Slieker Film

Slieker Film is the film theatre (filmtheater) of Leeuwarden, the capital of the Dutch province of Friesland. It traces its origins to the Frisian film circuit and to a film club that began screening films in 1975, later operating for many years as Filmhuis Leeuwarden in the cellars of De Harmonie, the city's main theatre. In 2013 the organisation moved to a new building on the Wilhelminaplein and adopted the name Slieker Film, a reference to George Christiaan Slieker, who in 1896 became the first Dutchman to show films to a paying audience, doing so on the very same square with his travelling cinema tent, the "Grand Théâtre Edison". The cinema's programme is built around arthouse, European and world cinema rather than mainstream Hollywood blockbusters, complemented by documentaries, retrospectives, themed series and special events. Its programme is presented in partnership with organisations such as Amnesty Leeuwarden, Filmbond Fryslân and IFA (International Film Festival), and it hosts introductions, poetry readings and talks alongside screenings. The venue has three auditoriums: the Blue Theatre Hall with 80 seats and the Pink and Green Halls with 41 seats each. Slieker Film is a small, locally rooted cultural institution rather than a commercial multiplex chain. It serves as a key arthouse exhibition point for Leeuwarden and the wider Friesland region, and it is connected to the broader Frisian film ecosystem, including the Noordelijk Film Festival and the Centrum voor Film in Friesland. Its programming, its historic name and its location on Wilhelminaplein tie it directly to the early history of cinema in the Netherlands.

Slieker Film's history begins with the Frisian film circuit. On 14 September 1975, a film club held its first screening — Ne Touche pas à la femme blanche — at the Hippo youth centre in Leeuwarden, as part of what was then the Fries Filmcircuit. A working group founded in 1979 pushed the initiative forward, and from 15 January 1983 films could be shown almost daily in the society hall of the old De Harmonie building, the city theatre of Leeuwarden. Under the name Filmhuis Leeuwarden, the organisation operated for years from the cellars of De Harmonie. In 1988 the first plans emerged for a new city theatre, which included space for the Filmhuis; six years later the renovated building opened its doors. At the start of 2012 the Leeuwarden film theatre was fully digitised, ending the 35mm era with a final 35mm screening of the classic Casablanca. With the arrival of a new building for the Fries Museum on the Wilhelminaplein, the Filmhuis moved again. On 21 March 2013 the film theatre officially opened under the new name Slieker Film. The organisation chose to change its name from Filmhuis Leeuwarden upon moving to the new location because of the site's special historical significance: film was returning to the Wilhelminaplein. George Christiaan Slieker had shown film there as the first Dutchman in 1896, in his cinema tent "Grand Théâtre Edison" at the fair, and afterwards travelled with his travelling cinema through the province and the country. He is recorded in the history books as the first Dutch cinema entrepreneur. The opening was followed by the six-day Nederlands, Vlaams & Fries Filmfestival. Since then Slieker Film has operated as the arthouse cinema of Leeuwarden, with three auditoriums — the Blue Theatre Hall with 80 seats and the Pink and Green Halls with 41 seats each. Its programme focuses on arthouse films with a more cultural or artistic orientation than the largely American offerings of regular cinemas, and it regularly collaborates with partners such as Amnesty Leeuwarden, Filmbond Fryslân and IFA for special screenings, introductions and events.

• 2013

  On 21 March the film theatre opens at Wilhelminaplein under the new name Slieker Film, followed by the six-day Nederlands, Vlaams & Fries Filmfestival.

• 2012

  The film theatre is fully digitised; the 35mm era ends with a final screening of Casablanca.

• 1994

  The renovated De Harmonie building opens, housing the Filmhuis.

• 1988

  First plans for a new city theatre that would include space for the Filmhuis.

• 1983

  From 15 January, films can be shown almost daily in the society hall of the old De Harmonie building.

• 1979

  A working group is founded to advance the film club's activities.

• 1975

  First screening by the film club on 14 September at the Hippo youth centre in Leeuwarden, as part of the Fries Filmcircuit.

A local arthouse film theatre focused on cultural and artistic cinema rather than mainstream commercial releases.

• Arthouse and world cinema screenings

• Documentary screenings

• Themed series and retrospectives

• Film introductions, talks and poetry readings

• Festival programming (e.g. Nederlands, Vlaams & Fries Filmfestival)

1. 1Home < Sliekersliekerfilm.nl
2. 2Slieker Filmwikidata.org
3. 3Slieker Filmnl.wikipedia.org