© Copyright © Thibaut Chapotot - Film projeté Princesse Monoké © 1997 Studio Ghibli

OPEN AIR CINEMA

The call of the wild

35th edition

Discipline

Open-air cinema returns this summer to La Villette!

For 35 years, every summer, over the course of twenty evenings, Parc de la Villette has become the largest open-air cinema in Paris.
The forest is one of cinema’s most powerful settings. Light filtering through branches, shifting shadows, morning mist, and deep greens create images in which nature asserts its presence on the viewer.
But the forest can also become a place of unease, an environment where all points of reference disappear, as in The Blair Witch Project by Daniel Myrick and Eduardo Sánchez.
It can also function as a space of withdrawal and transformation, as in Into the Wild by Sean Penn.
Finally, the forest is above all a place of ecological awareness, reminding us of the fragility of living systems, as in Princess Mononoke by Hayao Miyazaki.

In cinema, the forest therefore goes far beyond its role as a backdrop: it becomes a character in its own right, a space of tension between beauty, fear, and reflection, where both stories and ideas unfold.
Comfortably settled on the lawn of the Prairie du Triangle, we wish you a wonderful walk through the forest!

Agenda
Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun
6:00 pm 9:00 pm

Discover the programme:

22 → 26.07

Wednesday, July 22

YOUNG AUDIENCE SCREENING
My Neighbor Totoro, Hayao Miyazaki • 1999
VF • 1h27

Synopsis

Two young sisters, Mei and Satsuki, move with their father to a large house in the countryside to be closer to the hospital where their mother is staying. In the nearby forest, they discover a magical world inhabited by mysterious creatures called Totoro—kind and friendly beings who watch over them and their neighbors.

© 1988 Studio Ghibli

Le Règne animal, Thomas Cailley • 2023
VF • 2h10

With Romain Duris, Paul Kircher, Adèle Exarchopoulos, Tom Mercier

Synopsis

In a world affected by a wave of mutations that gradually transform some humans into animals, François does everything he can to save his wife, who has been struck by this mysterious phenomenon. He sets out with their 16-year-old son, Émile, on a journey that will profoundly change their lives forever.

© 2023 NORD-OUEST FILMS – STUDIOCANAL – FRANCE 2 CINÉMA – ARTÉMIS PRODUCTIONS

Thursday, July 23

YOUNG AUDIENCE SCREENING
The Little Mole loves nature, Zdeněk Miler • 2020
VF • 44 minutes

A programme of three short films:
The Little Mole and the chewing gum, Zdeněk Miler • 1969 I 8 minutes
The Little Mole and the television, Zdeněk Miler • 1970 I 6 minutes
The Little Mole in the city, Zdeněk Miler • 1982 I 29 minutes

Synopsis

The Little Mole and the Chewing Gum: With the help of her friends, the Little Mole tries to free herself from a piece of chewing gum left among litter by humans.

The Little Mole and the Television: Playfully, the Little Mole learns to respect the flower garden of a house.

The Little Mole in the City: The Little Mole and her friends live in harmony in the forest until the construction of a city disrupts their way of life.

© Les Films du Préau, 2020

The New World, Terrence Malick • 2006
VOSTF • 2h16

With Colin Farrell, Q’orianka Kilcher, Christopher Plummer, Christian Bale, August Schellenberg 

Synopsis

In 1607, three British ships land on the eastern coast of the North American continent. These rugged men are tasked with establishing a new colony there. The Indigenous people they encounter are treated with great brutality. The settlers struggle to adapt to this harsh and hostile environment.
Captain Newport assigns one of his men, John Smith, a reconnaissance mission to prepare for the winter. However, the group gets lost and Smith is captured. He is saved at the last moment by a bright young woman, Pocahontas, the daughter of Chief Powhatan. A deep bond begins to form between them…

© Warner Bros


Friday, July 24

YOUNG AUDIENCE SCREENING
Ernest and Célestine, Benjamin Renner, Vincent Patar, Stéphane Aubier • 2012
VF • 1h20

Synopsis

In the conventional world of bears, befriending a mouse is frowned upon. Yet Ernest, a large, outsider bear who is both a clown and a musician, takes in little Célestine, an orphan who has fled the underground world of rodents. These two loners will support and comfort each other, and in doing so, challenge the established order…

