THE JACKET is a portrait of Jamal Hindawi, a Palestinian man who lives in exile with his family in the Shatila refugee camp in Beirut, Lebanon. Together with his friends, he makes political theatre about their profound connection to their homeland, Palestine, and their situation as refugees in their country of residence, Lebanon.

When Jamal embarks on a journey to search for an important lost theatre prop, he witnesses how the successive political and economic crises have disrupted an entire region and its people.

Info & Tickets
▪ Sat 17 May | 17h15
▪ Tue 20 May | 14h15
▪ Sun 25 May | 19h45

The film is in Arabic with English subtitles

SEND IN THE CLOWNS

After the great successes of their live performances during CHICAGO and THE ROCKY HORROR PICTURE SHOW, the drag queens of Send in the Clowns return with a dazzling performance during CABARET, Bob Fosse’s 8-time Oscar-winning classic!

In CABARET, Liza Minnelli plays Sally Bowles, an American nightclub singer in Berlin during the 1930s who tries to keep political reality at bay. Within the walls of the Kit Kat Club, this is easily accomplished through song, dance, and decadence. When Sally meets the British Brian, she shelters him. The wealthy Baron Maximilian von Heune invades their lives and wants to seduce them. However, it becomes increasingly challenging to keep hiding the political realities of the world outside them.

With live drag performance by Send in the Clowns!

Info & Tickets
▪ Fri 16 May | 20h15 (with live drag performance)

The film is in English with Dutch subtitles

In PETIT SAMEDI, director Paloma Sermon-Daï looks intimately at a complex mother-son relationship. In her touching 2020 documentary, the Belgian filmmaker follows Damien, a 43-year-old man and his mother Ysma in Sclayn, a small, Walloon village bordering the Maas. While Damien fights his heroin addiction, Ysma keeps ing him with absolute love. With a sensitive eye for details, Sermon-Daï shows the power of family love and the challenge to start over, even after years of strife.

Info & Tickets
▪ Thu 15 May | 20h30

The film is in French with Dutch subtitles

A comical western… Is this a movie genre we’re waiting for? It is when Jane Fonda plays the outlaw from the title and Lee Marvin dusts off his acting chops to play a dual role as drunkard Shelleen and villain Shaw. According to renowned film critic Roger Ebert, CAT BALLOU is the western comedy to sur all others. The premise of the film is quite simple: school teacher Catherine turns into the fearless outlaw and gang leader Cat Ballou to avenge her father’s murder.

The comedy parts are accompanied by funny music. Minstrels Nat King Cole (in his last project) and Stubby Kaye welcome the audience with their banjos, performing The Ballad of Cat Ballou as a Greek chorus. After that first scene, we travel back in time for the origin story of Cat. Jane Fonda had the difficult task of playing the only serious character among a bunch of unhinged men. But Fonda manages to combine the naïveté of her school teacher with the impressive perseverance of the outlaw Cat.

We screen the film in 4K resolution.

Info & Tickets
▪ Thu 15 May | 14h15
▪ Sun 18 May | 14h15

The film is in English without subtitles

This is part of our programme (S)HEROES, which puts the spotlight on female action heroes throughout film history.

New York City’s Hotel Monterey is a well-fare residence hotel, where guests are also residents. Most of them are older and live alone. Director Chantal Akerman creates a fragmentary description of the hotel, the lobby, the corridors and the elevator ending in a panoramic top-floor view. People sitting in their apartment. Empty corridors and rooms become part of an architectural fascination, where Akerman evokes a feeling of what it's like to live in Hotel Monterey.

Info & Tickets
▪ Wed 14 May | 20h15

The film is without dialogue

GIRLS ON FILM

Justine is a promising vegetarian student in veterinary medicine. During the hard initiation, she gets tangled up in a seducing yet ruthless world, and breaks with her family principles when she eats raw meat for the first time.

The film was largely shot at the University of Liège, mostly on the campus of Sart-Tilman. Various locations, among which the veterinary clinic and surrounding buildings, served as the decor for the film. Julia Ducournau is a French director, known for her groundbreaking body horror films like GRAVE and follow-up TITANE, with which she won the Palm d'Or in 2021 as the first female solo director.

The film will be introduced by hosts Girls on Film with guest Daphne Agten. Following the film, Daphne tells more about her choice for GRAVE.

Info & Tickets
▪ Tue 13 May | 19h45 (with intro & aftertalk)

The film is in French with Dutch subtitles

In ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT, the critically acclaimed debut of Payal Kapadia, we follow nurse Prabha, who is plunged into confusion when her estranged husband s her again, her younger roommate Anu, who tries to keep her new relationship a secret, and widow Parvaty, who after her husband's death is threatend to lose her home. When the three women flee Mumbai's busyness for an outing to a seaside town, they finally discover space to express their desires.

After winning the Grand Prix at Cannes, the first Indian film to receive this prestigious prize, ALL WE IMAGINE AS LIGHT slowly grew out to a deeply cutting and unforgettable ode to female friendship and resistance.

Info & Tickets
▪ Tue 13 May | 20h15
▪ Sat 17 May | 19h45
▪ Tue 20 May | 20h15
▪ Sat 24 May | 17h15
▪ Tue 27 May | 19h45

The film is in Malayalam with Dutch and French subtitles

PALESTINE BEYOND REEL: 1000 & 1000 NIGHTS + REFUGEES FOR LIFE

De Cinema and UA host Palestine Beyond Reel for an evening of powerful cinema and meaningful conversation as we trace the historical roots of the Middle East conflict, unpack its enduring effects on Palestinian communities, and reflect on its present-day global implications.

This event brings together the voices of independent filmmakers, expert thinkers, and of marginalized ethnic groups from Palestine. Their perspectives offer a deeply human lens into the complexities of the region—past, present, and future.

Through the experience of three families of Palestinian refugees living in gatherings located in Tyre, South of Lebanon and a human rights activist, the film looks at their everyday struggles, their aspirations to communicate with their relatives in and their continuous waiting to return one day to Palestine.

Info & Tickets
▪ Mon 12 May | 19h45 (with intro & debate)

The film is in Arabic with English subtitles

PALESTINE BEYOND REEL: 1000 & 1000 NIGHTS + REFUGEES FOR LIFE

De Cinema and UA host Palestine Beyond Reel for an evening of powerful cinema and meaningful conversation as we trace the historical roots of the Middle East conflict, unpack its enduring effects on Palestinian communities, and reflect on its present-day global implications.

This event brings together the voices of independent filmmakers, expert thinkers, and of marginalized ethnic groups from Palestine. Their perspectives offer a deeply human lens into the complexities of the region—past, present, and future.

A creative reimagination of the Israeli-Arab conflict through the lens of the classic Arabian Nights tales, with Scheherazade narrating a story where Aladdin's magic lamp is stolen by an Israeli soldier, prompting Sindbad and Ali Baba to forces to recover it. Will Aladdin retrieve his magic lamp?

Info & Tickets
▪ Mon 12 May | 19h45 (with intro & debate)

The film is in Arabic with English subtitles

ANTOINE ET COLETTE + BAISERS VOLÉS

For five times, over a period of twenty years, the legendary Jean-Pierre Léaud portrayed the alter ego of the just as iconic French Nouvelle Vague director François Truffaut. As Antoine Doinel, he first appears in his breakthrough film, and key film of the innovative wave, LES QUATRE CENTS COUPS. Thereafter, four more films follow. In May and June, CINEA brings the entire Doinel series back to Flemish cinemas, in a digitally restored 4K version!

When he was eighteen, Léaud, after LES QUATRE CENTS COUPS, again portrayed Antoine Doinel in the 29-minute ANTOINE ET COLETTE, as a segment of the five-part compilation film L'AMOUR À VING ANS. He is now an adolescent in love. Six year later, we learn that Doinel is dishonorably fired from the army and has a relationship with the well-behaved Christine, as seen in BAISERS VOLÉS. Antoine gets a job as assistant of a private detective and falls for his employee's attractive wife Fabienne. He must choose between the older woman and Christine.

Info & Tickets
▪ Sun 11 May | 20h15
▪ Sun 15 June | 19h45

The film is in French with Dutch subtitles

Besides ANTOINE ET COLETTE and BAISERS VOLÉS, we also screen Truffaut's other films about ANTOINE DOINEL!

ANTOINE ET COLETTE + BAISERS VOLÉS

For five times, over a period of twenty years, the legendary Jean-Pierre Léaud portrayed the alter ego of the just as iconic French Nouvelle Vague director François Truffaut. As Antoine Doinel, he first appears in his breakthrough film, and key film of the innovative wave, LES QUATRE CENTS COUPS. Thereafter, four more films follow. In May and June, CINEA brings the entire Doinel series back to Flemish cinemas, in a digitally restored 4K version!

When he was eighteen, Léaud, after LES QUATRE CENTS COUPS, again portrayed Antoine Doinel in the 29-minute ANTOINE ET COLETTE, as a segment of the five-part compilation film L'AMOUR À VING ANS. He is now an adolescent in love. Six year later, we learn that Doinel is dishonorably fired from the army and has a relationship with the well-behaved Christine, as seen in BAISERS VOLÉS. Antoine gets a job as assistant of a private detective and falls for his employee's attractive wife Fabienne. He must choose between the older woman and Christine.

Info & Tickets
▪ Sun 11 May | 20h15
▪ Sun 15 June | 19h45

The film is in French with Dutch subtitles

Besides ANTOINE ET COLETTE and BAISERS VOLÉS, we also screen Truffaut's other films about ANTOINE DOINEL!

At the end of KILL BILL: VOLUME 1 we receive a piece of explosive information. Information that could derail the Bride’s “roaring rampage of revenge”. But first, the sequel KILL BILL: VOLUME 2 gives us insight into the Bride’s past, her strenuous training with mythical martial arts master Pai Mei, her relationship with Bill and what led to the events at the beginning of VOLUME 1.

The Bride, now known as Beatrix Kiddo, continues her road of revenge against former boss and lover Bill, and along the way, she comes face to face with the remaining Deadly Vipers Elle Driver and Bill’s brother, Budd.

Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman conceived the Bride as part of a long generation of “hell bent for revenge” characters, with traits from the lonesome cowboys from spaghetti westerns and samurais from revenge films such as LADY SNOWBLOOD. KILL BILL: VOL. 1 & 2 are screened on Saturday 10 May, on 35mm! In our (S)HEROES focus we also screen Tarantino’s JACKIE BROWN, on 35mm as well.

Info & Tickets
▪ Sat 10 May | 20h15

The film is in English with Dutch subtitles

If there’s anyone deserving of revenge, it’s the Bride. As a former member of the Deadly Viper Assassination Squad, led by Bill, she’s ready to start a new life. On the eve of her wedding, the Bride’s loved ones are slaughtered by the Deadly Vipers, and she gets a bullet to the head while being heavily pregnant. When she wakes up from a coma four years later and discovers she’s no longer pregnant, this only incites her feelings of revenge. You can see it in her eyes, read it on her face: this bride will kill Bill. But first, she needs the right tools. This brings her to Okinawa, home to the legendary swordsmith Hattori Hanzo.

Quentin Tarantino and Uma Thurman thought up the character of the Bride during the production of PULP FICTION. The plot and look were influenced by revenge movie LADY SNOWBLOOD and the impressive martial arts sequences were choreographed by Yuen Woo-Ping, who was also the fight advisor on THE MATRIX and CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON.

