Félix Mesguich

Félix Mesguich is a pioneering French cinema operator born on September 15, 1871 in Algiers and died on April 25, 1949 in Paris on the 16th. He was one of the first cinema reporters (along with Alexandre Promio, Francis Doublier and Marius Chapuis) and the chief operator of the first advertising film in October 1898 for the Ripolin brand.

Born in Algeria, Mesguich was Zouave before settling in France and joining the Lumière brothers, where he was Perrigot's assistant during the first provincial screening of the Cinématographe, in Lyon on January 25, 1896. He was then the one of the operators sent by the Lumières to launch the Cinématographe in the United States in June 1896. Exhibited at the Eden Museum and Keith's Union Square Theater in New York, as well as in other major cities, Lumière programs enjoyed great successful throughout America until late 1896, but the company could not keep up with growing American competition and ceased to be a major force on the American stage by 1897.