© StudioCanal image, cop. (2012)

Blair Witch Project, Daniel Myrick et Eduardo Sánchez • 1999
VOSTF • 1h21

With Heather Donahue, Michael C. Williams, Joshua Leonard

Age rating: 12+

Synopsis

Three film students travel to Black Hills Forest to shoot a documentary about the legend of a witch believed to have committed murders between the 18th and 20th centuries. A year later, the footage of their investigation is discovered…

© 1999 Blair Witch Films

Saturday, July 25

YOUNG AUDIENCE SCREENING
Flow, Gints Zilbalodis • 2024
VF • 1h25

Synopsis

A cat wakes up in a world submerged by water, where all human life seems to have disappeared. It finds refuge on a boat alongside a group of other animals. However, getting along with them proves to be quite a challenge. They must all learn to overcome their differences and adapt to the new world that surrounds them…

© UFODISTRIBUTION

Into the wild, Sean Penn • 2008
VOSTF • 2h28

With Emile Hirsch, Marcia Gay Harden, William Hurt

Synopsis

Freshly graduated from university, 22-year-old Christopher McCandless is set for a promising future. Yet, turning his back on the comfortable and predictable life ahead of him, he chooses to hit the road, leaving everything behind…

© Paramount Pictures

Sunday, July 26

YOUNG AUDIENCE SCREENING
Arriety, the little world of pilferers, Hiromasa Yonebayashi • 2011
VF • 1h34

Synopsis

In the suburbs of Tokyo, beneath the floorboards of an old house hidden in the heart of a large garden, tiny Arrietty lives in secret with her family. They are known as the Borrowers. Arrietty knows she must not be seen by humans. Yet when a young boy, Sho, arrives at the house to rest before a serious operation, she senses that everything is about to change…

© 2010 Studio Ghibli – NDHDMTW

Princess Mononoke, Hayao Miyazaki • 2000
VOSTF • 2h15

Synopsis

Wounded by a boar driven mad by demons, the young warrior Ashitaka leaves his people in search of the Deer God, the only one who can lift the curse spreading through his arm. During his journey, he encounters Lady Eboshi, leader of a community of ironworkers who must defend herself against those who accuse her of destroying the forest to fuel her furnaces. Among her fiercest enemies is Princess Mononoke, the princess of the spirits…

© 1997 Studio Ghibli – ND

29.07 → 2.08

Wednesday, July 29

YOUNG AUDIENCE SCREENING
Yuku and the Himalayan flower, Arnaud Demuynck et ​Rémi Durin • 2022
VF • 1h05

Synopsis

At the top of the highest mountains on Earth grows a plant that feeds on the purest sunlight. It is called… the Himalayan flower. Yuku leaves her family to set off in search of this flower of eternal light, hoping to offer it to her grandmother. To find it, she must embark on a long journey full of obstacles…

© DR

Petite maman, Céline Sciamma • 2021
VF • Durée : 1h13

With Joséphine Sanz, Gabrielle Sanz, Nina Meurisse, Stéphane Varupenne, Margot Abascal

Synopsis

Eight-year-old Nelly has just lost her grandmother. She goes with her parents to clear out her mother Marion’s childhood home. Nelly is happy to explore the house and the surrounding woods, where her mother once built a treehouse.
There, Nelly meets a little girl in the forest who is building a cabin. She is her age, and her name is Marion. She is her little mother…

© Pyramide distribution

Thursday, July 30

YOUNG AUDIENCE SCREENING
Animal friends, Eva Lindström • 2014
VF • 36 minutes

A programme of three short films:
A day with the birds, Eva Lindström • 2013
I run away, Eva Lindström • 2013
My friend Louis, Eva Lindström • 2013

Synopsis

A day with the birds : Two young birds, equipped with butterfly nets, set off to catch insects. They move away from home and get lost in the woods. Night falls, and they begin to feel a little afraid…

I run away : A lamb grows bored in its meadow and crosses the fence to run away. Taken in by Mr. Martre, it wonders whether anyone will eventually worry about its absence.