KILL BILL: VOL. 1 & VOL. 2 are screened on Saturday 10 May, on 35mm! In our (S)HEROES focus we also screen Tarantino’s JACKIE BROWN, on 35mm as well.

Info & Tickets
▪ Sat 10 May | 17h15

The film is in English with Dutch subtitles

De Cinema celebrates film in all its forms and colours. As part of the Museum of Contemporary Art (M HKA) and housed in the vibrant De Studio, De Cinema is a dynamic and inclusive meeting place for cinephiles, creators and curious audiences. During the summer months, De Cinema brings classics back to the big screen with open-air screenings—in collaboration with Archipel and Zomer van Antwerpen.

Full programme

Don’t worry about the weather — the open-air screening at Archipel is fully covered and rainproof. Seating will be provided, but feel free to make yourself extra cosy with your own cushion and blanket!

• The Virgin Suicides
• Stand by Me
• The Wizard of Oz
• My Neighbor Totoro
• Monterey Pop
• The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert
• Elevator to the Gallows
• Do the Right Thing

To mark the archival presentation at M HKA (24 May - 7 September 2025), De Cinema will present a series of screenings that revive the spirit of art house King Kong.

Full programme & tickets

From 1974 to 1982, the King Kong cultural centre in Antwerp was a vibrant meeting place where film, debate and activism converged. Alongside a broad selection of film classics and recent arthouse cinema, King Kong also offered a platform for socially engaged documentaries, feminist films, queer cinema and the revolutionary ‘Third Cinema’. With introductions, debates and various publications, the programme was ed by the association De Andere Film (DAF), which donated their rich archive to M HKA in 2023.

This archival presentation was compiled in collaboration with students of the Master's Theatre and Film Studies at the University of Antwerp.

• The Hour of Liberation Has Arrived
• Death in Venice
• A Swedish Love Story
• The Conversation
• Belle de Jour
• One Sings, the Other Doesn't

In the summer programme ETERNAL SUMMER, ENDLESS NIGHTS, sunlit discoveries are contrasted with inciting hedonism of the endless night. From 1 June to 30 September 2025.

Full programme & tickets

ETERNAL SUMMER
That endless summer full of sunny days that make our hearts burn... Is there anything better than falling in love while being bored during a long vacation? Since the beginning of cinema, the transition from young to adolescent has been an inexhaustible source of inspiration for filmmakers. Everyone must live through that uncomfortable phase of growing pains, young romances, and first rejections. This ETERNAL SUMMER programme stands for a collection of films where coming-of-age, music, and discovery set the tone. Emerging sexuality and boundless hope, but also unforgettable festivals and summery ennui, are lying in wait.

ENDLESS NIGHTS
When the night falls, the world changes. With ENDLESS NIGHTS, we dive into the uninhibited nightlife. From Chinese rave clubs to high-class discos in New York: throughout film history, the dancing floor has been used in various ways as free space for the pushing of boundaries, flirting romances, and inciting hedonism. This programme researches the highs and lows of club culture, the ambiguity of filmic nocturnes and the salvation of the everlasting night.

• The Last Days of Disco
• Stand by Me
• Before Sunrise
• The Green Ray
• Badlands
• Victoria
• Young Soul Rebels
• Eden
• Climax
• Y Tu Mamá También

...plus 27 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

KICKING ASS AND TAKING NAMES

Are women able to front an action film? This question remains a hot topic with film critics and audiences. In our (S)HEROES focus, we answer that question with a resounding YES!

Full programme & tickets | Trailer

More than lead, action heroines can fire them up. The serial queens were cinema's first international action heroes and the star actresses of the film serials, a series of short action films which tell a continuous story. It was they who spectacularly broke through on the big screen in the 1910s and catapulted cinema to the most popular medium. They were powerful, inventive, heroic and simultaneously glamorous. The serial queens did most of their daring stunts themselves, and they were very much loved by the general audience. The for that time sensational film episodes introduced the – often literal – cliffhanger which is still indispensable in (film) series. From WHAT HAPPENED TO MARY to THE EXPLOITS OF ELAINE and THE PERILS OF PAULINE. The "dating misses of the movies" jump, fly, dangle and fall without fear. These first film stars were exceptional.

And yet. Female action heroes and stunt women stay underappreciated and are painfully undercelebrated. No more! De Cinema opens her doors for the badass, ass-kicking, headbusting (S)HEROES from the film history who shatter more than one glass ceiling.

• Polite Society
• The Heroic Trio
• Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
• Mulan
• The Assassin
• The Villainess
• Leonor Will Never Die
• Lady Snowblood
• Jackie Brown
• Kill Bill: Vol. 1

...plus 17 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

“I was very, very much surprised and I’m very happy to say we think the people of this country should be proud of these kids, notwithstanding the way they dress or the way they wear their hair, that’s their own personal business.”
Politieagent, WOODSTOCK (1970)

Some summer festivals live and endless life in the collective memory. Not only for what happened on stage, but also because of how everything is captured on film. Decades later, music documentaries feel like delightfully swinging time capsules, raised from iconic performances, excited audiences and a dash of nostalgia. This summer, you can experience those iconic musical festivals in our cinema.

Full programme & tickets

From Bert Stern's legendary JAZZ ON A SUMMER'S DAY (1959) with intimate performances by Louis Armstrong and Mahalia Jackson, over historic snapshots like WOODSTOCK (1970) and D.A. Pennebaker's MONTEREY POP (1968) ft. Jimi Hendrix and Janix Joplin, to WATTSTAX (1973) and Questlove's SUMMER OF SOUL (...OR, WHEN THE REVOLUTION COULD NOT BE TELEVISED) (2021) which show how music often was the engine of a cultural revolution.

• Jazz on a Summer's Day
• Woodstock
• Monterey Pop
• Wattstax
• Summer of Soul (...Or, When the Revolution Could Not Be Televised)

Feeling and showing comion is human. But comion also raises questions: how do you show it, when do you really feel it?

Full programme & tickets

This collaboration with MAS – in the context of the expo Comion – brings stories about how comion can touch and change lives. From a radical personal battle to moments of unexpected connection. A film programme that makes the impact of comion tangible in a world that's sometimes very hard. A selection that touches, confronts and inspires.

Visitors with a ticket for a screening in the MAS x De Cinema 2025 programme receive a reduction on a ticket for the MAS Comion Expo. Also, the other way around, a ticket for the MAS Comion Expo (31 January 2015 until the screening day of the film) gives you a reduction (€6,50 instead of €9) on a film ticket for the MAS x De Cinema 2025 programme.

• hold on to her
• East of Eden
• Human Flow
• Make Way for Tomorrow
• A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood
• La Strada
• Rain Man

From 2025, De Cinema and the Flemish Architecture Institute (VAi) are ing forces for a unique series of monthly film evenings under the title ‘Architecture on Film’.

Full programme and tickets

Every first Tuesday of the month, a film with introduction will draw you into the world of architecture and film, where buildings become characters, cities form the background, and design helps shape the stories. The films are always shown in the original language version with English subtitles, the introductions are in English. For those who want a second chance: there is another screening on the third Tuesday of the month, but without introductions.

• 27 Storeys
• Cinema Grattacielo
• E.1027: Eileen Gray and the House by the Sea
• Vanuit den gezichtshoek der bruikbaarheid
• Simone
• On the Adamant
• Architecton

Traditionally, De Cinema journeys every academic year through film history with film historian Wouter Hessels as a guide. This chronological exploration leads us from the early film pioneers to the Golden Hollywood period, through the Nouvelle Vague, Latin-American cinema and Czechoslovakian New Wave to contemporary European cinema.

Full programme & tickets

This special programme is now even more accessible with an exceptional offer!

Together with professor Wouter Hessels (KASKA-DKO, RITCS en INSAS) and KASKA-DKO, De Cinema presents this fall an unmissable combination of film lectures, screenings and meetings with filmmakers. With our FILM CLASS , you can attend these 16 screenings and accompanying lectures for an appealing price of 90 euros (standard rate) or 75 euros (reduction).

• Feeding the Doves
• A Morning Bath
• The Burning Stable
• New York Scenes
• Fire!
• Rescued by Rover
• The Life of Charles Peace
• The Great Train Robbery
• The Kingdom of the Fairies
• A Corner in Wheat

...plus 17 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

For five times, over a period of twenty years, the legendary Jean-Pierre Léaud portrayed the alter ego of the just as iconic French Nouvelle Vague director François Truffaut. As Antoine Doinel, he first appears in his breakthrough film, and key film of the innovative wave, LES QUATRE CENTS COUPS (1959). Thereafter, four more films follow. In May and June, CINEA brings the entire Doinel series back to Flemish cinemas, in a digitally restored 4K version!

Full programme & tickets | Trailer

The 1944-born Léaud was chosen from a group of hundreds of children after a casting call by Truffaut in a newspaper – he was fourteen years old. A year later, he was carried on the audience's shoulders after their triumphant screening in Cannes. As Antoine, Léaud expressed Truffaut's not-so-loving youth in LES QUATRE CENTS COUPS. Until his tenth, his grandmother took care of him. When she died, his stepfather – who's family name he carries – thought it was high time he came home, but François' mother didn't want that.

After Doine fell in love in ANTOINE ET COLETTE (1962) and subsequently started a relationship with the brave Christine in BAISERS VOLÉS (1968), DOMICILE CONJUGAL (1970) shows their first marital years. Nine years later, they parted in L'AMOUR EN FUITE (1979), a mosaic film rich in nostalgia and reverie.

• The 400 Blows
• Antoine and Colette
• Stolen Kisses
• Bed and Board
• Love on the Run

KINOLATINO, founded in Brussels in 2021 by Latin American filmmakers, showcases a diverse selection of Latin American cinema each year. The festival highlights pressing social issues such as migration, feminism, abortion, democracy, LGBTQI rights, and climate change, with a special focus on Indigenous voices. It provides a platform for stories often overlooked by mainstream media. For the second year, from April 12 to 19, a selection of six recent films and one classic will be screened -in original language and with English subtitles- at De Cinema in Antwerp.

Full programme and tickets

This year’s program explores themes of music and identity in PACTO DA VIOLA (Brazil) and UNA CANCION PARA MI TIERRA (Argentina), while FRESA Y CHOCOLATE (Cuba, 1993) and LA PIEL EN PRIMAVERA (Colombia) reflect on friendship, love, and (sexual) freedom. QUERIDO TRÓPICO (Panama) and REINAS (Peru) delve into home and self-discovery, while FORMAS DE ATRAVESAR UN TERRITORIO (Mexico) examines migration and identity through personal narratives.

• Devil's Guitar
• Queens
• Strawberry and Chocolate
• Ways to Traverse a Territory
• Beloved Tropic

Come and enjoy films for children, teenagers and the whole family during Easter break!

