The cinema
Palace is an art house cinema located in the heart of Brussels.
its goal is to promote the diversity of cinematographic art.
The place is structured around 3 poles
- cinema halls
- a bar/restaurant
- meeting and exhibition areas
With its four projection rooms (373, 139, 60 and 84 seats respectively), Palace is committed to meeting the expectations of the public by offering a unique experience thanks to its impeccable technical equipment.
Comfort, cleanliness and quality are at the heart of its concerns.
Palace is THE partner of choice for hosting private or public events. It is a reference in the cinema sector and related activities.
Programming
The Palace's programming focuses on quality and diversity. Palace makes it a point of honour to support creation, showing films that bring people together as well as divide them. Its aim is to stimulate debate, curiosity and reflection. The programme is regularly adapted to current events and to the events hosted and programmed within it (festivals, collaborations, exhibitions, Sun Screens summer programme, etc.).
Palace offers Belgian and international films in their original version, subtitled in French, Dutch and, as far as possible, in English.
Palace presents numerous film premieres, meetings with directors, actors and other film professionals. But also recurring events such as: the screening of documentaries and great classics, the highlighting of the technical professions of the cinema as well as a selection of films to discover with the family (see below).
Every Wednesday Palace highlights the week's releases by offering morning screenings from 9am, at the low price of €6.50.
Palace plays an educational role and takes a stand on social issues. It offers screenings for schools, associations and neighbourhood centres in Brussels, as well as activities and workshops.
The rendez-vous
Every week, every month, every year, the Palace organizes special screenings. These are often accompanied by debates, Q&A's, discussions and animations that give the films another dimension.
EVERY WEEK
Morning Screenings
Wednesday is release day! On this day, the Palace offers screenings from 9am onwards to let you discover the new films on the bill. This early screening is offered at the attractive price of €6.50!
EVERY MONTH
Be Curious
One Thursday per month, Palace invites you to discover some "cinéma du réel". Unreleased or heritage titles by Belgian filmmakers.
Club 35
One Thursday per month, Palace invites a film personality to share a favourite film. A "classic film" to be seen or seen again on the big screen (and mostly on 35mm prints).
Masterclass
One Thursday per month, Palace takes a look at the lesser-known professions of the cinema (editing, sound, production, casting, sets, costumes, etc.). The screening of a film, followed by a discussion with a member of the technical team.
Students benefit from a special rate (4euros Film + Masterclass!)
Family Time - EVERY LAST SUNDAY OF THE MONTH
Every last Sunday of the month, Palace presents Family Time: a film to discover with the whole family, accompanied by an activity or a booklet on audiovisual creation!
EVERY YEAR, DISCOVER
Sun Screens
In summer, in parallel with its weekly programme, Palace expands its cinematographic offer by proposing a programme in the colours of summer: new feature films, the re-release of great classics in restored 4K copies and a programme specially designed for children. All this with a cocktail on the terrace of the Bar Palace!
Palace as hosting place
The Palace regularly hosts public events, in collaboration with privileged partners such as Cinéfemme, the Théâtre National Wallonie-Bruxelles, Genres d'à côté, the Festival du cinéma méditerrannéen, Bah voyons !, REKKER, ... and the hosting of festivals: the Anima festival, the Festival du cinéma méditerrannéen, the Millenium festival, the Pink Screen, the Brussels Jewish International Film Festival, the Brussels International Film Festival, among others.
The Palace also makes its various spaces available for private events.
Whether it is for technical screenings, press screenings, receptions or room privatizations, do not hesitate to contact the Palace team.
Team
Eric Franssen - General management
Alain Dereppe - CFO
Nicolas Gilson - Programming
Camille Bertrand - School programs and events for young audiences
Charlotte Beaupère - Event manager & responsable billetterie
Lauren Glaçon - Projectionnist
Lysiane Menier - Communication
Palace as exhibition place
The Palace has recently been equipped to host large-scale exhibitions, such as the Louis de Funès Exhibition which took place from 2 October 2021 to 16 January 2022.
In view of the positive results (21,600 visitors in less than four months!), the Palace is now considered to be an exhibition venue that will be able to offer other large-scale projects in the near future.
Cette exposition explorait les sources d'inspiration et les ressorts comiques de Louis de Funès, offrant une plongée fascinante dans l'univers de cet acteur légendaire à travers près de 150 œuvres exposées. Pour compléter cette expérience, Le Palace a proposé une rétrospective de films, permettant au public de redécouvrir une vingtaine de ses plus grands succès, ainsi que quelques perles rares comme La Traversée de Paris (1956), où Louis de Funès partage l'affiche avec Jean Gabin.
