Recently, the French Cinematheque, which enjoys a high reputation among film enthusiasts, has been caught in a "bug crisis" and has had to temporarily close its doors.
The insect infestation was first noticed in early November at a retrospective of the works of American actress Sigourney Weaver held at the museum. On Friday, November 7th, at 6:30 PM, the classic science fiction film *Alien* was scheduled to be screened in the Henri Langlois Hall, and Sigourney Weaver herself attended a one-hour masterclass. However, after the event, several audience members complained of bedbug bites. Some even told *Le Parisien* that they saw bedbugs crawling on the theater seats and their clothes, and the thought of the alien insects that had just appeared on screen gave them a chilling feeling that the movie had come to life.
Last month, Sigourney Weaver appeared at the French Film Archive to participate in a masterclass.
Subsequently, the renowned cultural institution located in the 12th arrondissement of Paris stated that it would strengthen hygiene measures and rectify the situation as soon as possible, but these measures proved to be of little effect. For some time afterward, complaints from audiences about insect infestations continued. Ultimately, the institution decided to close all four screening rooms starting November 28th, hoping to complete a thorough pest control and cleaning throughout December and reopen on January 2nd of the following year.
"This temporary closure gives us the opportunity to conduct a comprehensive and thorough disinfection process. All seats will be removed and disinfected multiple times using 180°C steam. After each disinfection, a special quarantine dog will inspect the seats to verify the effectiveness of the disinfection. The carpets in the screening room will also undergo the same treatment," the museum announced on its social media page.
The French newspaper Libération, in its report, specifically emphasized that "bedbugs are blood-sucking parasites that feed on human blood (each feeding lasts five to twenty minutes). They are photophobic and mainly active at night. They do not transmit diseases, but if they are not detected early and brought home, it can quickly become a nightmare, even forcing you to burn all your clothes and furniture."
In 2023, several cinemas in Paris launched a major pest control campaign, and sniffer dogs played a significant role.
According to the report, the French Cinema Archive has been battling bedbugs since 2021: weekly disinfection, quarterly screening with dogs, and 180°C dry steam disinfection. However, a few bedbugs inevitably survive, reproduce, and eventually re-occupy cinemas—places that are dark year-round with suitable temperature and humidity. In 2023, in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics, the French government announced a concentrated effort to combat bedbugs. At that time, news reports of large numbers of bedbugs appearing in various public transportation systems, cinemas, and hospitals in Paris were rampant. In 2024, the French government also publicly stated that some social media accounts with ties to Russia deliberately spread misinformation, exacerbating public panic about the infestation in the fall of 2023.
Founded in 1936, the French Cinematheque is a non-profit film institution with a vast archive of over 40,000 films, both new and old, as well as a massive collection of film documents and related artifacts. Directors of the French New Wave, including François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard, were frequent visitors to this cinematic temple, drawing inspiration from the various domestic and international films screened at the Cinematheque.
The French Cinema Archive, located at 51 Rue de Bessie in Paris, is currently closed for pest control.
Historically, the museum has moved several times. Its current location at 51 Rue de Bechsch in the 12th arrondissement, a postmodern building completed in 1994, housed the former Cinematheque in 2005 after the original institution moved out. This year marks its 20th anniversary. The museum has four formal screening rooms, named after its founder Henri Langlois, German director Lotte Eisner, French directors Georges François and Jean Epstein. On weekdays, except Tuesdays when the museum is closed, the four rooms host multiple screenings daily from morning to evening, with tickets priced at only €7, making them quite affordable.
The "bug crisis" forced the Orson Welles exhibition to be cancelled early.
This temporary one-month closure has prevented ongoing events such as the Orson Welles exhibition and the Saka Guettrie retrospective from concluding as planned. More seriously, events scheduled for December, including the 2025 restored film screenings, the Indonesian film panorama screenings, the Mario Martoné retrospective, and the José Luis Green retrospective, have all been cancelled due to the difficulty of rescheduling. However, as the museum has announced, other areas of the French Cinema Archive, such as the library, educational spaces, bookstore, and restaurant, remain open and unaffected by the cinema closure.
The French Cinematheque's announcement also stated: "We look forward to welcoming you back to cinemas starting January 2, 2026, with a retrospective of Nordic film noir. Following that, on January 7, we will screen a David Gordon Green retrospective, and on January 8, we will screen Henri Langlois's silent film classics, to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the French Cinematheque. We sincerely thank our audiences for their understanding and continued support, and will continue to strive to provide you with the best cinematic experience."