Full programme & tickets

The youngest can watch KLEINE DINGEN (2+): the cute adventures of five friends made out of clay. From the legendary Aardman Studios (WALLACE 1 GROMIT, SHAUN THE SHEEP). ▪ Also the orange cat Dikkie Dik (based on the children's books by Dutch author Jet Boeke) es our cinema with DIKKIE DIK EN DE VERDWENEN KNUFFEL (2+). A perfect first cinema experience! ▪ In KARELTJE KAT EN DE GRUFFALO (4+), two different short stories are brought together: Kareltje Kat and street musician Piet are the best of friends, but suddenly they part ways. Will they find each other again? And in DE GRUFFALO (25 years old already!), a small mouse invents a terrible monster to escape various predators. But suddenly, this scary, fantasized creature seems more real than initially thought... ▪ HET ZAKMES (6+) is the award-winning adaptation of the famous eponymous children's book by Sjoerd Kuyper. An ageless classic, about the changable relations between children and adults. ▪ FLOW (7+), the newest film by Gints Zilbalodis, recently won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature. This unique, wordless animation shows the immersive story of a cat who must learn to survive with other animals in a fully overflowed world. ▪ Inspired by various Greek myths, ICARUS (8+) shows a different view on these well-known stories. A lively adventure about the remarkable friendship between the Minotaur and Icarus. ▪ Céline Sciamma's tender and sensitive portrait of the 10-year-old Laure wasn't undiscussed at its release. Is TOMBOY (8+) the story of a transgender boy or an atypical girl?

• The Penknife
• Flow
• Tomboy
• Tummy Tom and the Lost Teddybear
• Kareltje Kat
• The Gruffalo
• Icarus

In honour of International Women's Day on 8 March, De Cinema presents the second edition of SPOTLIGHT ON WOMXN DIRECTORS. From 8 March until 8 April 2025, we spotlight female filmmakers and directors who identify as women. We want to break the dominance of white, male voices in the film canon with films offering new perspectives and thereby pleading for more equality, visibility, and recognition for female directors.

Full programme & tickets | Trailer

Women directors are often overlooked. Last year, we gave the floor to the works of Dorothy Arzner, a pioneer who made films in the 1930s and 40s about female autonomy and self-expression, but who was often ignored by the industry. This year, we present the works of MURIEL BOX, whose films from the 1940s and 50s offered socially relevant themes as well as entertainment, but which after time got lost in obscurity. Similarly, groundbreaking directors like Bridgett M. Davis with NAKED ACTS and Cheryl Dunye with THE WATERMELON WOMAN were pushed more and more to the background. We also do a retrospective on the works of ANDREA ARNOLD, one of Great Britain's most renowned filmmakers known for her socially-realistic style.

Today, only 21% of films made worldwide are directed by women, and in Flanders 28%. Despite their huge contributions to the film industry, female directors often don't get the recognition they deserve. Since the founding of the Oscars in 1929, only two women – Kathryn Bigelow and Chloé Zhao– have won the prize for Best Director. This recently became even more clear at the Flemish Ensors, where not a single woman received a prize.

SPOTLIGHT ON WOMXN DIRECTORS is a call for change and a chance to discover the works of female directors which not only transform the film industry but how we look at the world. The future of cinema is diverse – and starts here.

• Caramel
• Where Do We Go Now?
• Capernaum
• Red Road
• Fish Tank
• Wuthering Heights
• American Honey
• Cow
• Bird
• Golden Eighties

...plus 41 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

For decades, queer voices have been excluded from mainstream media, and even today, their cinematic representation is limited or often too one-sided. Following last fall's (R)EVOLUTION programme on the camera as a weapon of resistance, our new series, UNBOUND SELVES: QUEER VOICES, explores the power of unbound self-expression on the silver screen. The struggle for recognition on and off screen has shaped LGBTQIA+ history. This programme collects several cinematic highlights illuminating the liberating power of honest representation, both in arthouse fiction and documentary cinema. These diverse films about community, safe(r) spaces, love, and identity fight against bored-out norms, each in their own way.

Full programme & tickets | Trailer

• Paris Is Burning
• The Watermelon Woman
• Happy Together
• Milk
• Desert Hearts
• Funeral Parade of Roses
• Brokeback Mountain
• My Life in Pink
• Go Fish
• Tomboy

...plus 12 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

"I was always fascinated by stories that said something about life", said Robby Müller during a masterclass in 1994. "The consequence was: I had to find directors and stories that made sense to me. Who also enriched my life. Who made me think about life." For such inspiring collaborations, the Dutch cameraman had been looking for his entire career, and he happily found them with the likes of Wim Wenders, Jim Jarmusch and Lars von Trier. Together they went on a journey, chasing life and light. It was probably the same for the icon who died in 2018. "There is a crack in everything", sang Leonard Cohen. "That's how the light gets in." Müller understood that like no other.

Full programme & tickets | Trailer

• Ghost Dog: The Way of the Samurai
• Living the Light: Robby Müller
• Dancer in the Dark
• Breaking the Waves
• Buena Vista Social Club
• Alice in the Cities
• Wrong Move
• Kings of the Road
• Until the End of the World
• To Live and Die in L.A.

Full programme & tickets

• Aladdin
• Mrs. Doubtfire
• Mary and Max
• Oh Willy...
• This Magnificent Cake!
• The new adventures of Capelito
• Go Away, Alfred!
• Head in the Clouds
• Fox and Hare Save the Forest
• New Tales of Franz

...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

At De Cinema, we honour our tradition of ending the year in style with our Top 5 Best International Films.

Full programme & tickets

us during the Christmas holiday for Alice Rohrwacher’s delicate folk tale LA CHIMERA, Martin Scorsese’s haunting epic KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON, George Miller’s action-packed prequel FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA, Wim Wenders’ touching cinematic poem PERFECT DAYS and the intimate documentary SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD by Anna Hints. De Cinema screens these five essential films which touch us, challenge us, confront us and take us to different realities. Five future films which absolutely need to be seen and experienced on the big screen.

• Perfect Days
• La Chimera
• Killers of the Flower Moon
• Smoke Sauna Sisterhood
• Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

DE CINEMA IS HAUNTED!

This Autumn break, come and shudder along at De Cinema! From 28 October to 3 November, for small and big daredevils who aren't afraid of monsters, don't hide from witches, and are up for any adventure! Dress up and get a fun surprise!

Full programme & tickets

• Casper
• The Nightmare Before Christmas
• Coraline
• Frankenweenie
• Corpse Bride
• The Gruffalo
• The Gruffalo's Child
• Room on the Broom
• Luce and the Rock
• Sounds Between the Crowns

...plus 3 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Ode aan ‘t Stad op het Witte Doek

‘t Stad waarin we gedijen, waar we soms kwaad, dan weer trots op zijn.
‘t Stad dat zich geregeld van zijn lelijkste, maar vaker van zijn schoonste kant laat zien.
‘t Stad met z’n wankele mankementen en absolute volmaaktheden.

Full programme & tickets

Dit seizoen brengen De Studio en De Cinema een bijzondere ode aan Antwerpen, de stad die ons vormt, inspireert en uitdaagt. Van oktober 2024 tot mei 2025 zetten we elke maand een film in de kijker die hier is opgenomen. Antwerpen, met zijn mix van rauwe schoonheid, historische grandeur en moderne dynamiek, vormt het ideale decor voor films die zowel zijn onvolkomenheden als zijn schitterende kanten weerspiegelen. ANTWERPEN FILMSTAD toont hoe ‘t Stad door de jaren heen is vastgelegd op het witte doek.

• Seagulls Die in the Harbour
• Zaman
• Farewells
• Any Way the Wind Blows
• Charlie and Hannah's Grand Night Out
• Carnotstraat 17
• Dark Diamond

“You ain’t never had a friend like me!”

This way, Robin Williams introduces his Genie in ALADDIN as probably the most memorable Disney sidekick and one of William's most cherished roles. The brilliant Robin Williams – who began his career as a stand-up and slowly migrated to film roles – made it his life goal to put a smile on everyone's face, despite his fight against his own demons. A battle he lost on 14 August 2014.

Full programme & tickets | Trailer

To celebrate William's life work, we dive into his versatile oeuvre this December. From an inspiring teacher who learns his students 'carpe diem' in DEAD POETS SOCIETY, through the crazy tramp with a painful past in THE FISHER KING to his Oscar-winning performance as a patient psychologist in GOOD WILL HUNTING. William's charisma and talent made him just as able to play a loved clown in the nostalgic MRS. DOUBTFIRE, a flamboyant nightclub owner in THE BIRDCAGE, as a possible serial killer in INSOMNIA. And of course, we can't forget his performance in the family classic JUMANJI!

One thing is for certain: Robin William's legacy gives us just as much comfort and laughter as tears. Now we're sure: we ain’t never had a friend like Robin...

Worthy of his legend, we screen every film in our Robin Williams focus on 35mm! Thanks to CINEMATEK.

• Dead Poets Society
• The Fisher King
• Good Will Hunting
• Mrs. Doubtfire
• The Birdcage
• Insomnia
• Jumanji
• Aladdin

Big eyes, an enigmatic smile and a throaty voice. The appearance of Nouvelle Vague actress Jeanne Moreau works magnetically on the big screen. She acquired an iconic status in and far abroad through her unforgettable portrayals. With her performances, she not only put herself but also other French actors on the film historic map

“Acting deals with very delicate emotions. It is not putting up a mask. Each time an actor acts he does not hide. He exposes himself.”
Jeanne Moreau

Full programme & tickets | Trailer

Think of Louis Malle with ASCENSEUR POUR L’ÉCHAFAUD and LES AMANTS or François Truffaut with JULES ET JIM. Her sensual appearance ed flawless timing and acting technique. A combination that ensured that Moreau could bring some of the most complex women in film history to life.

With LUMIÈRE, Moreau made her debut in 1976 as a director. She also wrote the screenplay and played the main part. L’ADOLESCENTE from 1979, again directed and written by Moreau, is also on our programme. The actress started in the theatre but became immortal on the big screen with a career which spanned 60 years.

We screen the five titles mentioned above, plus Michelangelo Antonioni’s LA NOTTE and the later LA VIEILLE QUI MARCHAIT DANS LA MER by Laurent Heynemann, for which she won a César as Best Actress.

• Elevator to the Gallows
• The Lovers
• Jules and Jim
• Lumière
• The Adolescent
• La Notte
• The Old Lady Who Walked in the Sea

The camera as a weapon of resistance: today, more than ever, it is clear how significant the impact of film and video is on public discourse and political debate—whether as evidence, a portal to another continent, or in the fight against fake news. Throughout film history, both filmmakers and amateurs have taken up the camera to give a face to injustice or in the struggle for a better world.

Full programme & tickets | Trailer

(R)EVOLUTION focuses on these universal themes of resistance and freedom. This program is a call for reflection on the power of cinema as a means to amplify the voices of the oppressed. This diverse collection of historical and contemporary films highlights social upheavals, political struggles, and revolutionary movements. The films showcase different facets of social revolutions, both violent and peaceful, and their impact on individuals and communities worldwide.

• I Am Cuba
• Z
• 5 Broken Cameras
• Mr. Smith Goes to Washington
• Soundtrack to a Coup d'Etat
• Black Panthers
• The Black Power Mixtape 1967-1975
• Sambizanga
• Kamay
• Bye Bye Tiberias

...plus 7 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Roaring engines, leather jackets, and untamed freedom. Since the 1960s, biker films have achieved mythical status on the big screen. This genre, rooted in rebellion and the search for identity, offers a unique perspective on outsiders who choose their own path, far from the beaten track.

Full programme & tickets | Trailer

Think of classics like EASY RIDER, the road movie that not only defined motorcycle culture but also an entire generation. The recent THE BIKERIDERS powerfully portrays how this biker culture—once a symbol of freedom and rebellion—gradually unraveled after its heyday.

