Its quite exceptional for a town like ours: Ciné Roch in Guémené-sur

In Guémené-sur-Scorff, with 1,000 inhabitants, there is a small town cinema where everyone gathers. And then, there is its reality as a champion: a room that wins the labels from the National Cinéma Center (CNC) and impresses cinephiles. In 2026, the public body’s verdict came out, and it is flattering: 16/20. A grade that propels the establishment among the “very good students” of the country. A great reward for its one hundredth anniversary.

Among about a hundred Breton establishments, the Ciné Roch is not only the oldest but also one of the ten most rewarded: four Art and Essay labels out of five. “It’s quite exceptional for a town like ours,” smiles Laurent Hervé, the president. “Since 2014, we have obtained the Research and Discovery, Youth Audience, Heritage and Repertoire, Short Film labels. Only the ’15-25 years’ badge is missing for a clean sweep”. Guémené-sur-Scorff is the second smallest commune in France to display such a pedigree.

60% of Art and Essay films

In 2025, nearly 60% of films were classified as Art and Essay. This led to a grant of €14,000. Beyond the economic aspect, the president sees it as a way to “diversify the offer and introduce another type of cinema, beyond the big blockbusters.” He also points out, “We have been screening seven days a week for fifty years. If it wasn’t eclectic, we would be going in circles.” It is not just the quantity but also the way the films are screened that boosts the grade. “Every month, local schools come on field trips to the cinema. And filmmakers are regularly invited to present their creations and interact with the audience.”

For the team of volunteers who run the reels, these labels are a bit like their Palme d’Or. Sylviane, a loyal attendee for seven years, has seen the audience change. Today, spectators do not just come from the local area: “We have regulars who come from Lorient, and sometimes even from Nantes. In 2025, we were the only ones in Brittany to screen ‘Jardin d’Été’ by Shinji Sômai. And it worked, as the hall was almost full for a Japanese arthouse film.”

“It looks like a cinema from the Latin Quarter”

The true consecration, however, does not come from Paris, but from a neighbor. Alain Masson, a film critic for Positif magazine, lives in Persquen. The man, who has attended the biggest festivals in the world, fell in love with the Guémenois screen and expressed his admiration in the reference magazine in 2015. For him, the Ciné Roch is a “nugget of intelligence” compared to the programs of the major complexes. “I have been to hundreds of cinemas, but only two are engraved in my heart: the Studio Rivoli in Paris, which no longer exists, and the one in Guémené-sur-Scorff!”

He praises the modernity of the screening and, above all, the boldness of the lineup. “The programming is rich, we change it every day. The Parisian in me would never have thought of seeing Danish auteur films in original version in Central Brittany.” The former columnist does not hold back: “It looks like a cinema from the Latin Quarter in Paris. An exceptional cinema in the middle of the countryside. When I see Guémené-sur-Scorff, I think that suburbanites have more to pity than rural dwellers.”