Cine Lumiere — Local services in London

Nothing wrong with the venue perse, although the staff could make things clearer about exchanging vouchers for tickets or where to leave a ticket if your guest is running late and you don't want to miss the start, with the reception Stafford the usher. It's a little hard to find, choose your exit from the tube wisely. The preview l went to see of a film being released this December wasn't to my taste. The storyline convulsed when it's premise was simplification and characters too poorly defined to identify with, also overly long. Other films shown here are a mixture of early classics such as Francois Truffaut work and there are selected current releases too. The ambience is pleasant, seats plush comfortable and spaciously laid out. My son's guitar case was in front of us on the floor but we still had sufficient leg room, a rare occurrence in many modern fine theatres. One draw back, however, is that you cannot eat or drink whilst watching any films for which l've deducted a star. Surely they can trust their artsy clientele to be discreet about their food consumption. No one is going to eat a burger in the back row. I will return another time and see if l'm allowed a boiled sweet ( without the wrapper, of course. I wouldn't want to ruin someone's concentration reading...

We had a thoroughly enjoyable and enlightening evening at the Night Of Ideas at the Institut Francais. The first of the two talks we attended was in the Bibliotheque Denis Saurat which is a marvellous place for small talks. The speakers were Alexandra de Hoop Scheffer, Laure de Roucy Rochegonde, Mats Berdal and the chair was isabella Antinozzi. The subject matter was the Future of Warfare and all three has interesting things to say on the subject. The second talk was in the larger Cini Lumiere and was on the subject of Funding the Green Transition. The speakers were Brendan Curry, Emily Fry and Jeremy Mast, with it being chaired by Laela Pakpour Tabrizi. Again, the speakers all had interesting things to say and answered some questions from the audience. The facilities at Institut Francais are very good with a large amount or resources celebrating French culture. The closing session at the event, was a performance in the Bibliotheque Denis Saurat by the anglo French group, Saults. Complimentary beer and wine ensured the evening finished off in the party mood, with the speakers staying after to engage in debate and conversation with attendees. There was also a immersive Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Paris exhibition demonstrating the rebuilding effort...

I recently had a very distressing experience at Cine Lumiere, part of the Institut français in London. I attended a screening on 20/02/2025, but the evening was completely ruined due to the presence of a mouse in the cinema.

We saw the mouse multiple times, and at one point, it was just 20-30 cm away from us. It was extremely uncomfortable and alarming, making it impossible to enjoy the film. I suffer from a phobia of mice, so this experience was particularly traumatic.

When I reported it to the staff during the screening, they acknowledged the problem but said there was nothing they could do at that moment. I found this response inadequate and dismissive of the health and safety concerns. We eventually left early, feeling deeply upset.

After reaching out to Cine Lumiere for a refund and compensation, I was only offered two complimentary tickets, which doesn’t address the distress and discomfort caused. I find this response very disappointing, especially from a government-supported cultural institution.

I believe that a cinema should maintain high standards of cleanliness and customer care, and I expected more from such a reputed venue. I would appreciate a more responsible and...