Cinema Paradiso at Le Grand Palais

Right now in Paris, under the vast steel-and-glass roofed Grand Palais, the biggest drive-in EVER is taking place. Until 21st June, Cinema Paradiso brings together a film screenings, shopping, exhibitions, food and club nights at one of the capital's most iconic monuments. Chow down on American Diner style food (burgers, mac n cheese, coleslaw...), knock back Champagne, buy some kitsch US-imports from Colette (including extortionately priced Pop Tarts) before settling into a cute Fiat 500 to catch a cult movie - Drive, Taxi Driver, ET, for example - on the mammoth 25m-long screen (250m2 of Ryan Gosling? Yes, please). In the daytime there is also an exhibition on classic video games and a roller disco. After dark, the Super Club starts - offering club nights hosted by big names on the Paris scene (Le Baron, Wanderlust, Kitsuné...) - and frolics continue until well into the night. Tickets to be purchased in advance for the cinema (from €19), otherwise general access tickets can be bought on the door (€10). 

Cinema en Plein Air 2012 at La Villette

Paris' annual open air cinema festival at the vast modernist La Villette park - one of the greatest annual summer events in the city - starts tomorrow 25th July and runs until 26th August. This year's theme of Metamorphosis unites a varied programme of films ranging from Michel Gondry's The Science of Sleep to the German indy film Goodbye, Lenin! to Ken Loach's Looking for Eric to 70s hits Hair and Superman. All films are screened in their original language with French subtitles and Friday night screenings will be preceded by a previously unrealeased short film. Access is free, but get there early to secure a good spot and bring a blanket to cover the ground, plenty of picnic supplies and something to keep you warm once the sun goes down. If you want to watch the film in style and comparable comfort, deck chairs can be rented for €7 a pop. And if the weather looks dodgy, call 01 40 03 76 92 on the night to check if the film is still going ahead - and if it is, bring a brolly with you incase. Bon film!

Cinema en Plein Air

Parc de la Villette

211 avenue Jean Jaures, 75019 Paris

Full Cinema en Plein Air Programme

Free entry. 25th July - 26th August. 

Metro: Porte de Pantin

Open Air Cinema Festival at La Villette

Today the annual open air film festival, Le Cinema en Plein Air, opens at the Paris park La Villette. From 19th July to 21st August, the vast modernist park plays host to open air cinema screenings on the theme of The Street (the title of this year's festival is "D'Une Rue a L'Autre"), with a different film showing each night from Tuesday to Sunday at sundown. Opening with Scorcese's cult Taxi Driver, the festival also features Almodovar's All About My Mother (21st July), Kassowitz's La Haine (13th August), Woody Allen's Manhattan (18th August), and goes out with a bang on 21st August with West Side Story! Get there early to nab a good spot, bring a picnic blanket, some snacks and some wine and - providing the weather warms up again at some point - you've got yourself a perfect summer evening in Paris.

Festival Cinema en Plein Air 2011

Parc de la Villette

211 Avenue Jean Jaures, 75019 Paris

Metro: Porte de Pantin / Porte de la Villette

Programme here: Cinema en Plein Air 

All images copyright Kim Laidlaw Adrey

Le Nouvel Odéon - Cinema

Formerly the Racine Odeon,  Le Nouvel Odeon has been freshly renovated by French design guru and protegee of Philippe Starck, Matali Crasset. Wanting to break with the tradition of the movie house as black box, Crasset has created a open structure for the entrance and a colourful, light and airy space for the screen itself, with red walls and bright orange chairs, creating a fresh and funky new cinema on the left bank. There is also a small but beautifully designed cafe offering quality and often organic drinks and snacks, and a cosy red sofa space perched above the cafe where you can debrief after a film with a drink. Innovative additions include numbered seating that you can reserve in advance, baby cinema sessions on Saturday mornings where you can keep up to date with film with your little one on your lap and children's cinema screenings on Sunday mornings. 

Le Nouvel Odéon

6 rue de l'école de médecine

75006 Paris

www.nouvelodeon.com

photos copyright Kim Laidlaw. All rights reserved. 

MK2 Quai de Seine / Quai de Loire

I tend to only write about new and exciting places (or places that are new and exciting to me, at least), but coming back to Paris for la rentree after long holidays elsewhere invariably makes me see Paris with fresh eyes, and I have a renewed appreciation for the things and places in the capital that are part of my ordinary day-to-day life. Which brings me to this post about my twin favourite cinemas in Paris: MK2 Quai de Loire and Quai de Seine. One thing I love doing in Paris is going to the cinema - there is obviously a strong film culture in France and the selection of movies that are on show in general definitely reflect this. And with my handy little cinema pass, I often take myself off to the movies, most often at these two cinemas not too far from where I live. 

The small MK2 chain has an excellent roster of films, combining international and French art house films with more commercial big hitters and also screening old or modern classics as part of themed retrospectives or festivals.  

But, not only do they have a judicious selection of movies, these two buildings are fantastic in themselves. They sit on either side of the Canal de l'Ourcq in an up-and-coming (read "was a complete shit hole 5 years ago, now really trendy") area of the 19th arrondissement, have lovely little cafes overlooking the water and you can even take the MK2 boat from one side of the canal to the other. Definitely one of my favourite places to catch a film and I'd recommend the bar 25 Est just next door for a movie debrief with your fellow cinema goers afterwards. 

MK2
Quai de Loire - 7 quai de Loire, 75019 Paris
Quai de Seine - 14 quai de la Seine, 75019 Paris
Metro Stalingrad / Jaures
www.mk2.com