Les Documents Cinématographiques was created by Jean Painlevé in 1930 under the name of La Cinégraphie Documentaire, with a view to producing his own films independently. From a production activity, it has evolved towards the management and promotion of its film archives, the origin of which dates back to 1889 with the first chronophotographs of Étienne-Jules Marey. The fund has grown through acquisition and consolidation. It now includes a catalog of heritage films, short and feature films, documentaries and fiction, intended for the general public and also for audiovisual professionals, particularly in the field of the sale of TV rights and the sale of extracts. In addition to the activity of restoring and promoting its archives, Film Documents has a DVD publishing activity. The company's strategy around these films is essentially to give them a "second life", by carrying out careful restorations, and by offering DVD editions enriched with supplements.