Thursday marks a historic moment in history. It is the day the Lumiere Brothers showed off their new invention, the cinematograph, to paying customers at the Salon Indien du Grand Cafe in Paris, giving birth to cinema as we know it today.
In the spirit of the holiday season, the Thai Film Archive welcomes you to relive and celebrate that historic opening at the second annual "Night At Maya City" exhibition. From today through Thursday, visit the Thai Film Archive campus near Salaya to experience the impressive recreation of historic locations in cinema history, complete with activities, street food, souvenir booths and even a special film screening.
Lumiere!. Photo courtesy of Thai Film Archive
The event starts at 5pm, when an ensemble of impressive lighting gives life to faithful recreations of 19th-century Europe. Like last year, the highlights of the event are detailed replicas of Parisian locales of that era, like the aforementioned Salon Indien du Grand Cafe in Paris, where visitors can get a close look at the workings of a cinematograph, with 33 available seats just like the first audiences of that joyful night over 120 years ago.
Other attractions include the Kinetoscope Parlour, named after the Thomas Edison invention that showed motion pictures to individuals who pressed their eyes to the device's scopes. There is also the Mongkol Company Theatre, the first commercial movie theatre to open its doors to Siamese audiences, in 1897. This year, the organisers welcome attendees to dress according to the theme of their favourite movies, with notable costumes having a chance to win cash prizes.
The real highlight, especially for those interested in film history, is the screening of the documentary Lumiere!. From today to Thursday at 6pm, visitors can catch a special screening of the film, directed by Thierry Fremaux, which shows a collection of restored prints by the Lumiere Brothers themselves -- the 114 short "movies" taken between 1895-1905 -- with Fremaux narrating the importance of each one. The screening, like entry to the event, is free of charge, though seats are limited.
Thai Film Archive is located on Phutthamonthon Sai 5 Road, Salaya, Nakhon Pathom.
