Centre2Beauvoir /Centre audiovisuel Simone de Beauvoir

What Centre2Beauvoir /Centre audiovisuel Simone de Beauvoir does

The Centre audiovisuel Simone de Beauvoir is a Paris-based non-profit association (loi 1901) founded in 1982 by feminist video activists Carole Roussopoulos, Delphine Seyrig, and Ioana Wieder, and led today by its president Nicole Fernández Ferrer. It operates as an audiovisual archive and cultural institution dedicated to preserving and disseminating feminist, LGBTQI+, and women's rights heritage from the 1960s onward. The Centre maintains a catalogue of more than 1,800 titles — militant videos, documentaries, experimental films, fiction, plus iconographic documents, festival catalogues, and specialized publications — accessible through a searchable online database hosted jointly with the Diazinteregio / Amorce.eu network and on-site at its Paris headquarters by appointment.

Its core offerings span an archive catalogue, the Genrimages educational program (school workshops plus the genrimages.org pedagogical website launched in 2008), an online DVD shop, film rental and rights-licensing services for cultural and broadcast use, professional training for associations and local governments, a prison cinema program at Fleury-Mérogis detention centre, and Travelling féministe — a 2012 artist collective that animates the archive for contemporary creators. Restoration of historic video works is performed in partnership with European film schools, most recently with EQZE (Elias Querejeta Zine Eskola) in San Sebastian for Delphine Seyrig's "Inês" (1974), completed in early 2026. The organization also produces its own contemporary archives by filming feminist and LGBTQI+ events and demonstrations.

The Centre's business model is a hybrid of public funding and earned income. Operational support comes from Ville de Paris, the Ministère de l'Éducation nationale, CNC, DILCRAH, Région Île-de-France, and the Fondation des femmes pour l'égalité. Earned revenue is generated through one-time DVD sales (e.g., €15 per DVD), transactional film rentals, non-commercial and commercial rights licensing, and modest annual membership fees (€15 students, €30 general public, €70 professionals, free for school groups). The Centre runs with approximately four permanent staff plus a community manager, a Genrimages editor, regional workshop facilitators, and a board of directors; it does not disclose financials and is not capital-backed.

Name

Centre2Beauvoir /Centre audiovisuel Simone de Beauvoir

Legal name

Association Centre Audiovisuel Simone de Beauvoir

Website

https://centre-simone-de-beauvoir.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1982

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

The Centre audiovisuel Simone de Beauvoir is a Paris-based non-profit audiovisual archive preserving 1,800+ feminist and LGBTQI+ films from the 1960s onward, combining archive distribution, the Genrimages educational program on gender stereotypes, restoration partnerships, and programming for schools, prisons, museums, and festivals.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural archive services

NAICS

Libraries and Archives (51921), Motion Picture and Video Industries (5121)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture & Video Tape Production (7812), Miscellaneous Publishing (2741)

akta.pro primary industry

Access & Distribution for Archives (Restored Masters, DCP Creation, Screening Deliverables) (MPADAMAJ)

akta.pro secondary industries

Public Media Archives, Libraries & Content Preservation (MPABADAL), Archive & Library Footage Licensing (News, Sports, Entertainment) (MPABANAC), Photography & Videography Arts Programs (EDAMAAAC)

Keywords

• Audiovisual archive services
• Film distribution
• Media literacy education
• Cultural heritage preservation
• Rights licensing