My friend Louis : Louis the owl befriends a young woman before meeting Jérôme, another owl who is not very trustworthy.

Les Films du Préau @ 2014

Evil Does Not Exist, Ryûsuke Hamaguchi • 2023
VOSTF • 1h46

With Hitoshi Omika, Ryo Nishikawa

Synopsis

Takumi and his daughter Hana live in the village of Mizubiki, near Tokyo. They lead a modest life in harmony with their environment. However, a project to build a “glamping” site in the nearby natural park—offering city dwellers a comfortable escape into nature—threatens the site’s ecological balance and profoundly affects the lives of Takumi and the villagers…

© DR

Friday, July 31

YOUNG AUDIENCE SCREENING
Zarafa, Rémi Bezançon, Jean-Christophe Lie • 2012
VF • 1h18

With the voices of Simon Abkariann, Thierry Frémont, Francois-Xavier Demaison, , Déborah François

Synopsis

Hassan, Prince of the Desert, is tasked by the Pasha of Egypt with escorting Zarafa, an orphaned giraffe, to France as a gift for King Charles X. However, Maki, a 10-year-old boy, decides to do everything he can to thwart this mission and bring the giraffe back to its homeland…

© 2011 PRIMA LINEA PRODUCTIONS

Sleepy Hollow. Headless Horseman Tim Burton • 2000
VOSTF • 1h45

With Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci, Christopher Walken

Age rating: 12+

Synopsis

In 1799, in a small town in New England, several bodies are successively discovered beheaded. Terrified, the inhabitants become convinced that these murders are committed by a strange and furious horseman, rumored to be headless himself. The authorities in New York send their finest investigator, Ichabod Crane, to solve the mystery…

© Paramount Pictures

Saturday, August 1st

YOUNG AUDIENCE SCREENING
Mary and the Witch’s Flower, Hiromasa Yonebayashi • 2018
VF • 1h43

Synopsis

It is summer. Mary has just moved in with her great-aunt in the village of Crimson Manor. In the nearby forest, she discovers a mysterious flower that blooms only once every seven years, known as the “witch’s flower.” For one night only, thanks to this flower, Mary will gain magical powers and be able to enter Endor, the most renowned school of magic in the world, which rises above the sky, beyond the clouds. The secret of the witch’s flower will gradually reveal itself to her…

© DR

King Kong, Peter Jackson • 2005
VOSTF • 3h

With Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody

Synopsis

New York, 1933. Ann Darrow is a music hall performer whose career has been abruptly derailed by the Great Depression. With no means to support herself, she meets the daring explorer and filmmaker Carl Denham and is hired for his new action picture. But Denham secretly harbors a far more ambitious—and far more reckless—goal: to be the first man to explore the mysterious Skull Island and bring back footage of it…

© Universal Pictures

Sunday, August 2nd

YOUNG AUDIENCE SCREENING
Cro Man, Nick Park • 2018
VF • 1h29

With the voices of Pierre Niney, Eddie Redmayne, Kaycie Chase

Synopsis

In prehistoric times, when dinosaurs and mammoths still roamed the Earth, Doug, a brave caveman, and his best friend Hognob join forces to save their tribe from a powerful enemy.

© StudioCanal image, cop. (2017)

Dersou Ouzala, Akira Kurosawa • 1976
VOSTF • 2h21

With Maxime Mounzouk, Youri Solomine, Svetlana Danilchenka, Dima Kortitschew

Synopsis

In 1902, Vladimir Arsenyev, a surveyor and military officer, leads an expedition to explore the Ussuri region in the Russian Far East. There, he meets Dersu Uzala, a hunter who knows the territory inside out. His life in the forest has given him a deep love and respect for nature, which he passes on to Vladimir. The two men eventually form a close friendship.

© Mosfilm Cinema Concern

5 → 9.08

Wednesday, August 5

YOUNG AUDIENCE SCREENING
War of the buttons, Yves Robert • 1962
VF • 1h30

With André Treton, Martin Lartigue, Pierre Trabaud, Jean Richard

Synopsis

Every school year, the children of the two neighboring villages of Velrans and Longeverne wage a relentless war against each other. Lebrac, the leader of one of the gangs, decides to rip the buttons off his rivals’ clothes and keep them as war trophies, sparking the anger of the parents.

