Scala Gudhjem

Scala Gudhjem is a Danish cinema located on Brøddegade in Gudhjem, a small harbour town on the Baltic island of Bornholm. It was established in 1943 by Niels W. Høst, the son of the celebrated Bornholm painter Oluf Høst, and has operated as a local picture house for more than eight decades. As a single-screen venue in a community of only a few thousand residents, it functions as both a commercial cinema and a cultural gathering point for the island. The cinema's programme combines first-run Danish and international films with special events. Its website advertises current titles such as the Palestinian-Danish drama 'Palæstina 1936', the family film 'Den store diamantjagt', and the children's animation 'F for Får Filmen – Et monster på bondegården'. It also participates in Biografklub Danmark, a national cinema club that offers members ten selected films per season at half price, and hosts children's birthday parties that include a film, soft drinks and popcorn. Since 2008 Scala Gudhjem has been the home of the Bornshorts Film Festival, a short-film festival that draws filmmakers and audiences to Bornholm. In summer the cinema runs 'Scala Sommerbio', a free open-air film series; the 2020 edition, its third consecutive year, screened family films at 19:00 and classics at 21:00 on three Friday evenings in July and August, with titles including 'Shrek 2', 'Grease', 'How to Train Your Dragon', 'De Grønne Slagtere', 'Kung Fu Panda' and 'Druk'. The venue also hosts livestreamed lectures from Aarhus University, such as a talk on whales, offered with free admission and voluntary support for the cinema. Scala Gudhjem remains an independent, locally rooted business rather than part of a national cinema chain. Its identity rests on its long history, its connection to the Høst artistic family, and its role as a year-round cultural hub on Bornholm.

Scala Gudhjem was established in 1943 by Niels W. Høst, son of the Bornholm painter Oluf Høst, in the harbour town of Gudhjem on the Danish island of Bornholm. The cinema occupies premises on Brøddegade, the main street of the town, and has served as Gudhjem's local picture house since the Second World War era. For much of its existence the cinema operated as a traditional single-screen venue showing Danish and international films to the island's residents and summer visitors. Its long association with the Høst family connects it to the artistic milieu of Bornholm, where Oluf Høst's former home is now a museum. A significant development came in 2008, when Scala Gudhjem became the home of the Bornshorts Film Festival. The festival, dedicated to short films, has since used the cinema as its principal venue, bringing filmmakers and audiences to Gudhjem and reinforcing the cinema's role as a cultural hub on the island. In recent years the cinema has expanded its activities beyond standard screenings. It joined Biografklub Danmark, the national cinema club offering members ten selected films per season at half price, and it hosts children's birthday parties with a film, soft drinks and popcorn. It also runs 'Scala Sommerbio', a free open-air summer cinema series; by 2020 this had run for three consecutive years, with screenings on three Friday evenings in July and August featuring family films at 19:00 and classics at 21:00. The 2020 programme included 'Shrek 2' and 'Grease' on 24 July, 'How to Train Your Dragon' and 'De Grønne Slagtere' on 31 July, and 'Kung Fu Panda' and 'Druk' on 7 August. In addition, the venue hosts livestreamed lectures from Aarhus University, such as a talk on whales, with free admission and an invitation to support the cinema. The cinema's website continues to advertise current releases, including 'Palæstina 1936', 'Den store diamantjagt' and 'F for Får Filmen – Et monster på bondegården', indicating that it remains an active, programming cinema in the 2020s.

• 2020

  The third consecutive Scala Sommerbio open-air film series is held on three Friday evenings in July and August.

• 2008

  Scala Gudhjem becomes the home of the Bornshorts Film Festival.

• 1943

  Scala Gudhjem is established by Niels W. Høst in Gudhjem, Bornholm.

A historic, independent single-screen cinema and cultural venue serving Gudhjem and the wider Bornholm community.

• Film screenings

• Children's birthday parties

• Biografklub Danmark membership screenings

• Scala Sommerbio open-air cinema

• Livestreamed lectures from Aarhus University

1. 1Forside |scalagudhjem.dk
2. 2Scala Gudhjemwikidata.org
3. 3Scala Gudhjemda.wikipedia.org