Some anniversaries are celebrated with a cake. At the Cinémathèque Française, they chose to roll out the film reels instead. To mark its 90th anniversary, the Parisian institution has set itself a rather wild challenge: to chronicle nearly a century of cinema through 180 films. From Chaplin to Tarantino, from Hitchcock to Coppola, the lineup spans eras, genres, and continents. A monumental journey through the history of cinema, designed for both those who know the classics inside and out and those who would like to finally discover them in a real movie theater.
Two films per year, and never the same filmmaker twice
For its 90th anniversary, there was no question of simply stringing together the biggest box-office hits. The institution set itself a rule: starting in 1936, the year it was founded, to select two films for each year and never include the same filmmaker twice in the final list. In total, 180 films spanning 90 years.
Of course, choosing also means leaving some out. And that’s almost what makes this list so entertaining: you can admire it, discuss it, get annoyed by certain omissions, and potentially create your own list in your head. The Cinémathèque fully stands by its choices and does not seek to present the list as a definitive ranking. This “Top 180” is not intended to set in stone a list of the “best films of all time,” but rather to offer a gateway into the history of cinema.
From *Dumbo* to *The Godfather*, 90 years of films we dream of seeing again on the big screen
And just skimming through the program is enough to leave you spoiled for choice. Charlie Chaplin’s *The Great Dictator*, Jean Cocteau’s *Beauty and the Beast*, *Singin’ in the Rain*, Alfred Hitchcock’s *The Birds*, *The Umbrellas of Cherbourg*, *The Godfather*, *Barry Lyndon*, and *Jaws* are all part of the first half of this massive marathon.
In the second half, we’ll see *Casino*, *Mulholland Drive*, *Lost in Translation*, *The Social Network*, *Mad Max: Fury Road*, *Parasite*, *Babylon*, and *Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood*. The selection takes us all the way to 2025 and allows us to see, year by year, how cinema has evolved over nine decades.
But perhaps the real appeal of the program lies elsewhere. Alongside the great classics that everyone knows are hidden Japanese, Indian, African, South American, and European films that are far less familiar to the general public. It’s the kind of event where you might come for Hitchcock and Coppola and leave with the name of a filmmaker you’ve never heard of before.
You don’t have to be a film buff to get swept up in the experience
And that’s where the marathon really becomes accessible to everyone. No one is asking you to watch all 180 films, nor to know the difference between the French New Wave and Italian neorealism before stepping through the theater doors.
You can choose the film from the year you were born, take the opportunity to finally see that cult classic that “everyone has seen except you,” take someone to discover *Jaws* or *The Godfather* on the big screen, or simply pick a title you’re unfamiliar with from the program. The marathon works almost like a massive playlist: it’s up to each person to create their own.
A true marathon spanning several months
The first part of the retrospective began on September 16 and runs through November 29, 2026, featuring films from 1936 to 1988. A second part is set to begin in December with the remainder of the selection, continuing through 2025. The entire Top 180 will be screened between September 2026 and February 2027.
In other words, there’s no need to block off three months of your calendar. The joy of this event lies in coming back regularly for screenings that catch your interest—maybe a Western, then a musical, or even a Japanese film from the 1950s—throwing in an American thriller from the 2000s along the way, and working your way back year by year all the way to the present.
1 euro per screening for those under 26: hard to believe, but true
For those under 26, this film marathon is offered at a particularly affordable price: all screenings in the Top 180 are just 1 euro. It’s a chance to return multiple times throughout the festival—or simply to try out films you wouldn’t normally go see.
The Cinémathèque takes things a step further with the “Viewer’s Passport.” You can pick it up at the first screening; it lets you keep track of the films you’ve seen and unlock various gifts based on the number of films you’ve watched. A word of advice: be sure to keep your tickets—if you want the gifts, they’ll serve as proof of attendance.
In the end, the hardest part of the Cinémathèque Française’s 90th-anniversary celebration might not be finding a film you want to see, but managing not to go see them all.
Location: Cinémathèque Française, 51 rue de Bercy, 75012
Dates: September 2026 through February 2027
Prices: €1 for those under 26