© 1962 ZAZI FILMS

Night moves, Kelly Reichardt • 2014
VOSTF • 1h52

With Jesse Eisenberg, Dakota Fanning, Peter Sarsgaard

Synopsis

Josh works on an organic farm in Oregon. Through the activists he meets, his environmental beliefs become increasingly radical. Determined to take action, he teams up with Dena, a young activist, and Harmon, a man with a troubled past. Together, they decide to carry out the most spectacular operation of their lives…

© Tipping Point Productions, LLC

Thursday, August 6

YOUNG AUDIENCE SCREENING
The Gruffalo • 2011
VF • 45 minutes

A programme of four short films:
Peter and the spinach dragon, Hélène Tragesser • 2010 I 4 min
Wolf, are you there?, Vanda Raýmanová • 2010 I 9 minutes
My monster and I, Claudia Röthlin • 2008 I 3 minutes
Gruffalo, Jakob Schuh, Max Lang • 2009 I 27 minutes

Synopsis

Peter and the spinach dragon : Peter doesn’t like spinach. The spinach on his plate becomes even harder to eat when it turns into a dragon. How will he manage to deal with it?

Wolf, are you there?: Two young boys build a rather unusual house to protect themselves from the wolf.

My monster and I: A little girl is very afraid of monsters. She sees them everywhere: in the basement, in the street, and even under her bed!

Gruffalo : A little mouse is walking through a very dark forest. She meets a fox, an owl, and a snake, who all find her rather appetising and invite her to lunch in their homes. But the clever little mouse pretends she has a meeting with… a Gruffalo! But what exactly is a Gruffalo? (Based on the children’s book The Gruffalo by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler.)

© Les Films du Préau, 2011

Onoda – 10 000 Nights in the Jungle, Arthur Harari • 2021
VOSTF • 2h47

With Yûya Endô, Kanji Tsuda, Yuya Matsuura

Synopsis

At the end of 1944, Japan is losing the war. On the orders of the mysterious Major Taniguchi, young Hiroo Onoda is sent to an island in the Philippines just before the American landing. The small group of soldiers he leads into the jungle soon discovers the unknown doctrine that will bind them to this man: the Secret War. For the Empire, the war is about to end. For Onoda, it will last until 10,000 nights later.

© bathysphere


Friday, August 7

YOUNG AUDIENCE SCREENING
The Day of the Crows, Jean-Christophe Dessaint • 2012
VF • 1h35

Synopsis

In the heart of the forest lives a young ten-year-old wild boy, the Pumpkin Son. He is raised by his father, a great hunter who has always told him that the world ends at the edge of the forest. One day, however, to save his injured father, the boy ventures beyond the forest. He discovers a nearby village, where he meets Manon, the doctor’s daughter, who agrees to treat his father…

© Gebeka Films

Dead Man, Jim Jarmusch • 1995
VOSTF • 2h01

With Johnny Depp, Gary Farmer, Gabriel Byrne, John Hurt, Iggy Pop, Robert Mitchum

Synopsis

William Blake takes a train heading west to take up a job as an accountant. Upon arriving in the grim town of Machine, he is wrongly accused of a double murder and goes on the run, with a bullet lodged near his heart. Accompanied by Nobody, an educated Native American who mistakes him for the English poet William Blake, he embarks on a journey across the wild West…

© Tipping Point Productions, LLC

Saturday, August 8

YOUNG AUDIENCE SCREENING
Panda Little Panda, Isao Takahata, Hayao Miyazaki • 2009
VF • 1h11

A programme of two medium-length films:
Panda kopanda amefuri saakasu no maki, 38 minutes
Panda kopanda, 33 minutes

Synopsis

Little orphan Mimiko lives in her grandmother’s house. While her grandmother is away for a few days, a baby panda and his father, who have escaped from the nearby zoo, enter the house… and settle in! The three of them quickly become the best of friends…

© DR

Twin Peaks. Fire walk with me, David Lynch • 1992
VOSTF • 2h15

With Sheryl Lee, Ray Wise, Mädchen Amick

Age rating: 12+

Synopsis

The mysterious death of Teresa Banks in the quiet small town of Deer Meadow will prove difficult for agents Dale Cooper and Chester Desmond, who are assigned to investigate. One year later, it is the final seven days of Laura Palmer, which end with her brutal death, marking the beginning of the famous series Twin Peaks!

