Alexandre Promio

Alexandre Promio
Alexandre Promio
Occupation	Director

Jean Alexandre Louis Promio (9 July 1868 - 24 December 1926) was a French film photographer and director. He is mentioned as a pioneer in film and was the director for Sweden's first Newsreel. The newsreel was shown for King Oscar II:s arrival at the on 15 May 1897.

Alexandre Promio came from an Italian family that moved to France and resided in Lyon. During his time as an assistant to an optician in Lyon, he witnessed the first presentation of the medium of moving pictures cinematograph. Promio was interested in the art of photography, and in March 1896 left his work at the optician to start working for Auguste and Louis Lumière. After just some time at the work he became the boss for the film unit and got the responsibility for the education of the first cinematograph-operators.

His first assignment was to present and marketing of the new media worldwide. Promio visited several cities between April 1896 and September 1897. The first trip went to Madrid where he demonstrated the moving pictures on 13 May 1896 On 7 July he did a film demonstration for the Tsar Nikolaj II of Russia and the empress of Saint Petersburg, after that he visited England, Germany and Hungary. In September 1896 he arrived in the USA, and filmed the first films of Chicago. In Italy he on 25 October 1896 filmed the city of Venice from an Gondola. The film had its premiere on 13 December 1897 in Lyon under the title of Panorama du Grand Canal vu d'un bateau which shows the short trip of Canal Grande. It was most likely the worlds for moving film, also the first being filmed by a moving camera.

After 1898 he did not do anymore travels and resided permanently in Lyon France where he continued to be an employee of Lumière. In 1907 he filmed for Pathé and between 1914 and 1915 he was a soldier in the second world war. After his duty in the war he became a still photographer and film photographer to the Algerian government, there he created 3000 photographs and 38 documentary films. He returned to France sick and resided in Asnières-sur-Seine near Paris. He died in his home on Christmas eve 1926. His death however was not announced until four months after.