Eye Filmmuseum in Amsterdam

You can already see Eye Filmmuseum from Amsterdam Central Station, a white, angular building on the north bank of the IJ. Getting there takes a free ferry ride of less than five minutes. Inside, films run in four cinemas, from restored classics to new releases. The exhibition spaces show how film developed and how artists work with the moving image. At the bar you look back across the water at the old city. Below you read what you can see, how the museum came about and how to plan your visit.

What you see at Eye Filmmuseum

Eye Filmmuseum is a museum and a cinema in one building. The four cinemas show a varied programme, from classics out of the museum's own archive to new international films. Seats are not numbered, so you choose your own place, and doors generally open about fifteen minutes before the start. Once the feature has begun, you can no longer go in. Next to the cinemas there are two exhibition spaces with changing shows about filmmakers and artists who work with the moving image. A permanent presentation on the ground floor and around the building shows how film developed over the years. You can easily combine an exhibition and a film in one afternoon.

From the Vondelpark to the IJ

The museum began in 1946 as the Dutch Historical Film Archive. Soon afterwards it continued as the Netherlands Filmmuseum, which for many years was based in a pavilion in the Vondelpark. In 2009 it merged with three other film organisations, and together they took the name Eye. On 4 April 2012 Queen Beatrix opened the new building on the IJ, designed by Delugan Meissl Associated Architects. What you see in the galleries is only a small part of the collection: around 57,000 film titles, 82,000 posters, 700,000 photos and 1,500 early film devices. Most of it is kept at the Eye Collection Centre on Asterweg.

Getting to Eye Filmmuseum

At Amsterdam Central Station, follow the signs to the IJzijde exit at the back of the station. From there you take ferry F3 towards Buiksloterweg. The ferry is free, runs day and night and leaves every few minutes. The crossing takes less than five minutes, and from the landing you walk about three minutes to the entrance. The whole building is accessible for wheelchair users, every floor can be reached by lift, and the cinemas have hearing loops. If you come with a Museumkaart, the Dutch annual museum pass, you can reserve your exhibition ticket online and collect it at the front desk.

Films, food and what is nearby

A film ticket is separate from an exhibition ticket, and the I amsterdam City Card gives you a reduced film price. Check the listing of each film for its language and subtitles before you go. The bar and restaurant is open daily for coffee, lunch, drinks or dinner, with a wide view over the water towards the city centre. For more modern art, the Stedelijk Museum on Museumplein is a logical next stop, and our museum map shows what else is nearby.

Frequently asked questions about Eye Filmmuseum

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