© mk2 Films


Sunday, August 9

YOUNG AUDIENCE SCREENING
Savages, Claude Barras • 2024
VF • 1h27

With the voices of Babette De Coster, Martin Verset, Laetitia Dosch

Synopsis

In Borneo, at the edge of the vast tropical rainforest, Kéria takes in a baby orangutan found in the palm oil plantation where her father works. At the same time, her cousin Selaï comes to stay with them to escape the conflict between his nomadic family and the logging companies. Together, they will fight against the destruction of the ancestral forest, which is more threatened than ever.

© 2024 – Nadasdy Film – Haut et Court – Panique! – Hélium Films – Beast Animation – RTS – France 3 Cinéma – Proximus – VOO – Be Tv – RTBF – Gebeka International – Anton Capital Entertainment 

Miséricorde, Alain Guiraudie • 2024
VOSTF • 1h43

With Félix Kysyl, Catherine Frot, Jean-Baptiste Durand

Warning: The film’s atmosphere and storyline may be disturbing for young audiences.

Synopsis

Jérémie returns to Saint-Martial for the funeral of his former bakery boss. He stays for a few days with Martine, the widow. But between a mysterious disappearance, a threatening neighbour, and a priest with strange intentions, his brief stay in the village takes an unexpected turn…

© CG Cinema

12 → 16.08

Wednesday, August 12

YOUNG AUDIENCE SCREENING
The Oak, Michel Seydoux, Laurent Charbonnier • 2022
VF • 1h20

Synopsis

A 210-year-old oak tree becomes the pillar of its own kingdom. Around it unfolds an extraordinary cast: squirrels, weevils, jays, ants, field mice… This vibrant, buzzing community shapes its destiny around this majestic tree, which shelters, feeds, and protects them from its roots to its crown.

© 2022 – CAMERA ONE – GAUMONT – WINDS

Deerskin, Quentin Dupieux • 2019
VF • 1h20

With Jean Dujardin, Adèle Haenel, Albert Delpy

Synopsis

Georges, in his forties, abruptly leaves his wife and job to buy the jacket of his dreams: a fringed suede jacket! Proud of his new look, he takes a hotel room in a ski resort in the Pyrenees. In a bar, he meets Denise, a film-loving waitress who dreams of becoming a film editor. He makes her believe he is a director scouting locations for an upcoming shoot…

© Atelier de Production

Thursday, August 13

YOUNG AUDIENCE SCREENING
Peter and the wolf, a programme of two short films:
Peter and the wolf
, Suzie Templeton • 2006 I 33 minutes
The white wolf, Pierre-Luc Granjon • 2006 I 8 minutes
VF

Synopsis

Peter and the wolf: Defying his grandfather’s ban, Peter ventures into the forest. With the help of a mischievous bird and a dreamy duck, he finds the courage to capture the wolf.
(Based on S. Prokofiev’s work)

The white wolf: In a village on the edge of the forest, a child manages to tame a wolf and ride it as his mount. He and his younger brother are delighted, but one day, to feed the family, their father returns from a hunt with unusually large game…

© Les Films du Préau, 2009

Winter’s Bone, Debra Granik • 2011
VOSTF • 1h40

With Jennifer Lawrence, John Hawkes, Kevin Breznahan et Dale Dicke

Warning: The overall atmosphere, as well as certain scenes, may be upsetting for young audiences.

Synopsis

Ree Dolly is 17. She lives alone in the Ozark forests with her brother and sister, whom she takes care of. When her father is released from prison and disappears without a trace, she has no choice but to go looking for him, or risk losing the family home, used as bail collateral. Ree then comes up against the silence of those who inhabit the forests of Missouri.

