Bitumen leg, breakdown, meetings, strong emotions… Xabi and Maité Garat remember

“I have a really good memory, but the place wasn’t open,” he says. Three months before opening, on the site, we had a bitumen gig with all the workers and architects. They had all surpassed themselves and we felt that it had been a real pleasure to do so. Because everything went well and because, in a career, it’s not that often that you build a cinema. »

Maité Garat takes over. “For me, it’s opening day. We were super excited and stressed at the same time, really wanting everything to go well. And during the evening session, at one point, there is a cut in the room. The technicians were there, but no one understood why the projection had stopped. In fact, our first daughter, who was barely 2 years old, had slipped under the crate and pressed the safety button. A big red button was so tempting…”

Our oldest daughter, who was 2 years old, slipped under the crate and pressed the safety button

“Very moving”

The two then agree on a host of “great meetings with film crews” and as many “friendship bonds that we managed to create with lots of directors and with the public”. Maité focuses on the reception of the “Intouchables” team, with directors Olivier Nakache and Éric Toledano who have become true friends. “It was the first French screening of the film. We had Omar Sy and François Cluzet. It was huge! »