Filmhuis Cavia

Filmhuis Cavia is a small, non-commercial, community-based arthouse cinema located at Van Hallstraat 52 in the Staatsliedenbuurt neighbourhood of Amsterdam, the Netherlands. It is run entirely by volunteers and is described as the smallest film theatre in Amsterdam, with around forty seats. The cinema occupies part of the former Prinses Beatrix Schippersinternaat building. Its programming formula is simple: it screens what cannot be seen elsewhere, ranging from classics to experimental film, with particular attention to films from non-Western countries and to themes such as gender, sexual identity, feminism and sex-positive porn. Alongside standard digital projection, Cavia still shows analogue films in 16 mm and 35 mm formats. Cavia was founded legally in 1983, following a neighbourhood festival called the Staatsliedengreep, at which thirty-three successful film screenings took place and demonstrated the promise of the space. The initiative emerged from Amsterdam's unique squatter culture; the surrounding neighbourhood was nicknamed 'Kraakliedenbuurt' because of the many squatters who settled there and started social, cultural and political initiatives such as Zaal100, De Blauwe Duim and the Tweede Nassau Ateliers. Over more than four decades, Cavia has served as a springboard for film festivals, events, individual filmmakers, programmers and film collectives. Festivals including Roze Filmdagen, CinemAsia and the KLIK! Amsterdam Animation Festival began at Cavia. The cinema is a member of Cineville, a collaboration of film theatres that has existed since March 2008. As a self-organised community space, Cavia functions as an alternative haven for independent thought and cinematic work, and as a 'third space' or second home for film lovers of all kinds. In the run-up to its fortieth anniversary in November 2023, the cinema launched a history project to document its past. Volunteers conducted interviews with former and current Cavia workers and collaborators, and for the first time assembled a chronology of all the films ever shown at Cavia, tracing back to a screening of Tarkovsky's Stalker. The collected material is intended to form an oral history of Filmhuis Cavia as a self-organised community space, culminating in a published book.

Filmhuis Cavia emerged from Amsterdam's squatter movement and the Staatsliedenbuurt neighbourhood's tradition of self-organised cultural initiatives. In 1983, a neighbourhood festival called the Staatsliedengreep was held across the area. It included thirty-three successful film screenings, which demonstrated the promise of a dedicated cinema space. From that opportunity, Filmhuis Cavia was born and was legally founded in 1983. The surrounding neighbourhood had been nicknamed 'Kraakliedenbuurt' because of the many squatters who came to live there and who started social, cultural and political initiatives such as Zaal100, De Blauwe Duim and the Tweede Nassau Ateliers. Cavia grew out of this milieu as a small, non-commercial, community-based arthouse cinema at Van Hallstraat 52, in the heart of the Staatsliedenbuurt, housed in the former Prinses Beatrix Schippersinternaat. Over more than forty years, Cavia served as a springboard for many film festivals, events, individual filmmakers, programmers and film collectives involved in its organisation. Festivals such as Roze Filmdagen, CinemAsia and the KLIK! Amsterdam Animation Festival began at Cavia. The cinema developed a simple formula: it screens what cannot be seen elsewhere, mixing classics with experimental film and paying particular attention to films from non-Western countries and to themes including gender, sexual identity, feminism and sex-positive porn. It has continued to show analogue films in 16 mm and 35 mm alongside digital projection. Cavia is a member of Cineville, a collaboration of film theatres that has existed since March 2008. As November 2023 approached, marking forty years since its founding, the cinema turned its gaze toward its own past. An archive project was put into motion, and current volunteers began investigating the history of Cavia and the dedicated people behind its foundation. For the first time, they assembled a chronology of all the films ever shown at Cavia, tracing back to a screening of Tarkovsky's Stalker. The history project invited former and current Cavia volunteers, as well as collaborators such as distributors, filmmakers, artists, activists, audiences and party-goers, to share stories, programmes, posters, photos and videos. The collected information is intended to create an oral history of Filmhuis Cavia as a self-organised community space, and a book is to be published about everything achieved.

• 2023

  Cavia marks its fortieth anniversary in November and launches a history project, including the first chronology of all films ever shown at Cavia.

• 2008

  Cineville, a collaboration of film theatres of which Cavia is a member, is established in March.

• 1983

  Filmhuis Cavia is legally founded after the Staatsliedengreep neighbourhood festival, which included thirty-three successful film screenings.

A non-commercial, volunteer-run community arthouse cinema and self-organised 'third space' for independent film in Amsterdam.

• Arthouse and experimental film screenings

• Non-Western cinema and themed programmes on gender, sexual identity, feminism and sex-positive porn

• Analogue 16 mm and 35 mm film screenings

• Cineville membership access

1. 1Cavia History Project :: Filmhuis Caviafilmhuiscavia.nl
2. 240th Anniversary (in 2023) :: Filmhuis Caviafilmhuiscavia.nl
3. 3Filmhuis Cavia - Wikidatawikidata.org
4. 4Filmhuis Cavia - Wikipedia (Dutch)nl.wikipedia.org