Published on December 26, 2024Updated on January 22, 2025
A Journey into the past
We know it as TMC. Télé-Monte-Carlo, Monaco’s general-interest channel, broadcast its first small-screen programme in 1954.
Suppose you haven’t been around long enough. In that case, you can learn more about it by visiting the exhibition at the Institut Audiovisuel de Monaco entrance, a cabinet of curiosities running up to 1974. Featuring videos, documents, and examples of the equipment used, it takes you back to the Monegasque and Princely newsreels of the time, sports broadcasts, old style game shows and programmes hosted by Guy Gibert, a veritable cinema archive featuring Jeanne Moreau, Jean Cocteau, and Michel Simon. But that’s only a tiny part of what the Institut Audiovisuel de Monaco is all about!
The living memory of cinema
Twice a month, its 35-seat projection room shows masterpieces of art-house cinema, revealing just how rich and valuable they are. The golden era – spanning more than a century is preserved here, not only the history of a country but also all the fabulous photography, cinema, and radio techniques.
Old town and family life
"Our mission is to collect, preserve and promote Monaco’s audiovisual heritage, and we bring together in one place archives from bodies ranging from the Yacht Club and the Ballets de Monte-Carlo to the Philharmonic Orchestra and Radio Monte-Carlo, together with amateur documents featuring images of important live events, from christenings and weddings to everyday existence. They complement the professional collection, which focuses on major dynastic events, the Grand Prix, and Casino Square in Monte-Carlo,” explains Institute Director Vincent Vatrican. Some 200 families have donated 4,000 films depicting the Place d’Armes through the ages, Sainte-Dévote processions, and the carnival in the old town.
A cinematic epic
A long frieze at the Institute traces the history of cinema in Monaco in 20 films for visitors. An adventure starting with a precious document for the Principality, but not just that:
“We conserve the Oceanographic Institute’s collection, which includes three reels shot by Prince Albert I in 1897.
A pioneering cinematographer, he shot the first animated views of Morocco, and we had these images restored in 2014. These archives are rare, and we aim to raise awareness of this heritage by welcoming almost 1,000 schoolchildren throughout the year,” enthuses Estelle Macé, the Institute’s head of cultural activities. Some 20 people are busy behind the scenes on three floors, working with documentalists and audiovisual and digital technicians to view, classify, restore, and digitise all these snippets of time in the technical facilities. These rooms, hidden away from view, are where film and cinema posters are carefully preserved.
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