Headquarters

HQ city

Paris

HQ country

France

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. DVD and Film Sales: Sale of DVDs and film copies to individuals, institutions, and cultural organizations. Online shop with prices varying by title. Institutional sales include rights-attached copies for non-commercial public screening.
2. Film and Video Rental: Rental of films for non-commercial public or private screening. Fees vary by film duration. Available for cultural events, festivals, schools. Over 440 titles available for rental.
3. Rights Licensing: Cession of non-commercial rights (temporary non-exclusive rights for cultural, educational, associative structures) and commercial rights (television broadcast rights for local, national, and foreign broadcasters).
4. Membership/Cotisation Fees: Annual membership fees for access to the documentation centre: 30 euros general public, 15 euros students, 70 euros professional membership, free for school groups.
5. Public Funding and Grants: The Centre receives support from public institutions including Ville de Paris, Ministère de l'Éducation nationale, Île-de-France region, CNC, DILCRAH, and private foundations (Fondation des femmes pour l'égalité). This constitutes core operational funding.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Centre audiovisuel Simone de Beauvoir preserves, restores, and distributes a unique audiovisual archive of more than 1,800 feminist, LGBTQI+, and women's-rights films and videos spanning the 1960s to the present. It delivers media-literacy education through the Genrimages workshops and pedagogical website, runs film distribution and rights licensing, organises screenings, debates, and exhibitions at partner cinemas and museums, and operates dedicated programmes in schools and prisons across France.

Product overview

Centre audiovisuel Simone de Beauvoir operates as an audiovisual archive and distribution center focused on feminist and LGBTQI+ heritage. The organization offers a comprehensive portfolio comprising: a core film and video archive catalog of over 1,800 titles available for research, rental, and sale; the Genrimages educational program with school workshops and a dedicated pedagogical website for media literacy; a DVD online shop; film distribution services including rights licensing; professional training workshops; and prison cinema programs. The portfolio centers on preserving and disseminating audiovisual heritage documenting women's history, rights movements, and LGBTQI+ culture from the 1960s to present.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Genrimages: Pedagogical website and educational program providing exercises, analyses, and resources to learn to identify and decode gender stereotypes in audiovisual media, aimed at the educational community and general public.

Quantifiable outcome

• 440+ films and videos available for rental or sale
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

Feature3 records

Partnerships

18 partnerships are on record, tiered major, core, moderate and minor.

• EQZE - Elias Querejeta Zine Eskola (San Sebastian)majorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Film school in San Sebastian that partnered with the Centre for the restoration of Inês by Delphine Seyrig (1975). Student Amanda Soares conducted the restoration as her master's project.
• Ville de PariscoreGTM or Marketing PartnerMunicipal government of Paris providing ongoing financial and institutional support to the Centre. Key partner for venue access, programming co-production, and public funding.
• Ministère de l'Éducation nationalecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFrench Ministry of Education providing official recognition (agréments) for the Centre's educational workshops, enabling delivery in national schools under the Lycéens et Apprentis au Cinéma programme.
• BnF (Bibliothèque nationale de France)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational library of France collaborating with the Centre on archival preservation, digitization, and conservation of audiovisual heritage, particularly for video materials.
• Diazinteregio / Amorce.eucoreTechnology or IntegrationEuropean network providing the online searchable archive database infrastructure. The Centre's catalogue is integrated into this shared platform alongside other film archives.
• ACRIF (Association des cinémas de recherche d'Île-de-France)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerAssociation of art-house cinemas in Ile-de-France. Co-organizes the Lycéens et Apprentis au Cinéma programme with the Centre, providing cinema venues for screenings.
• Cinéma Le BradycoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent cinema in Paris's 10th arrondissement. Primary regular venue for Centre film screenings and post-screening debates.
• Cinéma Luminor Hôtel de VillecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorIndependent cinema in Paris's 4th arrondissement. Regular venue for Centre screenings, debates, and special events including Les Festins de Vidéo Femmes programmes.
• Association Lire c'est vivremajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAssociation created in 1987 to promote reading in prisons and support prison libraries. Collaborates with the Centre on linking film screenings to reading activities at Fleury-Mérogis.
• Musée Reina Sofía (Madrid)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNational museum of contemporary art in Madrid. Hosted the major exhibition 'Musas insumisas: Delphine Seyrig y los colectivos de vídeo feminista' (2019-2020) featuring the Centre's archive.
• LaM (Lille)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorLille Museum of Modern Art. Hosted 'Les Muses insoumises: Delphine Seyrig, entre cinéma et vidéo feminist' exhibition in 2019.
• Filmoteca de Catalunya (Barcelona)majorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCatalan film archive in Barcelona. Hosted 'Precursores: feminismes, càmera en mà i arxiu a l'espatlla' exhibition (July-Nov 2024).
• Kunstverein StuttgartmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorContemporary art association in Stuttgart. Hosted 'Defiant Muses: Delphine Seyrig and the Feminist Video Collectives' exhibition (Feb-May 2023).
• Cité internationale des artsmajorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorResidency and exhibition centre in Paris. Hosted 'Défricheuses: féminismes, caméra au poing et archive en bandoulière' (Sept-Dec 2023), co-curated by the Centre.
• Cinéma La Clef (Paris)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCinema in Paris hosting the Centre's heritage documentary programming including Cinéma du Réel festival screenings.
• Cité AudacieusecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorCultural venue in Paris focused on gender equality and feminism. Regular partner for Centre screenings, debates, and special events.
• Centre Hubertine AuclertmoderateStrategic or Co-development PartnerRegional centre for equality between women and men in Île-de-France. Partner organization in the feminist and gender equality ecosystem.
• Institut Emile Dukheim / other associations (Le 7e Genre, Images en Bibliothèques, etc.)minorOthersVarious feminist, equality, and media literacy organizations listed as partners on the Centre's website.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Arsenal – Institut für Film und Videokunst: Berlin-based independent film archive and cinematheque with a strong focus on experimental, political, and avant-garde cinema. Directly comparable to the Centre's mission of preserving and screening politically engaged and artistically radical film heritage, and Arsenal regularly presents feminist programming.
• EYE Filmmuseum: Netherlands-based film museum and archive combining heritage preservation, exhibition, and educational programming. Highly comparable to the Centre in mission (film preservation + public programming + education), though EYE operates with substantially greater resources and broader film scope.
• Vidéothèque de Paris: Municipal video archive collection accessible via Paris libraries, focused on non-commercial audiovisual heritage. Operates in similar territory to the Centre's archive mission, holding rare video works available for public consultation in the Paris region.