Biker films create a world where the individual and society collide forcefully. You can see that reflected in our program as well. From the poetic Japanese biker film HIS MOTORBIKE, HER ISLAND and dystopian Brazilian gangster western DRY GROUND BURNING, over Wong Kar-Wai’s FALLEN ANGELS (in 4K) to Diop Mambéty’s TOUKI BOUKI and from STREETS OF FIRE to THE LOVELESS, I BOUGHT A VAMPIRE MOTORCYCLE, THE ROAD TO PATAGONIA, Japanese animation AKIRA and RODEO, each spices up its unique story with speed, danger, and raw energy. Ride on!

• Easy Rider
• The Bikeriders
• His Motorbike, Her Island
• Dry Ground Burning
• Fallen Angels
• Touki Bouki
• Streets of Fire
• The Loveless
• I Bought a Vampire Motorcycle
• The Road to Patagonia

...plus 2 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

At the start of this summer, the inimitable Shelley Duvall ed away. Although unforgettable in Stanley Kubrick’s THE SHINING, she shines extra bright in the films of American director Robert Altman. As his muse, she dabbles throughout his diverse filmography—from comedies to westerns to musicals.

Full programme & tickets | Trailer

▪ BREWSTER MCCLOUD | Shelley first appears on the big screen in this dark comedy, where she seduces not only the title character but also the audience. Her makeup, with eye-catching long lashes, is now legendary.

▪ POPEYE | A decade later she sings with Robin Williams as the strong-willed but sincere Olive Oyl in the musical comic adaptation of Popeye. Paul Thomas Anderson was such a big fan of the film that he used Duvall's song He Needs Me in PUNCH-DRUNK-LOVE.

▪ NASHVILLE | One of the essential films of the 1970s, a critical mosaic of America on the eve of the presidential election. Shelley Duvall towers above the rest in hot pants and platform shoes as the enigmatic groupie L.A. Joan. Of all the characters, Duvall is perhaps the most memorable.

▪ MCCABE & MRS. MILLER | In Altman's revisionistic western, Warren Beatty and Julie Christie are a gambler and sex worker who, as new-fangled business partners roam a desolate mining city in the Old West. Duvall es as the bride of Keith Carradine and no one less than Leonard Cohen signed in for the soundtrack.

▪ THIEVES LIKE US | Also here, Carradine and Duvall fall in love. He is an escaped bank robber who is planning a last heist. She is the film's beating heart: full of charm and love she shows the importance of those fleeting moments between the action.

▪ 3 WOMEN | For her role in one of Altman's most praised films, Duvall was celebrated with the award for Best Actress in Cannes. Alongside Sissy Spacek and Janice Rule, she shines in the psychological drama where the three titular women's relationship becomes more and more bizarre.

The DUVALL & ALTMAN programme can also be seen in our matinee screenings.

• Brewster McCloud
• Popeye
• Nashville
• McCabe & Mrs. Miller
• Thieves Like Us
• 3 Women

“Show, don’t tell.” The first lesson screenwriters get taught. Nonetheless, countless filmmakers resist this idea. And that's a good thing. Look at mumblecore, the independent film wave that 'originated' twenty years ago at the South by Southwest festival. But before intimate, often cheaply made indie films like HANNAH TAKES THE STAIRS portrayed talkative millennials with chronic unhappiness, there were artists who wanted to eavesdrop on daily dialogues and meandering conversations than tell stories with visual ingenuity. Look at how filmmakers like Éric Rohmer, Joe Swanberg, Rose Troche, Hong Sang-soo and Claudia Weill make the 'banal' special.

Full programme & tickets | Trailer

• s Ha
• Matt and Mara
• Funny Ha Ha
• My Night at Maud's
• Hannah Takes the Stairs
• Charlie and Hannah's Grand Night Out
• Go Fish
• Girlfriends
• Right Now, Wrong Then

“Where we’re from, the birds sing a pretty song... and there’s always music in the air”, it sounds in TWIN PEAKS.

Where is that place where the sky is filled with music? Visionary filmmaker David Lynch took us during his illustrious career to countless 'other places'. Worlds where the surreal rules and nothing is what it seems – especially the owls. The places Lynch created are steeped in opposites: cosy and creepy, enlightening and dark, beautiful and ugly. Since Lynch's film debut ERASERHEAD, exists for this strange mix a wonderful, intangible word: 'lynchian'.

Full programme & tickets | Trailer

“This whole world’s wild at heart and weird on top.”

With the parting of Lynch, the world became a little less weird. But the legacy the cult director left behind is invaluable. It's a guide through his imagination, a just as familiar as a bizarre view of the unknown. We honour his unique voice with screenings of ERASERHEAD (1977), THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980), BLUE VELVET (1986), WILD AT HEART (1990), a marathon screening of TWIN PEAKS: SEASON ONE (1990) with coffee, cherry pie and doughnuts, and finish with TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME (1992).

Dream in Peace, David Lynch.

• Eraserhead
• The Elephant Man
• Blue Velvet
• Wild at Heart
• Twin Peaks: Fire Walk with Me

Visit our website for the full programme and tickets.

▪ DUVALL & ALTMAN | At the start of this summer, the inimitable Shelley Duvall ed away. Although unforgettable in Stanley Kubrick’s THE SHINING, she shines extra bright in the films of American director Robert Altman. As his muse, she dabbles throughout his diverse filmography—from comedies to westerns to musicals.

▪ ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS | Thanks to direct cinema classics like DON'T LOOK BACK and MONTEREY POP, D.A. Pennebaker turned into the chronicler of the American counterculture of the 1960s. In Europe, the filmmaker became immortal with his documentary about David Bowie's legendary final performance as Ziggy Stardust. A unique insight into one of the most influential stars of contemporary musical history.

▪ YOGA + SONGS OF EARTH | In the meditative documentary SONGS OF THE EARTH, filmmaker Margreth Olin asks herself what it means to be one with nature. We follow in the footsteps of our guide and cross the spectacular Norwegian Oldedalen valley. A poetic, cinematic experience which we freely precede by a Yin or Hatha yoga session.

▪ SCREEN2PLAY: CLUE | Film lovers who enjoy a good board game (or vice versa) rejoice! In September, De Cinema s forces with games café The Playground for the first edition of SCREEN2PLAY, a cinematic board game night. After the screening of whodunit-classic CLUE, you can descend to our foyer for card and board games related to the film’s theme. Let the games begin!

• 3 Women
• Thieves Like Us
• McCabe & Mrs. Miller
• Nashville
• Popeye
• Brewster McCloud
• Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
• Songs of Earth
• Clue
• A Page of Madness

...plus 26 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

MODERN TIMES

Full programme & tickets

For the third time in a row, Flemish cinemas celebrate the new film year. De Cinema celebrates along again with a unique film programme. As a kick-off for the new season on Sunday 6 October, we screen two impressive classics: the German science fiction METROPOLIS by Fritz Lang from 1927, and the hallucinatory spectacle KOYAANISQATSI, Godfrey Reggio's film debut from 1982 with the iconic soundtrack of Philip Glass. We also screen a collection of short films, POSTMODERN TIMES, which perfectly matches the themes and narration of the two features. Everyone's welcome at the poster sale or to a tour behind the scenes and in the projection booth.

One ticket, three film screenings!

• Metropolis
• Organism
• Agrilogistics
• Glass
• Misty Picture
• Koyaanisqatsi

This summer, three musical milestones on the big screen: It's time to rock and roll!

Full programme & tickets

▪ AMERICAN UTOPIA (4K) | Following the huge success of our screenings of STOP MAKING SENSE, we bring more David Byrne with a second masterpiece. Tap along to the rhythm of the beat with this brilliant concert film directed by Spike Lee, where Byrne does more than play his greatest hits. It's a call to connect, fight inequality and above all: celebrate life.

▪ Two times The Rolling Stones on the big screen!
GIMME SHELTER | Feel the heartbeat of an era with this compelling documentary filmed in Direct Cinema style. A unique documentation of their 1969 tour, which culminated in the disastrous Altamont Free Concert. The hangover of the Summer of Love, captured on film.
THE STONES AND BRIAN JONES | A brand new film, with the focus on the enigmatic and controversial guitarist Brian Jones, who undeniably contributed to the sound of a generation.

▪ ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS | Thanks to direct cinema classics like DON'T LOOK BACK and MONTEREY POP, D.A. Pennebaker turned into the chronicler of the American counterculture of the 1960s. In Europe, the filmmaker became immortal with his documentary about David Bowie's legendary final performance as Ziggy Stardust. A unique insight into one of the most influential stars of contemporary musical history.

▪ A PAGE OF MADNESS | The Belgian black metal band Wiegedood is known worldwide for its merciless music and impressive live performances. The trio presents in the concert hall of De Studio a entirely new soundtrack to the enigmatic Japanese silent film A PAGE OF MADNESS. Prepare yourself for electroacoustic soundscapes, explosive outbursts and ingeniously interwoven fragments of existing Wiegedood songs. An essential filmconcert for enthusiasts of the heavier genre and experimental music, and fans of impressive films.

• David Byrne's American Utopia
• Gimme Shelter
• The Stones and Brian Jones
• Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars
• A Page of Madness

From July 7 to 13, we expect you back in Antwerp for ZOMERFILMCOLLEGE! For seven days we will immerse ourselves in two film historical themes, through fifteen or so lectures and some twenty film screenings. This year's theme is Rooted in Dissent: Auteur Cinema.

Full programme & tickets | Trailer

The two main themes – Auteur Cinema in the Soviet Periphery after the Thaw, and Auteur Cinema in the Final Years of Francoist Spain – take place alternatively in the morning and afternoon, followed by a coffee break and lecture (in English). The evening screenings are accessible to all participants. ZOMERFILMCOLLEGE brings film lovers in touch with renowned film specialists from Belgium and abroad, but also with films from the collection of CINEMATEK and other film archives which are seldom or never shown on the big screen.

This programme is compiled by film critics Cristina Álvarez López and Adrian Martin, as well as Film Secession curator Richard Suchenski (Bard College).

Click here for a for the full programme or one of the two focuses. There are also separate tickets for film screenings available here.

• Kyiv Frescoes
• Hakob Hovnatanyan
• Arabesques on the Pirosmani Theme
• Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors
• The Wishing Tree
• Viridiana
• Who Can Kill a Child?
• The Executioner
• The First Teacher
• Heat

...plus 16 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

This summer, ModeMuseum Antwerpen explores the works of Belgian photographer Willy Vanderperre in the new exhibition WILLY VANDERPERRE prints, films, a rave and more… (27/04-04/08/24). In this context, he curates a film programme at De Cinema with various double bills in May, June and July. There are separate tickets available as well as combo tickets. For Museumnacht Antwerpen, he presents a unique triple bill evening programme.

Full programme & tickets

• The Cook, the Thief, His Wife & Her Lover
• Heartlands
• My Own Private Idaho
• The Lost Boys
• The Wounded Man
• The Night of the Hunter
• Beats
• Weekend
• Song of Love
• Querelle

Visit our website for the full programme and tickets.

▪ JACQUES DEMY'S ROMANTIC TRILOGY | This summer, go on an unforgettable journey through Jacques Demy's Romantic Trilogy, where every frame's a painting and every story a song.

