Eye Filmmuseum

Spectacular Venue at the Heart of the Movie World

This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch)

It’s one of the most impressive modern buildings of Amsterdam and a spectacular venue for your event: the Eye Filmmuseum. This national museum dedicated to cinema is beautifully situated right next to the IJ, looking out over the skyline of the capital. Whether you come here for a congress with 300 participants, a corporate party for 1200 colleagues, or an intimate dinner in one of the special rooms; a cinematic experience is guaranteed.

The most impressive way to approach the Eye Filmmuseum is from the water. Starting from Amsterdam Central Station, we take the ferry to Amsterdam North and watch the buildings across rise as we get closer. On the left-hand side is the dock area with its cranes, sheds and ships; closer, some apartment buildings, the A’DAM Tower, and straight ahead of us and impossible to miss: the Eye Filmmuseum. The futuristic white building with its striking shape catches the eye all around from a distance. It’s even more impressive once we’ve moored alongside the quay and walk towards the building, watching the hanging façade tower above the entrance – almost as if we’re entering some extra-terrestrial palace. Our expectations of the interior couldn’t be greater.

Corporate Events at the Eye Filmmuseum

And the interior does not disappoint. Inside, it’s light and spacious with sleek lines drawing straight through the building, all leading to the restaurant in the large central space: the Arena. This is where you’re offered a magnificent view of the IJ through a large set of windows, behind which lies the terrace. The Arena has a spectacular setup with a sloping floor, shaped like a semi-circular theatre in which everyone overlooks the ‘silver screen’; the view of the IJ. More importantly: this space offers direct access to all the different rooms available for events, specifically the foyers and the cinema rooms.

Because, let it be clear: Eye Filmmuseum oozes cinema. In addition to being a special building with four comfortable cinema rooms where movies are shown seven days a week, the Eye Filmmuseum is also concerned with the preservation, restauration and education of all things cinema. The foundation is the rich collection with over 50.000 films, the oldest of which dates from 1896. But the collection also consists of pictures, playbills, scenarios, archives and thousands of other objects related to cinema. The emphasis lies on those films and objects that tell the story of Dutch film and cinema throughout history; copies of practically all Dutch feature films are included in the collection. In the long history of cinema, it’s not hard to find a movie that’s in some way related to your event. The Eye Filmmuseum happily contributes to your event, be it by showing a movie that fits the theme of the event, by providing a special tour, or by connecting the event to the collection in some other way. Of course, this isn’t a must; you’re free to just make use of the special rooms and well-equipped cinema rooms. 

Congress with break out spaces

The most interesting space for large events and congresses is Cinema 1, the largest cinema room of the venue with a fixed theatre setting with 315 seats. Combined with any of the several break out spaces available in the building and specifically the adjacent Foyer, this room is ideally suited for congresses, presentations and networking events. The Foyer is a very impressive reception room: it’s all the way at the top of the Arena, with a spectacular view of this architectural highlight.

Do you require more break out spaces for your congress? There’s no shortage of those in the Eye Filmmuseum. First, there’s the two medium-sized cinema rooms Cinema 2 and 3. Both are well-suited for up to 127 people and they’re of equal size; Cinema 2 has a collapsible stage, so the room can be levelled at the push of a button. The smallest cinema room, Cinema 4, is a more intimate space with beautiful art deco design, based on the old Amsterdam cinema theatre Cinema Parisien. With the red chairs and pleated curtains, this room stands in sharp contrast with the modern and sleek design of the Eye Filmmuseum – almost as if you’ve walked through a secret door and ended up in an old cinema. 

Dine with a View

In addition to the cinema rooms, there are four other unique spaces available for workshops, presentations and meetings. A little known fact about the Eye Filmmuseum: it offers spaces for meetings or a private dinner. At the ground floor, bordering on the exhibition area which has objects from the cinema collection on display, two of these spaces can be found. So when making your way to any of these two spaces, you’ll always catch a glimpse of the rich collection. The IJ-lounge and the Waterfront are both decorated in the characteristic modern style of the museum, with a wood floor, white walls and large, ceiling-high windows offering a panoramic view of the water. At the top of the building, on a mezzanine, a third break out space can be found: the ‘Room at the Top’. Here, too, a large set of windows reaching to the ceiling provides a great view of the IJ. Particularly striking is the glass backwall in this space, which offers a nice view of the interior of the building.

The remarkable thing about the Eye Filmmuseum is the incredible amount of possibilities for corporate events in a museum that’s open seven days a week. Thanks to the smart and spacious layout of the building, it’s always possible to use one or more rooms for events without the different types of guests getting in each other’s way. Moreover, it’s possible to hire the entire building for a private event, including the spectacular Arena. All these things make the Eye Filmmuseum a vibrant venue, guaranteed to make a lasting impression on its visitors.

This post is also available in: Nederlands (Dutch)