Amsterdam Weekend Guide (Christmas & New Year's Eve Edition)

Culture Guide (December 2024)

Specialty film houses and cinemas in Amsterdam

Diverse locaties / Various locations

IDFA

IDFA: International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam

Each November, the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) transforms Amsterdam’s city centre into a paradise for documentary film fans. Held since 1988, IDFA is the world’s largest documentary festival and features lectures, workshops and over 300 movies that tell stories about life around the world. Some are funny, others sad, and they all represent the best the genre has to offer. Screenings take place throughout the city and include outdoor showings where you can watch a film under the night sky.

Het Ketelhuis

Ketelhuis Cinema

Roze Filmdagen (Pink Film Days)

Roze Filmdagen (Pink Film Days) will return with a new edition in 2025! As the largest, longest-running and most successful LGBTQ+ film festival in the Netherlands, Roze Filmdagen once again offers a broad and inclusive range of films, documentaries and short films, supplemented with in-depth talk shows with an LGBTQ+ context. Roze Filmdagen is an eleven-day film festival in Amsterdam. PLEASE NOTE: Date and times for 2025 need to be confirmed. Please note: End time as mentioned are an indication and can change.

De FilmHallen

De Filmhallen

Imagine Film Festival

The Imagine festival menu is once again richly filled with the best of fantastic film. From sexy vampires to nasty old people and lost chancellors, from feverish visions of the future to goose-throat dramas and everything in between. Imagine, which celebrates its 40th anniversary this year, takes place from October 24 to November 3 in the FilmHallen Amsterdam, LAB111 and Galerie Beeldend Gesproken.

Het Stenen Hoofd

PLUK de NACHT undiscovered cinema 2 CREDITy Jurriaan Esmeijer 1800x1020

PLUK de NACHT Amsterdam

PLUK de NACHT - undiscovered cinema

Pluk de Nacht Film Festival

For more than 20 years, you have been able to enjoy the open-air film festival at the Stenen Hoofd in Amsterdam. This festival guarantees sultry summer evenings with the most beautiful films on a big screen, beach chairs, warm blankets, a campfire and cocktails! In 2024, you can again sit in a beach chair and watch the most beautiful films. Please note: dates and times mentioned for 2024 are subject to change.

LAB111

Camera Japan Festival

CAMERA JAPAN Festival has grown into the largest Japanese film festival in the Benelux and attracts thousands of visitors every year.  The festival is characterized by a very diverse program: in addition to feature films, documentaries and anime, attention is also paid to the many aspects of Japanese culture, including visual arts, music, dance and food. The festival will return to LAB111 in October 2025.

Rialto Filmtheater

Red Tulip Festival

Rialto De Pijp

Red Tulp Film Festival

The aim of the Red Tulip Film Festival is to promote contemporary Turkish filmmaking to a broad audience in the Netherlands. Each year, an inspiring programme of films aims to strengthen cultural exchange, encourage interaction between audiences both young and old, and to bring together film experts and the filmmakers. PLEASE NOTE: Dates and times for 2024 need to be confirmed.

Humans of film festival

Humans of Film Festival

A social and cultural-societal film festival returns to the Ketelhuis for a 4th edition in 2024. A unique film festival where (inter)national catchy 'human interest' documentaries and feature films are shown, with a broad fringe program consisting of various discussions, with panel members of social-societal organizations. The Humans of Film Festival is a niche in the Dutch film landscape.

Diverse Locaties / Various locations

Only the River Flows

Happy Palace

24 Hours with Gaspar

CinemAsia Film Festival

CinemAsia Film Festival has been around for 20 years and takes you through versatile Asia for six days from the film theaters Studio/K, Rialto De Pijp and Rialto VU. With films from China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, India, Indonesia, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, etc. CinemAsia is one of the largest Asian film festivals in Europe and is a creative platform for Asian representation and makership. From blockbusters and inspiring documentaries to independent productions.

Cinéma Arabe

Cinéma Arabe is a Dutch film festival based in Amsterdam and Rotterdam that showcases the best of contemporary Arab cinema. The ninth edition of Cinéma Arabe is set to return to the Rialto cinema, De Balie and Podium Mozaïek in Spring 2024.
PLEASE NOTE: Dates and times for 2024 need to be confirmed.

Upcoming film festivals

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Bekijk hoe Pathé Tuschinski een bezoek voor mensen met een beperking of handicap toegankelijk maakt.

Pathé Tuschinski

Situated a stone’s throw from the Rembrandtplein in the city centre is arguably Amsterdam’s - and perhaps the world’s - most stunning movie theatre, the Pathe Tuschinski.

https://www.eyefilm.nl/en/plan-your-visit/accessibility

Maak een flipboekje in de Flipbook Machine

Affiches uit de collectie worden in het gebouw gepresenteerd

Eye Filmmuseum met rechts de ADAM Toren

Permanente tentoonstelling met bijzondere filmapparaten uit de collectie

Doe de gratis speurtocht met kinderen en leer over pre-cinema apparaten

Film Catcher

Flipbook Machine

Eye Filmmuseum

The striking architecture of the Eye Filmmuseum made it quickly become one of Amsterdam’s modern icons. Situated on the northern bank of the River IJ, just opposite Central Station, this cinema, film museum, café/restaurant and cutting-edge event location is a must-see. Eye Filmmuseum is free to visit with the I amsterdam City Card, but for some of the exhibitions there is an additional surcharge.

FC Hyena

FC Hyena fills a gap in Amsterdam Noord: a small cinema where you will want to hang out, eat and drink after the film.

De Hallen Amsterdam - Filmhallen

De Hallen Amsterdam

With nine screens and some 800 chairs, De Filmhallen Amsterdam is the largest independent cinema in the Netherlands.

Bekijk hoe het Ketelhuis een bezoek voor mensen met een beperking of handicap toegankelijk maakt.

Ketelhuis

Starting from humble beginnings as a temporary cinema in the cultural park of the Westergas, the Ketelhuis Cinema has grown into an important Amsterdam landmark for Dutch cinema and international art house and documentary film.

Amsterdam's Rialto De Pijp is one of the leading independent cinemas, specialising in acclaimed world cinema and unique European art house film.

Housed in a former pathological anatomy laboratory in Amsterdam, LAB111 has plenty to offer both film lovers and filmmakers alike. And visitors can also enjoy a movie and a meal at the LAB111 Restaurant.

Studio/K

Studio/K is a multidisciplinary, multi-purpose venue that functions as an arthouse cinema, a gig venue, a music club, a gallery and a bar/restaurant. Programmed and operated by 50 enthusiastic students, the venue is always forward-looking, incorporating a hospitable experience that continuously feels fresh.

Kriterion

A cinema steeped in history, Kriterion began life as a student association involved in hiding and saving many Jews from Nazi persecution.

De Uitkijk

De Uitkijk cinema is the oldest art house film theatre in continuous use in the Netherlands. It was founded by a group of dedicated cinephiles in 1929 on the Prinsengracht, in the heart of Amsterdam. Since reopening in 2007, de Uitkijk is run bij students, becoming part of the Kriterion family.

Explore Amsterdam's favourite cinemas

favourite cinemas

This weekend in Amsterdam

This weekend

With a thriving film festival scene and a wealth of both mainstream and independent cinemas, Amsterdam is truly a city of film.

Cinema and film in Amsterdam | I amsterdam

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