▪ WESTERN MILESTONES | Saddle up for an adventurous journey through the wild frontier and the history of one of the most important film genres. With absolute milestones and impressive modern westerns.

▪ SUMMER OF ROCK | This summer, three musical milestones on the big screen: It's time to rock and roll!

▪ ZOMERFILMCOLLEGE | From July 7 to 13, we expect you back in Antwerp for Zomerfilmcollege! For seven days we will immerse ourselves in two film historical themes, through fifteen or so lectures and some twenty film screenings. This year's theme is Rooted in Dissent: Auteur Cinema.

• Sexy Beast
• The Zone of Interest
• Lola
• The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
• The Young Girls of Rochefort
• High Noon
• The Searchers
• One-Eyed Jacks
• Once Upon a Time in the West
• The Wild Bunch

...plus 55 more. View the full list on Letterboxd.

Antwerp Queer Arts Festival is back on our programme this year. Local performers and international talent work together in a mix of all possible art forms, including film. On 4 and 18 August, AQAF takes over our cinemas.

Full programme & tickets

▪ LOVE LIES BLEEDING (4K) | A romantic neo-noir thriller about a gym owner (Kristen Stewart) who falls in love with a bodybuilder, which pulls her deeper into the dangerous web of her criminal family.

▪ AQAF SHORTS | As usual, AQAF presents a thrilling and eclectic short film compilation on the big screen. The selected shorts are featured in this list.

▪ QUEENDOM | A documentary about the life of Gena, a queer artist from a small Russian village. Through radical, public performances, she engages with a new form of activism and art, risking her life.

• Love Lies Bleeding
• Friends of Sophia
• Things to Come
• Priorities
• You can't get what you want but you can get me
• Rejoyce!
• If I'm Here It Is by Mystery
• Queendom

BERT SCHOLIERS is the screenwriter and director of the film CHARLIE EN HANNAH GAAN UIT and the popular Streamz series F*** YOU VERY, VERY MUCH. At the moment, he's working on his new costume series BELLE EPOQUE. Scholiers is a regular at De Cinema and takes you this summer on an unforgettable journey through Jacques Demy's Romantic Trilogy, where every frame's a painting and every story a song. He will personally introduce almost every screening.

Full programme & tickets

▪ LOLA (35MM) | 'Avec Lola, j'ai voulu faire un film autour de la recherche du bonheur, de l'amour, dans le monde moderne', aldus Demy. Hij concipieerde LOLA als een musical, maar moest om budgettaire redenen van die ambitie afzien (de film bevat uiteindelijk maar één lied, Chanson de Lola, waarvoor zijn partner Agnès Varda de woorden neerpende). Wellicht de mooiste debuutfilm uit de Nouvelle Vague, onder meer door Demy’s tedere, meanderende scenario (tjokvol smachtende verliefde zielen), het breekbare acteerspel van Anouk Aimée (in de rol van variétézangeres en single mom Lola), en de dromerige, overbelichte composities van cameraman Raoul Coutard.

▪ LES PARAPLUIES DE CHERBOURG (4K) | Cherbourg, het jaar des Heren 1957. Geneviève houdt van Guy en Guy houdt van Geneviève. Hun jeugdige liefde wordt echter flink beproefd wanneer Guy opgeroepen wordt voor zijn militaire dienst. Demy’s melancholische, candy-coloured film is een van de wonderlijkste die ooit op pellicule gestansd werd. Demy transformeert een simpel liefdesverhaaltje tot een hypnotiserend, eindeloos poëtisch, door merg en been snijdend muzikaal drama (in zijn zuiverste vorm, want werkelijk iedere zin wordt gezongen). Een virtuoos geënsceneerd meesterwerk dat flirt met het filmisch sublieme. 'Il faut écouter cette musique (avec) une oreille tendue vers le rêve', zei Demy, die met de film terecht de Gouden Palm won in 1964. Op datzelfde festival in Cannes ging de gloednieuw gerestaureerde 4K versie zonet in wereldpremière, exact 60 jaar later!"

▪ LES DEMOISELLES DE ROCHEFORT | Demy verzaakt de droefgeestige lyriek van LES PARAPLUIES DE CHERBOURG voor een extravagant en zonovergoten audiovisueel festijn. Zussen Catherine Deneuve en Françoise Dorléac spelen de tweelingzussen Garnier, die al zingend en dansend door de Franse havenstad Rochefort dartelen, op zoek naar de liefde en le bonheur. LES DEMOISELLES DE ROCHEFORT is een uitgelaten liefdesverklaring aan het genre, een ambitieuze übermusical die olijk knipoogt naar vele Amerikaanse voorgangers (Hollywoodlegende Gene Kelly komt zelfs opdraven en herneemt zijn dansje uit Minnelli’s AN AMERICAN IN PARIS). Een portie puur geluk.

• Lola
• The Umbrellas of Cherbourg
• The Young Girls of Rochefort

Saddle up for an adventurous journey through the wild frontier and the history of one of the most important film genres. With absolute milestones and impressive modern westerns.

Full programme and tickets | Trailer

▪ HIGH NOON | Experience the fear and unbearable heat in a small New Mexico village with Fred Zinneman's HIGH NOON. With Gary Cooper as the newlywed sheriff who, just before the arrival of his successor, has to stand alone against four dangerous outlaws.

▪ ONE-EYED JACKS | The only film directed by Marlon Brando, who also plays the main character, is a story about betrayal and revenge that surprisingly knows how to evade the typical one-dimensional personality of the protagonists.

▪ THE SEARCHERS | Masterly directed by John Ford with the legendary John Wayne in the main role. With probably one of the most iconic final shots in film history, that will stay in your mind long after the film has ended.

▪ ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (4K) | Sergio Leone shows his greatness nowhere better than in this masterpiece, restored in breathtaking 4K resolution. Eternal good guy Henry Fonda can be seen as the surprising face of evil, while Charles Bronson and Claudia Cardinale both play a part that's as unforgettable as Ennio Morricone's soundtrack.

▪ THE WILD BUNCH (35MM) | New Hollywood was responsible for the reinvention of the western genre with the raw intensity of THE WILD BUNCH as the leading example. The visionary Sam Peckinpah brought a visceral exploration of the effence of the outlaw culture.

▪ We add to these undisputed milestones two impressive contemporary westerns:
LOS COLONOS | A bold, modern twist on the genre that takes place in the Chilean Tierra del Fuego.
THE DEAD DON’T HURT | This western shows a somewhat more serene depiction of the wild west. With Viggo Mortensen behind as well as in front of the camera, alongside the versatile Vicky Krieps.

• High Noon
• One-Eyed Jacks
• The Searchers
• Once Upon a Time in the West
• The Wild Bunch
• The Settlers
• The Dead Don't Hurt

From July 6 to 12, we expect you back in De Cinema in Antwerp for ZOMERFILMCOLLEGE! For seven days we will immerse ourselves in two film historical themes, through fifteen or so lectures by world-renowned critics and academics, Q&As with filmmakers and some twenty screenings of both original 35mm copies and recent digital restorations.

Full programme & tickets

ZOMERFILMCOLLEGE brings film lovers in touch with renowned film specialists from Belgium and abroad, but also with films from the collection of CINEMATEK and other film archives, which are seldom or never shown on the big screen.

Click here for a for the full programme or one of the two focuses. There are also separate tickets for film screenings available here.

The Many Worlds of Satyajit Ray 4t372r

Satyajit Ray (1921-92) ranks undoubtedly among the finest auteurs of the second half of the twentieth century. Deeply involved in every aspect of filmmaking, he explored themes of class, gender, modernity, and tradition across genres, each time inspired by music, visual arts, literature, folklore and philosophy. Rooted in Bengal’s cultural, historical, and regional realities, his work reveals many worlds—intimate, complex, and universally resonant.

This program strand aims to offer a chronological overview of Ray’s career, focussing on several key themes along the way, from his approach to historicism and his bond with local and international literature to his take on female protagonists.

Guest speakers for this program strand are Professor Rochona Majumdar (University of Chicago) and Assistant Professor Ritika Kaushik (University of Warwick).

2f6o50

Rites of age: A Personal History of Teen Movies 402z1x

Film and the modern idea of adolescence saw the light of day roughly at the same time, and have influenced each other ever since. The ‘discovery’ of adolescence in the late 19th century and the ‘invention’ of the teenager in the early 20th century coincided with the formative years of cinema. The idea of youth has been around in film history since at least the jazz age, but the first teen movie boom came in the 1950s, both in Hollywood (e.g. The Wild One) and in art film (e.g. Sommaren med Monika).

This program strand in no way aims to offer a definitive history of teen movies, but rather an idiosyncratic one, which at the same time does try to showcase the diversity (in of tone, time, place, …) and richness of the genre.

Guest speakers for this program strand are film critics Adrian Martin and Cristina Álvarez López; our guest curator was invited in collaboration with Film Secession (Richard Suchenski).

Trailer by Jasper Loos

For five times, over a period of twenty years, the legendary Jean-Pierre Léaud portrayed the alter ego of the just as iconic French Nouvelle Vague director François Truffaut. As Antoine Doinel, he first appears in his breakthrough film, and key film of the innovative wave, LES QUATRE CENTS COUPS (1959). Thereafter, four more films follow. In May and June, CINEA brings the entire Doinel series back to Flemish cinemas, in a digitally restored 4K version!

Full programme & tickets

The 1944-born Léaud was chosen from a group of hundreds of children after a casting call by Truffaut in a newspaper – he was fourteen years old. A year later, he was carried on the audience's shoulders after their triumphant screening in Cannes. As Antoine, Léaud expressed Truffaut's not-so-loving youth in LES QUATRE CENTS COUPS. Until his tenth, his grandmother took care of him. When she died, his stepfather – who's family name he carries – thought it was high time he came home, but François' mother didn't want that.

After Doine fell in love in ANTOINE ET COLETTE (1962) and subsequently started a relationship with the brave Christine in BAISERS VOLÉS (1968), DOMICILE CONJUGAL (1970) shows their first marital years. Nine years later, they parted in L'AMOUR EN FUITE (1979), a mosaic film rich in nostalgia and reverie.

Trailer by MK2

KICKING ASS AND TAKING NAMES 3394i

Can women lead an action film? It's still a hot topic in film criticism. Nevertheless, this debate has already been settled more than a century ago by the serial queens. And the answer is a resounding YES!

Full programme & tickets

More than lead, action heroines can fire them up. The serial queens were cinema's first international action heroes and the star actresses of the film serials, a series of short action films which tell a continuous story. It was they who spectacularly broke through on the big screen in the 1910s and catapulted cinema to the most popular medium. They were powerful, inventive, heroic and simultaneously glamorous. The serial queens did most of their daring stunts themselves, and they were very much loved by the general audience. The for that time sensational film episodes introduced the – often literal – cliffhanger which is still indispensable in (film) series. From WHAT HAPPENED TO MARY to THE EXPLOITS OF ELAINE and THE PERILS OF PAULINE. The "dating misses of the movies" jump, fly, dangle and fall without fear. These first film stars were exceptional.

And yet. Female action heroes and stunt women stay underappreciated and are painfully undercelebrated. No more! De Cinema opens her doors for the badass, ass-kicking, headbusting (S)HEROES from film history who shatter more than one glass ceiling.

