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CA-K226Culture & sport

Léo-Ernest Ouimet and the Ouimetoscope

The first Ouimetoscope hall in Montréal, 1906 (Cinémathèque québécoise).
The first Ouimetoscope hall in Montréal, 1906 (Cinémathèque québécoise). Ouimetoscope · Léon H. Bélanger · Photo source · Photo licence: Public domain. Resized for display; item previews may be cropped. The image remains under the licence shown.
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Léo-Ernest Ouimet (1877–1972) helped lay the foundations of the Canadian film industry. He founded what is considered Canada’s first film distribution company, opened the luxurious Ouimetoscope in Montréal in 1907, one of the first large theatres built for motion pictures, and produced some of the earliest Canadian newsreels.

Scope & context

His role in early Canadian cinema, not the later film industry (see CA-K061 on the National Film Board).

Sources behind this record

1
Léo-Ernest Ouimet (1877-1972) National Historic Person ↗

Parks Canada

Historical importance; plaque text