Broad incumbents

• Bibliothèque nationale de France (BnF): France's national library and a major archival institution. The Centre collaborates with BnF on audiovisual heritage preservation and digitization, and BnF operates on a vastly larger scale with comparable archival and preservation missions across all media types.
• Institut national de l'audiovisuel (INA): France's national audiovisual archive, preserving French television and radio heritage. INA shares the Centre's audiovisual preservation and access mission but operates at much larger scale with public broadcasting content rather than activist/community video.
• Cinémathèque française: Paris-based major film archive and museum, founded by Henri Langlois. Comparable as a French film heritage organization with a far broader collection scope; the Centre's archive complements Cinémathèque française's holdings with a specialized feminist/LGBTQI+ focus.
• BFI National Archive: British Film Institute's national archive, one of the largest film archives in the world. Comparable as a publicly funded film archive with preservation, access, and education mandates, though covering British film and television broadly rather than the Centre's specialized feminist/LGBTQI+ scope.

Others

• Musée d'art moderne de la Ville de Paris: Paris museum of modern and contemporary art that has hosted video art exhibitions and feminist programming. Adjacent peer as a Paris-based cultural institution that engages with the Centre's archive material for exhibitions and shares the feminist/LGBTQI+ cultural heritage space.

Regional players

• Cinemateca de Catalunya: Catalan film archive that hosted the Centre's 'Precursores' exhibition in 2024. Comparable as a regional film heritage institution with exhibition, preservation, and public programming missions, though focused on Catalan/Spanish cinema rather than feminist heritage specifically.
• Swedish Film Institute (SFI): Sweden's national film institute combining film funding, archive, and exhibition functions. Comparable organizational structure to the Centre's mixed preservation/education/distribution model, though operating at national scale for Swedish film heritage.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/centre-audiovisuel-simone-de-beauvoir

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Centre2Beauvoir /Centre audiovisuel Simone de Beauvoir