjoy and discover the world of all film professions. It offers the infrastructure and facilities that a film-maker needs from scenarist, analyst, photographer and painter… the ultimate trophy for every discerning producer.
It took 12 long years for Luc Besson, one of France’s most successful French film director (The Fifth Element, Nikita, Léon: The Professional, The Big Blue...) and producer (Taxi) to work and make his dream come true: to give birth to the first French cinema city called Cité de Cinema. It was officially inaugurated on September 21st 2012.
Since the official launch a year ago, the Cité du Cinéma has hosted a few film shoots in Seine-Saint-Denis:
On the location of the Cité du Cinema, there was the old hydroelectric thermal station. The main action of that old thermal power station was to supply and irrigate all the hydraulic tractions of the Parisian underground metro system. It is converted now into a film shooting location, a particular atypical distinctive building from the era of 1930’s French Art Deco style. During its heyday, Art Deco style represented luxury, glamour, exuberance and faith in social and technological progress. It is classified as one of French industrial heritage sites which is now an important landmark in a film shooting location.
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The Cité du Cinema is closed at the moment! But you can check the Cine-Balades to visit the Parisian area through the lens of the greatest French movie-makers.
2025 – the first hammer blows echo through the immense glass and steel nave, heralding a spectacular transformation: the Cité du Cinéma is reinventing itself. This iconic venue, long dedicated to film shoots and behind-the-scenes activities, is about to embark on a new chapter.
Under the 210-meter glass roof, workers are busy. The nave will be divided into two spaces: a bright reception area, designed to welcome visitors as they arrive, and a monumental space, 18 meters high, dedicated to exhibitions and major events. Suspended in the air, the Olympic rings from the closing ceremony of the Games at the Stade de France will serve as a reminder that this area once vibrated to the rhythm of sport.
In the north tower, there will be small exhibition rooms, while below, a restaurant overlooking the Seine will offer a gourmet break for visitors and professionals alike.
The Cité du Cinéma aims to offer an experience through immersive exhibitions, events dedicated to pop culture, and a friendly food court: everything has been designed to make this place a new temple of leisure and, above all, to make it accessible to all, just a few minutes from Paris thanks to line 14.
May 2026: a long-awaited reopening. In a few months, the doors will open once again. The Cité du Cinéma, building on its past and looking to the future, will welcome a new generation of visitors.
Subway line 13: Carrefour Pleyel Station
Subway line 14 : Saint-Denis Pleyel Station + 15 mn walk
