In 2025, the museum invites you to meet the most universal Provençal filmmaker of the 20th century, and the first to be admitted to the Académie française in 1946.

130 years ago, one of the greatest playwrights, writers and filmmakers of his time, Marcel Pagnol, was born in Aubagne. Coincidentally, that same year, the LUMIERE brothers presented their new invention, the cinematograph.

Marcel Pagnol is a unique case in the history of cinema. A daring, visionary and creative entrepreneur, he imposed talking pictures. He was the first to manage the entire production chain, from writing to distribution. Marcel Pagnol's cinema was characterized first and foremost by the use of new sound technologies and the widespread use of open-air filming.

Marcel Pagnol discovered the port of Saint-Tropez in the 30s, alongside René CLAIR, film-maker and director, and Léon VOLTERRA, Mayor of Saint-Tropez from 1935 to 1941 and owner of the Théâtre de Paris, Folies bergères and Luna Parc. He also befriended painter Vincent ROUX.

The exhibition will immerse visitors in the world of Marcel Pagnol through personal objects, film illustrations, photos, models and interviews.
The exhibition is organized in partnership with the Fondation de dotation Marcel Pagnol and the town of Allauch.