In 2021, Hermès invited me to direct the short documentary film series, Human Odyssey: A Journey Through Creativity. Although the series was mostly distributed online, we also screened it at Le Studio, the cinema on the 10th floor of Ginza Maison Hermès operated by Hermès. Streaming has now become our primary form of watching entertainment, but I want people to still be able to experience the thrill that comes from watching a film on the big screen together with a crowd. With only 40 seats, Le Studio is really a small cinema. During the Q&A after certain screenings, when we explored and discussed the film together with the audience, the atmosphere felt intimate in a way that I think was only possible because of the venue’s small size.

The perfect screen
for a classic film

The screen in a typical cinema today is too wide to screen older movies in their original format—there is usually a blank space to the left and right of the movie. The screen here, however, has a narrow aspect ratio of about 4:3, which is just right for an old movie. Of the films selected to accompany Hermès’s annual themes, quite a few are on the older side. I think the screen’s size must have been chosen with that in mind.

There is a board inside the cinema displaying the titles and thumbnails for the 280-odd films screened at Le Studio through 2023. When I look at it, I am delighted by how many films are of the type that I gravitate toward. There’s Tran Anh Hung’s The Scent of Green Papaya (1993), Richard Linklater’s Waking Life (2001), and Jan Švankmajer’s Dimensions of Dialogue (1982). The films’ connections to Hermès’s annual theme are not always obvious, revealing the deep consideration that must have gone into the selection of each lineup.

I hope that not just movie buffs but young people who dream of shopping at Hermès someday will also make their way here to Le Studio and discover a serendipitous film. Simply make a reservation and you’ll be able to saunter for free into an extraordinary cinematic world.