In 1978, the 3rd Rencontres internationales du cinéma direct "Human looks at human", launched by the magazine IMPACT, were held at the Centre Pompidou.
In 1979, the Bibliothèque publique d’information created Cinéma du réel, international festival of ethnographic and sociological films at the Centre Pompidou, supported by the C.N.R.S. (French national center for research) and by the "Comité du film ethnographique" (Ethnographic film committee), in order to promote the documentary cinema.
The festival is organized by the Bibliothèque publique d’information (Public information library) together with the association Les Amis du Cinéma du réel (Friends of the Cinéma du réel), founded in 1984.