A cinema or film library that specializes in screening classic, artistic, or rare films; an archive dedicated to film preservation and exhibition.
From French 'cinémathèque' (1936), combining 'cinéma' with '-thèque' (from Greek 'theke,' meaning repository or storage). The Cinémathèque Française, founded in 1936, pioneered this concept.
The cinematheque concept was revolutionary—it treated old films like museums treat paintings, preserving cinema as cultural heritage rather than disposable entertainment. Without them, most pre-1950s films would be lost.
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