Philatelic document - Cinéma Eden Théâtre - La Ciotat

Born as a theater in 1889, La Ciotat's Eden Théâtre saw its destiny change in the fall of 1895 with the projection of moving images by Louis Lumière's Cinématographe. Both a theater and a concert hall, the Eden Théâtre was a popular venue for the families of shipyard workers, the main activity in the small Provencal town of La Ciotat. On March 21, 1899, a ticketed screening of 19 Lumière films in front of 250 enthusiastic spectators marked the official birth of the Eden Théâtre in the world of cinema, the date chosen by the Guinness Book of Records as the oldest cinema still in operation in the world. For the next century, the Eden Théâtre continued to fulfill its societal role, combining theater and operetta, school and patriotic celebrations and film screenings. Fernandel and Yves Montand made their debuts on the stage. In 2013, as part of the Marseille-Provence European Capital of Culture initiative, renovation of the building, which became municipal property in 1992 and was listed as a historic monument in 1996, gave new impetus to the cinema's activities. Now classified as an Art et Essai venue, it has also been awarded the young audience, heritage and short film labels. The adventure continued in 2018, when the CNC awarded Eden Théâtre the jury's special mention for innovative cinema for "its ability to combine tradition and modernity through the resolutely modern enhancement of an exceptional historical heritage". The cradle of cinema, the Eden Théâtre has become a symbol of cultural anchorage and resistance to the threats of time, and is now firmly established in the French cinematographic and heritage landscape and beyond. It regularly welcomes the most prestigious artists and directors, who come to contribute to the preservation of this mecca of the 7th art. A cultural jewel of the city, the Eden Théâtre cinema is part of an original tourist, cultural and heritage trail, facing one of the most beautiful bays in the world, a stone's throw from the calanques, the shipyards and the station where, one day, cinema's most famous train arrived. Michel Cornille, President of Lumières de l'Eden

Timbre (Offset/Taille-douce) : création et gravure Christophe Laborde-Balen d'après photo© Denys Pastré. Document philatélique : mise en page Christophe Laborde-Balen d'après photo© Mattes René/ hemisJr. Cachet d'oblitération : Création Christophe Laborde-Balen. Texte : Michel Cornille, président des Lumières de l'Eden.