Nida Manzoors' POLITE SOCIETY (2023) about an aspiring stunt woman opens the focus with a bang and shows the power of sisterhood, an important common thread through this series. The film also puts another cornerstone of our programme in the spotlight: no action without martial arts. And who better than Michelle Yeoh to teach us a lesson in kung fu fighting in the indispensable THE HEROIC TRIO (1993) and Ang Lee's CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (2000), or Maggie Cheung in Zhan Yimou's HERO (2002)?

Films of Fury: avenging angels c2z40

The films don't need any explanation: in Asian cinema, female martial artists have always overpowered their male opponents. And their motivations often derive from revenge. Take a look at the Korean THE VILLAINESS (2017), the Indonesian western MARLINA THE MURDERER IN FOUR ACTS (2017) and the Filipino LEONOR WILL NEVER DIE (2022). However, the embodiment of the avenging angel is still the Japanese Meiko Kaji in LADY SNOWBLOOD (1973).

The legendary LADY SNOWBLOOD was an important source of inspiration for Quentin Tarantino's KILL BILL. Tarantino succeeded in making female action heroes box office successes again in America and Europe with blockbusters JACKIE BROWN (1997), KILL BILL: VOLUME 1 (2003) & KILL BILL: VOLUME 2 (2004), and DEATH PROOF (2007). JACKIE BROWN's Pam Grier was no unknown in the action genre. In Jack Hill's COFFY (1973), Grier adorned the screen as "the baddest one-chick hit-squad that ever hit town!" Also on the programme is Tarantino's favourite anime, GHOST IN THE SHELL (1995), the ultimate guilty pleasure CHARLIE'S ANGELS (2000) and THE WOMAN KING (2022) with Oscar winner Viola Davis.

Battling Babes 5wj30

That women can handle themselves in the action genre since the beginning of film history the serial queens already proved. But they have to keep fighting for a spot in a what through the years has turned into a male genre. Female action heroes are often not only judged on their fighting skills but also on their looks. Take, for example, Monica Vitti's outfits as a genius master criminal in MODESTY BLAISE (1966), Jane Fonda opening an extra button as a cowgirl in CAT BALLOU (1965), and in LA FEMME NIKITA (1990), Anne Parillaud plays the title role and a very literal femme fatale. We also screen Jacques Tourneur's ANNE OF THE INDIES (1951) and the Mexican LA MUJER MURCIÉLAGO (1968).

Action as a Serious Game 51325e

Through the years, we see more drama actresses daring the switch to the action genre. When Barbara Stanwyck in FORTY GUNS (1957) took on the role of landowner and gang leader, she didn't hesitate. Also years later, star actresses showed that action is not gratuitous and definitely not a man's job. For example, Gena Rowlands took on the role of GLORIA (1980), a woman who reluctantly becomes the guardian of a boy who is the target of a mafia murder commando. And Jamie Lee Curtis gets stalked by a crazy man in BLUE STEEL (1990), directed by Kathryn Bigelow who injected the action film with her signature dynamic style.

Stuntwomen: the untold stories f6q2g

The action documentary STUNTWOMEN: THE UNTOLD HOLLYWOOD STORY (2020) zooms even more on the inspiring story behind the unsung stunt women, who oftentimes have to fight even harder off screen to be treated in a fair and equal way to their male colleagues.

From the moment the film cameras first started rolling, action co-created the film landscape. And women were masters of that action from the beginning. If it's about life-threatening stunts, a bloody vendetta, or acting from self-defence. It should be clear by now: women in action rule!

Trailer by Natalie Meeusen

In honour of International Women's Day on 8 March, De Cinema presents the second edition of SPOTLIGHT ON WOMXN DIRECTORS. From 8 March until 8 April 2025, we spotlight female filmmakers and directors who identify as women. We want to break the dominance of white, male voices in the film canon with films offering new perspectives and thereby pleading for more equality, visibility, and recognition for female directors.

Full programme and tickets

Women directors are often overlooked. Last year, we gave the floor to the works of Dorothy Arzner, a pioneer who made films in the 1930s and 40s about female autonomy and self-expression, but who was often ignored by the industry. This year, we present the works of MURIEL BOX, whose films from the 1940s and 50s offered socially relevant themes as well as entertainment, but which after time got lost in obscurity. Similarly, groundbreaking directors like Bridgett M. Davis with NAKED ACTS and Cheryl Dunye with THE WATERMELON WOMAN were pushed more and more to the background. We also do a retrospective on the works of ANDREA ARNOLD, one of Great Britain's most renowned filmmakers known for her socially-realistic style.

Today, only 21% of films made worldwide are directed by women, and in Flanders 28%. Despite their huge contributions to the film industry, female directors often don't get the recognition they deserve. Since the founding of the Oscars in 1929, only two women – Kathryn Bigelow and Chloé Zhao– have won the prize for Best Director. This recently became even more clear at the Flemish Ensors, where not a single woman received a prize.

SPOTLIGHT ON WOMXN DIRECTORS is a call for change and a chance to discover the works of female directors which not only transform the film industry but how we look at the world. The future of cinema is diverse – and starts here.

The programme features the following films:

Nadine Labaki's CARAMEL (2007), ET MAINTENANT ON VA OÙ? (2011) and CAPERNAUM (2018).
Andrea Arnold's RED ROAD (2006), FISH TANK (2009), WUTHERING HEIGHTS (2011), AMERICAN HONEY (2016), COW (2021) and BIRD (2024).
Chantal Akerman's GOLDEN EIGHTIES (1986), J'AI FAIM, J'AI FROID (1984) and JE, TU, IL, ELLE (1974).
Debra Granik's WINTER'S BONE (2010) and LEAVE NO TRACE (2018).
Muriel Box's THE TRUTH ABOUT WOMEN (1957), RATTLE OF A SIMPLE MAN (1964), THE IONATE STRANGER (1957) and SIMON AND LAURA (1955) in our matinees.
As well as THE MURDER OF MR. DEVIL (1970), SOMETHING DIFFERENT (1963), SHE-DEVIL (1989), LITTLE (2019), NAKED ACTS (1996), THE WATERMELON WOMAN (1996), TOMBOY (2011), LES FEMMES AU BALCON (2024), HOW TO HAVE SEX (2023), LINGUA FRANCA (2019), POLITE SOCIETY (2023) as kick-off for our (S)HEROES programme, PARIAH (2011), L'UNE CHANTE, L'AUTRE PAS (1977) and a collection of Lotte Reiniger's fairy tale films with live musical accompaniment.
And, last but not least, documentaries BLACK BOX DIARIES (2024), LES DAMES BLANCHES (2024), SHAKEDOWN (2018), CARNOTSTRAAT 17 (2015) and UNE FEMME QUI PART (2025).

Trailer by Jasper Loos

“Show, don’t tell.” The first lesson screenwriters get taught. Nonetheless, countless filmmakers resist this idea. And that's a good thing. Look at mumblecore, the independent film wave that 'originated' twenty years ago at the South by Southwest festival. But before intimate, often cheaply made indie films like HANNAH TAKES THE STAIRS portrayed talkative millennials with chronic unhappiness, there were artists who wanted to eavesdrop on daily dialogues and meandering conversations than tell stories with visual ingenuity. Look at how filmmakers like Éric Rohmer, Joe Swanberg, Rose Troche, Hong Sang-soo and Claudia Weill make the 'banal' special.

Full programme and tickets

We kick off the focus on 7 February with S HA (2012), followed by MATT AND MARA (2024), FUNNY HA HA (2002), MA NUIT CHEZ MAUD (1969), HANNAH TAKES THE STAIRS (2007), CHARLIE EN HANNAH GAAN UIT (2017), GO FISH (1994), GIRLFRIENDS (1978) andRIGHT NOW, WRONG THEN (2015).

Trailer by Natalie Meeusen

“Where we’re from, the birds sing a pretty song... and there’s always music in the air.”

Where is that place where the sky is filled with music? Visionary filmmaker David Lynch took us during his illustrious career to countless 'other places'. Worlds where the surreal rules and nothing is what it seems – especially the owls. The places Lynch created are steeped in opposites: cosy and creepy, enlightening and dark, beautiful and ugly. Since Lynch's film debut ERASERHEAD, exists for this strange mix a wonderful, intangible word: 'lynchian'.

Full programme and tickets

“This whole world’s wild at heart and weird on top.”

With the parting of Lynch, the world became a little less weird. But the legacy the cult director left behind is invaluable. It's a guide through his imagination, a just as familiar as a bizarre view of the unknown. We honour his unique voice with screenings of ERASERHEAD (1977), THE ELEPHANT MAN (1980), BLUE VELVET (1986), WILD AT HEART (1990), a marathon screening of TWIN PEAKS: SEASON ONE (1990) with coffee, cherry pie and doughnuts, and finish with TWIN PEAKS: FIRE WALK WITH ME (1992).

Dream in Peace, David Lynch.

Trailer by Natalie Meeusen

For decades, queer voices have been excluded from mainstream media, and even today, their cinematic representation is limited or often too one-sided. Following last fall's (R)EVOLUTION programme on the camera as a weapon of resistance, our new series, UNBOUND SELVES: QUEER VOICES, explores the power of unbound self-expression on the silver screen. The struggle for recognition on and off screen has shaped LGBTQIA+ history. This programme collects several cinematic highlights illuminating the liberating power of honest representation, both in arthouse fiction and documentary cinema. These diverse films about community, safe(r) spaces, love, and identity fight against bored-out norms, each in their own way.

Full programme and tickets

We kicked off the programme with a full house screening of PARIS IS BURNING (1990). The focus includes classics FUNERAL PARADE OF ROSES (1969), DESERT HEARTS (1985), GO FISH (1994), THE WATERMELON WOMAN (1996), HAPPY TOGETHER (1997), MA VIE EN ROSE (1997), MILK (2008), BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN (2005), TOMBOY (2011), PARIAH (2011) and TANGERINE (2015); documentaries GAY USA (1977), TONGUES UNTIED (1989), BLACK IS... BLACK AIN'T (1994), SHAKEDOWN (2018), ANY OTHER WAY: THE JACKIE SHANE STORY (2024), TEACHES OF PEACHES (2024); and new releases PARIAH (2011), 120 BPM (2017), LINGUA FRANCA (2019), VIỆT AND NAM (2024).

Trailer by Aaron Minnebo

"I was always fascinated by stories that said something about life", said Robby Müller during a masterclass in 1994. "The consequence was: I had to find directors and stories that made sense to me. Who also enriched my life. Who made me think about life." For such inspiring collaborations, the Dutch cameraman had been looking for his entire career, and he happily found them with the likes of Wim Wenders, Jim Jarmusch and Lars von Trier. Together they went on a journey, chasing life and light. It was probably the same for the icon who died in 2018. "There is a crack in everything", sang Leonard Cohen. "That's how the light gets in." Müller understood that like no other.

Full programme and tickets

On our programme are collaborations between Robby Müller and directors Wim Wenders – ALICE IN DEN STÄDTEN (1974), FALSCHE BEWEGUNG (1975), IM LAUF DER ZEIT (1976), BUENA VISTA SOCIAL CLUB (1999) and BIS ANS ENDE DER WELT (1991) – Lars von Trier – BREAKING THE WAVES (1996) and DANCER IN THE DARK (2000) – Jim Jarmusch – GHOST DOG: THE WAY OF THE SAMURAI (1999) – William Friedkin – TO LIVE AND DIE IN L.A. (1985) – as well as Claire Pijnmans documentary about the master of light, LIVING THE LIGHT (2018).

