Cinémathèque screening room, September 2023; Credit: Jazmin Campbell/Chronicle.lu

The City of Luxembourg has confirmed that the iconic Cinémathèque building on Place du Théâtre will be unavailable for a period of around four years as it underdoes a significant transformation.

While parts of the building, including its magnificent staircase and tiles, plus its display of historic cameras, etc., is memorable and part of its striking heritage, there are parts of the facility that are in need of modernisation, including the uncomfortable balcony seats and the fact that accessibility is an issue as it lacks a lift to the first floor screening room (also to balcony on the second floor and to the toilets in the basement).

While the renovation project is set to commence in 2026, the cinema will be unavailable from Q3 2025 as preparations commence. The detailed timeline is as follows:

- September 2024: Filing of PDD (Final Execution Plan)
- October 2024: Filing of building permit
- November 2024: Beginning of plans / details of tenders from engineering firms
- March 2025: Issuing of building permit
- June 2025: Beginning of tenders from engineering consultancy firms
- January 2026: Commencement of works
- February 2028: Beginning of exterior works
- February 2029: Planned completion

The work will involve both interior and exterior works to the current layout which comprises a ground-floor cash desk, a first floor screening room with 100 seats plus another 80 seats in the balcony on the second floor, and the toilets in the basement. It also has use of a bar/social area on the ground floor which really only started t be used a couple of years ago, and mainly for special events including film festival receptions.

The project provides for the construction of a new high-tech screening room and refreshments area, as well as the modernisation of the existing building to improve accessibility for people with reduced mobility, etc. An educational space will also be created enabling workshops, etc., for young people.

The courtyard behind the existing facility will be used on which to construct a second facility, described as a multi-purpose room which can be used as both a cinema screening room; as a result, the Cinémathèque aims to be able to accommodate more visitors and offer a more diverse range of films (it currently screen films ranging from all-time classics to contemporary films and films d'auteur).

During the construction work, screenings will still take place, but at other venues in the city: currently, the Théâtre des Capucins is being considered for other screenings so that the Cinémathèque can continue with at least some public screenings, with open-air screenings planned for when the weather allows. Special screenings, including film festivals that use that facility, will likely need to find alternative screening venues during the construction period.

The new venue will feature a state-of-the-art cinema with Dolby Atmos technology and optimal acoustics, as well as an indoor and outdoor refreshments area; the existing cinema will also be modernised to incorporate the same technological advances.