Le Trianon Cinema in Le Bourgneuf-la-Forêt celebrates its 60th anniversary

Le Trianon, a single-screen community cinema located in the center of Le Bourgneuf-la-Forêt, celebrated its 60th anniversary on Sept. 20, 2026, ici.fr reported. Run entirely by an association of 36 volunteers who handle everything from programming to projection, the theater serves a rural community of 1,700 residents.

Sixty Years of Volunteer Cinema in Le Bourgneuf-la-Forêt

The cinema screens between four and six films a week, offering a mix of animated films, arthouse features, and American blockbusters alongside regular film-debates. Association president Daniel Blanchetière described the venue’s atmosphere as distinctly familial, noting that everyone knows each other in the auditorium.

Volunteer projectionist Laurent told ici.fr that the theater provides a quality equivalent to the cinema of big cities, noting that the only real difference is that the facility operates out of a single screen. In 2025, the venue upgraded its audio setup by installing a 7.1 processor, matching the technology used in nearby Laval.

Accessibility and Pricing for Local Audiences

The theater provides a vital local option for residents without transport to larger urban centers. Seventeen-year-old resident Sandra, who does not yet have a driver’s license, told ici.fr that having a cinema just five minutes from home is very practical because the closest alternative is a 30-minute drive away in Laval.

Ticket prices are set at €5.50, a cost that local regular attendees Monique and Éric said encourages them to visit up to twice a week. In addition to its digital setup, Le Trianon remains one of the few cinemas in the Mayenne department to maintain a 35mm film reel projector, which it uses to screen older films once or twice a year.