Des personnalités influentes sont également venues témoigner de leur admiration pour Louis de Funès lors de séances spéciales, renforçant l'attachement du public pour cet artiste inoubliable.
L'EXPOSITION ROMY SCHNEIDER
Du 24 mars au 25 juin 2023, Le Palace a rendu hommage à une autre icône du cinéma mondial avec L'Exposition Romy Schneider. Cette grande rétrospective célébrait une femme libre, une actrice passionnée et en quête d’absolu.
L'exposition présentait un riche assemblage d'objets (robes, accessoires, etc.), de photos, de textes, de documents de tournage, ainsi que des pièces personnelles rares (lettres, carnets, etc.) et de nombreux extraits vidéo. Pour accompagner cette exposition, une programmation de films a permis de (re)découvrir les œuvres marquantes de Romy Schneider, parmi lesquelles La Piscine, Les Choses de la Vie, César et Rosalie, Max et les Ferrailleurs, L’important c’est d’aimer, Le Procès (The Trial), L’Enfer d'Henri-Georges Clouzot, Clair de femme, La Mort en direct et La Banquière.
Des personnalités telles que Sarah Biasini, Costa-Gavras, Frédéric Bonnaud, et bien d'autres encore, sont venues présenter des films lors de séances événementielles.
EXHIBITION GOLDEN EIGHTIES
Du 12 avril au 23 juin, Le Palace présentera L'Exposition Golden Eighties, une série de photographies de plateau prises durant le tournage du film Golden Eighties de Chantal Akerman. Ces clichés, offerts par le photographe de plateau Jean Ber à la Fondation Chantal Akerman en 2022, sont une fenêtre unique sur l'univers captivant des années 80.
Golden Eighties est une œuvre singulière dans la filmographie de Chantal Akerman, révélant une facette moins connue de la réalisatrice : joyeuse, colorée, et passionnée de culture populaire. Les photographies, soigneusement sélectionnées avec le photographe, seront mises en scène dans une scénographie immersive, évoquant les décors et séquences emblématiques du film.
>> EXHIBITION GOLDEN EIGHTIES - ON THE SET WITH CHANTAL AKERMAN
History
PALACE, A HISTORY...
The building is an important part of the cultural heritage in Brussels. Today it recovers its original calling: hosting a cinema. A small historic summary:
The auction hall of the City of Brussels, created by Albert Dumont, springs up on the parcel where, later, Pathé Palace will be built on. The building has one "rich" façade, on the Anspach Boulevard, and two "simple" façades, on the Van Praet street and the Borgval street.
Pioneer of cinematographic distribution, Charles Pathé asks Paul Hamesse to build an entertainmentcomplex based on the models of Italian theaters. The architect draws what would become the "biggest cinema in town" (2500 seats). It will be engraved in the memories of the general Brussels public for the abundance of its decor.
The company Pathé Frères wants to convert this "Big Palace of Attractions" into a modern cinema. The architect Gustave Hubrecht transforms the ground floor in a large movie theater.
Sound films have arrived, and so speakers are added to the screens. The walls of the theaters are optimalized for accoustics.
The company Pathé Frères asks architect Rie Haan to modernize the movie theaters. A large part of the original decoration is destroyed and only some remains from 1913 endure, like the Foyer Hamesse.
Rie Haan transforms a part of the building into stores and housing for Het Brussels Tehuis.
The cinema closes. A Bauknecht showroom is installed, and the large movie theatre on the ground floor is replaced by a parkingspace.
The Pathé Palace Café (PP) opens its doors on the ground floor at the side of the Van Praet street. The decoration of the bar resembles the style of Paul Hamesse.
The three façades and the foyer Hamesse are classified by the Commission royale des Monuments et Sites.
After 41 years of neglect, the building finally finds its original calling again with the project Kladaradatsch!
The French community buys the building. The Théâtre National de Belgique uses it until 2004, while waiting for the inauguration of its new location on Boulevard Emile Jacqmain.
The French Community makes a call for projects to reallocate the building in an arthouse cinema.
The non-profit-organization Le Palace wins the call for projects. It is supported by several important people in Belgian cinema: Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne (Les Films du Fleuve), Patrick Quinet (Artémis Productions), Eliane Du Bois and Stéphane De Potter (Cinéart-Cinélibre), Nicole La Bouverie (Zénab).
Architect Alain Renard is chosen to lead the ambitious renovation of the cinema.
The many transformations of the building have led to a destructured collection of areas. Alain Richard decides to "create void" around the existing elements and to introduce natural light to the heart of the complex, in order to restore coherence. In 2012, construction begins.
After 5 years of renovation, cinema Palace is born as new. Four movie theaters, a brasserie and many areas for multicultural purposes are revealed to the public.