Grand Jury Prize, Sundance Film Festival 2010

© Pretty Pictures

Friday, August 14

YOUNG AUDIENCE SCREENING
Kirikou and the Sorceress, Michel Ocelot • 1998
VF • 1h10

Synopsis

The tiny Kirikou is born in a West African village that has been cursed by the terrible sorceress Karaba. The spring has dried up and the men are mysteriously disappearing. Kirikou, as soon as he comes out of his mother’s womb, is determined to free the village from Karaba’s evil grip, as she spreads fear with the help of an army of animated fetishes.

© Gebeka Films

Stand by Me, Rob Reiner • 1986
VOSTF • 1h30

With Wil Wheaton, River Phoenix, Corey Feldman, Richard Dreyfuss

Synopsis

In the summer of 1959, a teenager mysteriously disappears in Oregon. Gordie and his inseparable friends Chris, Teddy, and Vern believe he is dead after being hit by a train. His body lies deep in the woods. The boys decide to look for him and set off for the vast forest of Castle Rock…

© 2026 COLUMBIA PICTURES INDUSTRIES, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Saturday, August 15

YOUNG AUDIENCE SCREENING
Wolfwalkers, Tomm Moore, Ross Stewart • 2021
VF • 1h43

Synopsis

In Ireland, in a time of superstition and magic, Robyn, an 11-year-old girl, helps her father hunt down the last wolf pack. But one day, during a hunt in the forest, Robyn meets Mebh, a child by day and a wolf by night. From then on, for Robyn, the threat no longer comes from wolves, but from humans.

© 2020 Cartoon Saloon (WolfWalkers) Ltd Mélusine Productions

Cast Away, Robert Zemeckis • 2001
VOSTF • 2h23

With Tom Hanks, Helen Hunt, Nick Searcy

Synopsis

A logistics company employee, Chuck Noland does not hesitate to leave his girlfriend on Christmas Eve in order to take on a mission. But caught in a storm, his plane crashes in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Clinging to a life raft, Chuck reaches a deserted island. Little by little, he learns how to survive…

© Paramount Pictures

Dimanche 16 août

YOUNG AUDIENCE SCREENING
Mia and the Migou, Jacques-Rémy Girerd • 2008
VF • 1h31

With the voices of Pierre Richard, Dany Boon, Yolande Moreau, Jean-Pierre Coffe, Miou-Miou, Romain Bouteille and Jean-François Derec

Synopsis

Alerted by a premonition, Mia, a ten-year-old girl, decides to leave her village somewhere in South America to search for her father. He is working on a massive construction site aimed at turning a tropical forest into a luxury hotel complex. Mia must cross a distant mountain surrounded by an enigmatic forest inhabited by mysterious beings…

© Folimage 

Moonrise kingdom, Wes Anderson • 2012
VOSTF • 1h34

With Kara Hayward, Jared Gilman, Bruce Willis, Edward Norton, Tilda Swinton, Harvey Keitel

Synopsis

On a small island off the coast of New England, in the height of summer 1965, Suzy and Sam, both twelve years old, fall in love, make a secret pact, and run away together. As everyone mobilises to find them, a violent storm approaches the coastline and further disrupts the life of the community.

© StudioCanal image, cop. (2012)

Agenda
Wed. Thu. Fri. Sat. Sun
6:00 pm 9:00 pm

Practical information

Access

Prairie du triangle

Metro

Line 5 - Porte de Pantin station

Tramway

Line 3b - Porte de Pantin station

Bus

Bus 75, 151 - Porte de Pantin stop

Parking

Q-Park

Philharmonie

Q-Park

Cité de la Musique - La Villette

Q-Park

Cité de la Musique - Conservatoire

Parking

Cité des Sciences

Useful information
  • Animated films are screened in French version
  • All other films are screened in original version with subtitles
  • Free supervised bicycle parking available from 5 pm (behind the Pavillon Janvier)
  • Non-dangerous cutlery is allowed
  • Security staff have sole authority to decide which objects are allowed inside the Open-Air Cinema venue
  • Parc de la Villette is a smoke-free area in accordance with Decree No. 2025-582 of 27 June 2025 relating to smoke-free spaces and the fight against the sale of tobacco and vaping products to minors
  • Minors remain under the responsibility of one or more accompanying adults and cannot be placed under the responsibility of La Villette staff
  • Food and beverage services are available on site

In partnership with