Trailer by Aaron Minnebo

At De Cinema, we honour our tradition of ending the year in style with our Top 5 Best International Films released this year in Belgium.

Full programme and tickets

us during the Christmas holiday for Alice Rohrwacher’s delicate folk tale LA CHIMERA (2023), Martin Scorsese’s haunting epic KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON (2023), George Miller’s action-packed prequel FURIOSA: A MAD MAX SAGA (2024), Wim Wenders’ touching cinematic poem PERFECT DAYS (2023) and the intimate documentary SMOKE SAUNA SISTERHOOD (2023) by Anna Hints. De Cinema screens these five essential films which touch us, challenge us, confront us and take us to different realities. Five future films which absolutely need to be seen and experienced on the big screen.

The programme runs from 23 December 2024 through 5 January 2025.

“You ain’t never had a friend like me!”

This way, Robin Williams introduces his Genie in ALADDIN (1992) as probably the most memorable Disney sidekick and one of William's most cherished roles. The brilliant Robin Williams – who began his career as a stand-up and slowly migrated to film roles – made it his life goal to put a smile on everyone's face, despite his fight against his own demons. A battle he lost on 14 August 2014.

Full programme and tickets

To celebrate William's life work, we dive into his versatile oeuvre this December. From an inspiring teacher who learns his students 'carpe diem' in DEAD POETS SOCIETY (1989), through the crazy tramp with a painful past in THE FISHER KING (1991) to his Oscar-winning performance as a patient psychologist in GOOD WILL HUNTING (1997). William's charisma and talent made him just as able to play a loved clown in the nostalgic MRS. DOUBTFIRE (1993), a flamboyant nightclub owner in THE BIRDCAGE (1996), as a possible serial killer in INSOMNIA (2002). And of course, we can't forget his performance in the family classic JUMANJI (1995)!

One thing is for certain: Robin William's legacy gives us just as much comfort and laughter as tears. Now we're sure: we ain’t never had a friend like Robin...

Worthy of his legend, we screen every film in our Robin Williams focus on 35mm! Thanks to CINEMATEK.

Trailer by Natalie Meeusen

For the sixth edition of STUDIODROME curators Jonas Govaerts and Kwinten Scheepers guide you to the far-out movie year of 1998, when bowling alleys were suddenly more popular than clubs, and bartenders all over couldn’t keep up with the demand for White Russians. A quarter of a century after its release, THE BIG LEBOWSKI remains one of the most quotable films of all time: get ready to loudly scream “Careful man, there’s a beverage here!” at the screen during our drinking game. With a White Russian bar before and after the screening!

Info and tickets

You almost wouldn’t believe it, but when THE BIG LEBOWSKI was released to the public for the first time in ’98 the audience response was only moderately positive. Meanwhile, the film, with its eccentric characters, absurd plot twists and eclectic soundtrack, has grown into a true cult favorite. Jeff Bridges plays the title character Lebowski, or ‘The Dude’: an avid bowler from Los Angeles who loves nothing more than to drink White Russians. He is mistaken for a millionaire with the same name and ends up in a whirlwind of strange situations, in which porn producers, ferrets and large sums of money are involved.

The film is loosely based on the work of American-British novelist Chandler. “We wanted to do a Chandler kind of story – how it moves episodically and deals with the characters trying to unravel a mystery, as well as having a hopelessly complex plot that's ultimately unimportant,” according to the Coen brothers. A plot you couldn’t make head or tail of, but with a string of great Hollywood actors in its cast, among whom John Goodman, Sam Elliott, Steve Buscemi, John Turturro, Philip Seymour Hoffman, Julianne Moore and David Thewlis.

The camera as a weapon of resistance: today, more than ever, it is clear how significant the impact of film and video is on public discourse and political debate—whether as evidence, a portal to another continent, or in the fight against fake news. Throughout film history, both filmmakers and amateurs have taken up the camera to give a face to injustice or in the struggle for a better world.

Full programme and tickets

(R)EVOLUTION focuses on these universal themes of resistance and freedom. This program is a call for reflection on the power of cinema as a means to amplify the voices of the oppressed. This diverse collection of historical and contemporary films highlights social upheavals, political struggles, and revolutionary movements. The films showcase different facets of social revolutions, both violent and peaceful, and their impact on individuals and communities worldwide.

The films included in this programme are:
▪ SOY CUBA (1964)
▪ Z (1969)
▪ 5 BROKEN CAMERAS (2011)
▪ MR. SMITH GOES TO WASHINGTON (1939)
▪ SOUNDTRACK TO A COUP D'ÉTAT (2024)
▪ BLACK PANTHERS (1968)
▪ THE BLACK POWER MIXTAPE 1967 - 1975 (2011)
▪ SAMBIZANGA (1972)
▪ BYE BYE TIBERIAS (2023)
▪ THE WIND THAT SHAKES THE BARLEY (2006)
▪ DRY GROUND BURNING (2022)
▪ PARADIGMA (2024)
▪ ALL STATIC & NOISE (2023)
▪ GAMLET (2024)
▪ BLUE ORCHIDS (2017)
▪ EX MACHINA (2015)

Trailer by Jasper Loos

Welcome in advance to the BREEDBEELD short film festival, now still on the website, soon hopefully in the plush of seats at The Cinema. The BREEDBEELD short film festival is already in its 12th edition this year. You get to see more than 70 short films at our festival, whether fiction, animation, documentary or experimental film.

Full programme and tickets

The focus is on Belgian short films by emerging talents. In the selection you will of course find promising film students, whom we program alongside independent filmmakers and artists. All the competition films are largely made with our own funds, without VAF or wildcard budget. In this way, we keep our program fresh for the viewer, as well as for the filmmakers themselves. For the short films in our competition program, there are prizes to be won in different categories. The winners will each receive €1000 in prize money, as a push for a future project. After each competition block, we will have a short discussion with the filmmakers present.

Besides watching films, during the festival we also want to inspire you to start your own next project. Thus, we will have some masterclasses, workshops and a session cross our program. This year we are also inviting a renowned director. The creator of this year's Belgian Oscar entry - Leonardo van Dijl - will show his short films and come to talk about his feature debut JULIE ZWIJGT.

Another new thing is our Super8 program. We gave fifteen filmmakers a blank analog roll of film and set them on their way to shoot an 8mm film shot by shot. They bring the soundtrack live or made it afterwards based on notes taken while filming. You can watch the result with them for the first time at our Super8 premieres on Saturday. 

Finally, BREEDBEELD is certainly not the only organization that wants to get you excited about short film. Therefore we invite three other organizations to fill in a block of short films from their own point of view. The curators of these guest programs are Kortfilm.be, Brussels Short Film Festival and CUT TO: GENT.

We wish you a lot of viewing pleasure!

Big eyes, an enigmatic smile and a throaty voice. The appearance of Nouvelle Vague actress Jeanne Moreau works magnetically on the big screen. She acquired an iconic status in and far abroad through her unforgettable portrayals. With her performances, she not only put herself but also other French actors on the film historic map.

“Acting deals with very delicate emotions. It is not putting up a mask. Each time an actor acts he does not hide. He exposes himself.” - Jeanne Moreau

Full programme and tickets

Think of Louis Malle with ASCENSEUR POUR L’ÉCHAFAUD (1958) and LES AMANTS (1958) or François Truffaut with JULES ET JIM (1962). Her sensual appearance ed flawless timing and acting technique. A combination that ensured that Moreau could bring some of the most complex women in film history to life.

With LUMIÈRE (1976), Moreau made her debut as a director. She also wrote the screenplay and played the main part. L’ADOLESCENTE (1979), again directed and written by Moreau, is also on our programme. The actress started in the theatre but became immortal on the big screen with a career which spanned 60 years.

We screen the five titles mentioned above, plus Michelangelo Antonioni’s LA NOTTE (1961) and the later LA VIEILLE QUI MARCHAIT DANS LA MER (1991) by Laurent Heynemann, for which she won a César as Best Actress.

Trailer by Natalie Meeusen

Roaring engines, leather jackets, and untamed freedom. Since the 1960s, biker films have achieved mythical status on the big screen. This genre, rooted in rebellion and the search for identity, offers a unique perspective on outsiders who choose their own path, far from the beaten track.

Full programme and tickets

Think of classics like EASY RIDER (1969), the road movie that not only defined motorcycle culture but also an entire generation. The recent THE BIKERIDERS (2023) powerfully portrays how this biker culture—once a symbol of freedom and rebellion—gradually unraveled after its heyday.

Biker films create a world where the individual and society collide forcefully. You can see that reflected in our program as well. From the poetic Japanese biker film HIS MOTORBIKE, HER ISLAND (1986) and dystopian Brazilian gangster western DRY GROUND BURNING (2022), over Wong Kar-Wai’s FALLEN ANGELS (1995) to Diop Mambéty’s TOUKI BOUKI (1973) and from STREETS OF FIRE (1984) to THE LOVELESS (1981), I BOUGHT A VAMPIRE MOTORCYCLE (1990), THE ROAD TO PATAGONIA (2024), Japanese animation AKIRA (1988) and RODEO (2022), each spices up its unique story with speed, danger, and raw energy. Ride on!

Trailer by Jasper Loos

Experience Quentin Tarantino’s iconic PULP FICTION nearly 30 years after its Belgian premiere on the big screen. This modern classic, a tribute to film noir and pop culture, features a unique mix of brilliant dialogue and unforgettable style. A must-see for any cinephile!

Full programme and tickets

Follow memorable characters like hitmen Vincent Vega (John Travolta) and Jules Winnfield (Samuel L. Jackson), along with Mia Wallace (Uma Thurman) and boxer Butch Coolidge (Bruce Willis). Their intertwining stories showcase Tarantino’s signature dialogue and non-linear narrative, with standout performances and unforgettable lines.

Tarantino’s PULP FICTION redefines the crime genre with its bold storytelling and innovative structure. Don’t miss this cinematic gem!

Trailer by Natalie Meeusen

Full programme & tickets

For the third time in a row, Flemish cinemas celebrate the new film year. De Cinema celebrates along again with a unique film programme. As a kick-off for the new season on Sunday 6 October, we screen two impressive classics: the German science fiction METROPOLIS (1927) by Fritz Lang, and the hallucinatory spectacle KOYAANISQATSI (1982), Godfrey Reggio's film debut with the iconic soundtrack of Philip Glass. We also screen a collection of short films, POSTMODERN TIMES, which perfectly matches the themes and narration of the two features. Everyone's welcome at the poster sale or to a tour behind the scenes and in the projection booth.

One ticket, three film screenings!

At the start of this summer, the inimitable Shelley Duvall ed away. Although unforgettable in Stanley Kubrick’s THE SHINING, she shines extra bright in the films of American director Robert Altman. As his muse, she dabbles throughout his diverse filmography—from comedies to westerns to musicals.

Full programme and tickets

▪ BREWSTER MCCLOUD (1970) | Shelley first appears on the big screen in this dark comedy, where she seduces not only the title character but also the audience. Her makeup, with eye-catching long lashes, is now legendary.

▪ POPEYE (1980) | A decade later she sings with Robin Williams as the strong-willed but sincere Olive Oyl in the musical comic adaptation of Popeye. Paul Thomas Anderson was such a big fan of the film that he used Duvall's song He Needs Me in PUNCH-DRUNK-LOVE.

