EuroTrash

+1 for Granville too, it's a nice size, good beach, interesting features. Has an amazing annual carnival at Mardi Gras.

Novocastrian

There are cinemas such you describe in Caen, where the population base is sufficient to support such an enterprise. There are also smaller communities along the Orne leading to the coast which offer the sort of tight-knit community spirit which you seem to be seeking.

I think you need to find a place near are large town for your project.

How weird is weird?

Rekkr

Thank you, I'm going to look into it. We're planning on going to France after the new year.

When I say weird films I mean surreal pictures like A Field in England (one that randomly comes to mind), and stuff that just isn't well known and independent. Ideally we would cultivate some sort of relationship with the local artistic community, and use the space to screen films by local directors, or set up a stage for local theatre companies.

I've always had a passion for the arts, but aside from some poetry I've never been much of an artist myself, so this would be our way of involving ourselves in the art world and promoting things that we like.

Novocastrian

I have a cousin (by marriage) who lives half the year in Caen and the other half on a boat in Antibes (don't ask).. He would alone make such a cinema viable.

Novocastrian

I was thinking about your project plan and remembered an area we visited with the aforementioned cousin last spring. Have a look sat this site Caen Presqu'île | Site de la société publique locale d'aménagement de la presqu'île de Caen It was industrial wasteland until very recently but now there's a thriving arts community there. A good place to find contacts for you.

Bon Noel.

allegra

Granville to Paris by train in just over 3 hours too. Used it frequently and most of the time was on schedule.

Shirtback

I haven’t lived there for yonks, but I do still visit and know the area rather well.

Deauville and environs (I’d include Honfleur which has been mentioned) is eye-wateringly expensive property-wise and to live there - to some extent.. As is just about anywhere close to the coast between there & Caen. And there’s a certain “vibe”/“Dynamique” which can be difficult to navigate/integrate as a newcomer.

Deauville-Trouville has sometimes been referred to locally as the 21e arrondissement.

As Novo has pointed out, there are already projects like your dream which exist in/around Caen and Deauville etc.

I’m a bit perplexed by your comment that “As I understand there's a film festival which fills the area with tourists, and would be good for the business we'd like to open, but for most of the year it's a pleasant French town”... : the Deauville Film Festival is a Big Deal in the industry.

For the rest of the year, it’s an expensive tourist/Parisian second-home place/Casino town/ nice place to visit on a day trip.

How much experience in the film/cinema field do you have?

What sort of work would you be looking for/qualified to do when initially moving to the area? A lot of the jobs are very seasonal.

IME, and that of my family still living there, we have no significant complaints about schooling for young children.

Novocastrian

Oh, I'd forgotten that you used to live around there. Excellent input!

You must know Port-en-Bessin... I'm thinking that might be the place, with a job/business in Bayeux.

Property prices in Port are reasonable / quite cheap despite IVV's link to a mansion on the cliff top.

EuroTrash

My impression, though I could well be wrong because I've only visited, is that Bayeux, despite its tapestry and all, is not really a dynamic culture vulture kind of place. I've been to a couple of lectures at its "cultural centre" which should be a vibrant place with lots going on and an asset to the town, but it isn't fulfilling its potential. I'm sure Bayeux can be a nice place to live if you choose the right part but to be honest I find a lot of it rather seedy, outside of the town centre. Maybe I'm doing it an injustice.

So, gut feeling is that the OP is likely to find more interest for his project in Caen, or Coutances, or Granville.

Novocastrian

It's all to do with familiarity and personal preferences, innit? Whoever said upthread, "get a camping car and do the research" was right. That was either you or Chatterstatic, I think the latter.

Shirtback

I do know Port-en-Bessin, but not very well & my limited knowledge as it might pertain to a young family immigrating is rather out of date.

I’d tend to agree with you about Bayeux (nice to visit, wouldn’t want to live there).

My gut - considering the OP’s interest in cinema - would lean towards Caen way (but that market might be saturated for a new venture), not sure that Coutances or Granville could provide a sustainable market (for the putative project) although I like them better than Bayeux .

Otherwise, if being close to the coast isn’t necessarily a priority, I might look/research around Rouen, or even Rennes.