France's NationalLibrary and the French Film Commission (CNC) have signed an agreement to createa film archive at the library.

The archives, anoffshoot of the CNC's own French film archives, will be open to the public,providing access to "one of the largest collections of cinema in the world."

Among the filmswill be catalogue works, documentaries, rare films and restored films that willbe screened in a theatre at the library according to a programme established bythe CNC.

These same filmswill also be available on demand in a screening room set up for research. Thelibrary was built at the behest of late president Francois Mitterand and standsin the eastern part of the French capital.