▪ NASHVILLE (1975) | One of the essential films of the 1970s, a critical mosaic of America on the eve of the presidential election. Shelley Duvall towers above the rest in hot pants and platform shoes as the enigmatic groupie L.A. Joan. Of all the characters, Duvall is perhaps the most memorable.

▪ MCCABE & MRS. MILLER (1971) | In Altman's revisionistic western, Warren Beatty and Julie Christie are a gambler and sex worker who, as new-fangled business partners roam a desolate mining city in the Old West. Duvall es as the bride of Keith Carradine and no one less than Leonard Cohen signed in for the soundtrack.

▪ THIEVES LIKE US (1974) | Also here, Carradine and Duvall fall in love. He is an escaped bank robber who is planning a last heist. She is the film's beating heart: full of charm and love she shows the importance of those fleeting moments between the action.

▪ 3 WOMEN (1977) | For her role in one of Altman's most praised films, Duvall was celebrated with the award for Best Actress in Cannes. Alongside Sissy Spacek and Janice Rule, she shines in the psychological drama where the three titular women's relationship becomes more and more bizarre.

The DUVALL & ALTMAN programme can also be seen in our matinee screenings.

Trailer by Natalie Meeusen

Visit our website for the full programme and tickets.

▪ DUVALL & ALTMAN | At the start of this summer, the inimitable Shelley Duvall ed away. Although unforgettable in Stanley Kubrick’s THE SHINING, she shines extra bright in the films of American director Robert Altman. As his muse, she dabbles throughout his diverse filmography—from comedies to westerns to musicals.

▪ ZIGGY STARDUST AND THE SPIDERS FROM MARS (1979) | Thanks to direct cinema classics like DON'T LOOK BACK and MONTEREY POP, D.A. Pennebaker turned into the chronicler of the American counterculture of the 1960s. In Europe, the filmmaker became immortal with his documentary about David Bowie's legendary final performance as Ziggy Stardust. A unique insight into one of the most influential stars of contemporary musical history.

▪ YOGA + SONGS OF EARTH (2023) | In the meditative documentary SONGS OF THE EARTH, filmmaker Margreth Olin asks herself what it means to be one with nature. We follow in the footsteps of our guide and cross the spectacular Norwegian Oldedalen valley. A poetic, cinematic experience which we freely precede by a Yin or Hatha yoga session.

▪ SCREEN2PLAY: CLUE (1985) | Film lovers who enjoy a good board game (or vice versa) rejoice! In September, De Cinema s forces with games café The Playground for the first edition of SCREEN2PLAY, a cinematic board game night. After the screening of whodunit-classic CLUE, you can descend to our foyer for card and board games related to the film’s theme. Let the games begin!

Antwerp Queer Arts Festival is back on our programme this year. Local performers and international talent work together in a mix of all possible art forms, including film. On 4 and 18 August 2024, AQAF takes over our cinemas.

Full programme & tickets

LOVE LIES BLEEDING (2024) - 4K | A romantic neo-noir thriller about a gym owner (Kristen Stewart) who falls in love with a bodybuilder, which pulls her deeper into the dangerous web of her criminal family. The film will be introduced by Charlot Vanthournout.

AQAF SHORTS | As usual, AQAF presents a thrilling and eclectic short film compilation on the big screen. The featured shorts are FRIENDS OF SOPHIA (2024), L'AVENIR (2022), PRIORIDADES (2023), YOU CAN'T GET WHAT YOU WANT BUT YOU CAN GET ME (2024), REJOYCE! (2023) and IF I'M HERE IT IS BY MYSTERY (2024). The programme will be introduced by AQAF.

QUEENDOM (2023) | A documentary about the life of Gena, a queer artist from a small Russian village. Through radical, public performances, she engages with a new form of activism and art, risking her life. The film will be introduced by AQAF.

BERT SCHOLIERS is the screenwriter and director of the film CHARLIE EN HANNAH GAAN UIT and the popular Streamz series F*** YOU VERY, VERY MUCH. At the moment, he's working on his new costume series BELLE EPOQUE. Scholiers is a regular at De Cinema and takes you this summer on an unforgettable journey through Jacques Demy's Romantic Trilogy, where every frame's a painting and every story a song. He will personally introduce almost every screening. This summer at De Cinema!

Full rogramme and tickets

LOLA (1961) - 35MM | 'Avec Lola, j'ai voulu faire un film autour de la recherche du bonheur, de l'amour, dans le monde moderne', Demy said. He conceived LOLA as a musical, but budgetary reasons forced him to refrain from this (the film has only one song, Chanson de Lola, of which the words were written by his then partner Agnès Varda). Possibly the most beautiful debut film of the Nouvelle Vague, partly because of Demy's tender, meandering scenario (filled with souls yearning for love), the fragile performance of Anouk Aimée (as variety singer and single mom Lola), and the dreamy, overexposed compositions of cinematographer Raoul Coutard.

LES PARAPLUIES DE CHERBOURG (1964) - 4K | Cherbourg, the year of our Lord 1957. Geneviève loves Guy and Guy loves Geneviève. Their youthful love is tested when Guy is called for military service. Demy's melancholic, candy-coloured film is one of the most wonderful ever put on film. Demy transforms a simple love story into a hypnotising, endlessly poetic musical drama, cutting through marrow and bone (in its purest form because literally every word is sung). A virtuously staged masterpiece which flirts with the cinematically sublime. 'Il faut écouter cette musique (avec) une oreille tendue vers le rêve', said Demy, who deservedly won the Palm d'Or in 1964. This year, at the same festival in Cannes, this brand-new 4K restoration premiered, exactly 60 years later!

LES DEMOISELLES DE ROCHEFORT (1967) | Demy forsakes the melancholic lyricism of LES PARAPLUIES DE CHERBOURG for an extravagant and sunfilled audiovisual festivity. Sisters Catherine Deneuve and Françoise Dorléac play twin sisters Garnier, who make their way through the French harbour town Rochefort while singing and dancing, searching for love and le bonheur. LES DEMOISELLES DE ROCHEFORT is an exuberant love letter to the genre, an ambitious übermusical which mischievously refers to many of its American predecessors (even Hollywood legend Gene Kelly appears and reprises his dance from Minnelli's AN AMERICAN IN PARIS). A slice of pure happiness.

Trailer: Natalie Meeusen

This summer, three musical milestones on the big screen: It's time to rock and roll!

Full programme and tickets

After the huge success of our screenings of STOP MAKING SENSE, we bring more David Byrne with a second masterpiece. Tap along with the rhythm of AMERICAN UTOPIA (2020), a brilliant concert film by director Spike Lee, where Byrne does more than play his greatest hits. It's a call to connect, fight inequality and above all: to celebrate life. Screened in 4K resolution!

Two times The Rolling Stones on the big screen! ▪ Feel the heartbeat of an era with GIMME SHELTER (1970), an immersive documentary filmed in Direct Cinema style. A unique registration of their 1969 tour, culminating in the disastrous Altamont Free Concert. The hangover of the Summer of Love, captured on film. ▪ We also screen the brand new THE STONES AND BRIAN JONES (2023), focusing on the enigmatic and controversial guitarist Brian Jones, who undeniably contributed to the sound of a generation.

This summer, ModeMuseum Antwerpen explores the works of Belgian photographer Willy Vanderperre in the new exhibition WILLY VANDERPERRE prints, films, a rave and more… (27/04/24 - 04/08/24). In this context, he curates a film programme at De Cinema with various double bills in May, June and July. There are separate tickets available as well as combo tickets. For Museumnacht Antwerpen, he presents a unique triple bill evening programme.

Full programme and tickets

▪▪▪ Last May, we already screened Peter Greenaway's THE COOK, THE THIEF, HIS WIFE & HER LOVER (1989), Gus Van Sant's MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO (1991), Joel Schumacher's THE LOST BOYS (1987), and Vanderperre's own HEARTLANDS (2021). We followed with L'HOMME BLESSÉ (1983) by Patrice Chéreau and Charles Laughton's THE NIGHT OF THE HUNTER (1955) in June. This weekend, it's time to continue the programme:

▪▪▪ The British BEATS (2019) is an ode to the rave culture. Johnno and Spanner go on their last adventure to an illegal rave: a trip to the underworld of anarchy and freedom, ending with a clash with the legal system. ▪ In WEEKEND (2011), Andrew Haigh (45 YEARS, ALL OF US STRANGERS) tells of a one-time rendezvous that turns into something more, something special. In a weekend full of bars and bedrooms, alcohol and drugs, talking and sex, Rusell and Glen get to know each other better and better.

▪▪▪ In our exclusive programme at Museumnacht, DESIRE & DEFIANCE: WILLY VANDERPERRE'S WALK-IN CINEMA, the borders of desire will be explored, but also that of cinema as an art form. Through the raw intensity of Rainer Werner Fassbinder's QUERELLE (1982), the poetic intimacy of Jean Genet's UN CHANT D'AMOUR (1954), and the grim beauty of Willy Vanderperre's HEARTLANDS. This continues cycle of groundbreaking works invites you to enter a world where ion and artistry collide. The films will be screened back to back at Museumnacht (3 August 2024): QUERELLE - UN CHANT D'AMOUR - HEARTLANDS - QUERELLE.

Trailer by Natalie Meeusen (titel design by Lars Van der Perre)

Saddle up for an adventurous journey through the wild frontier and the history of one of the most important film genres. With absolute milestones and impressive modern westerns. This summer at De Cinema!

Full programme & tickets

Experience the fear and unbearable heat in a small New Mexico village with Fred Zinneman's HIGH NOON (1952). With Gary Cooper as the newlywed sheriff who, just before the arrival of his successor, has to stand alone against four dangerous outlaws. ▪ ONE-EYED JACKS (1961), the only film directed by Marlon Brando, who also plays the main character, is a story about betrayal and revenge that surprisingly knows how to evade the typical one-dimensional personality of the protagonists. ▪ THE SEARCHERS (1956), masterly directed by John Ford with the legendary John Wayne in the main role. With probably one of the most iconic final shots in film history, that will stay in your mind long after the film has ended. ▪ Sergio Leone shows his greatness nowhere better than in ONCE UPON A TIME IN THE WEST (1968), restored in breathtaking 4K resolution. Eternal good guy Henry Fonda can be seen as the surprising face of evil, while Charles Bronson and Claudia Cardinale both play a part that's as unforgettable as Ennio Morricone's soundtrack. ▪ New Hollywood was responsible for the reinvention of the western genre with the raw intensity of THE WILD BUNCH (1969) as the leading example. The visionary Sam Peckinpah brought a visceral exploration of the effence of the outlaw culture. Screened on 35mm!

We add to these undisputed milestones two impressive contemporary westerns: LOS COLONOS (2023), a bold, modern twist on the genre that takes place in the Chilean Tierra del Fuego and THE DEAD DON’T HURT (2023), which shows a somewhat more serene depiction of the wild west. With Viggo Mortensen behind as well as in front of the camera, alongside the versatile Vicky Krieps.

Trailer by Jasper Loos

From July 7 to 13, we expect you back in Antwerp for ZOMERFILMCOLLEGE! For seven days we will immerse ourselves in two film historical themes, through fifteen or so lectures and some twenty film screenings. This year's theme is Rooted in Dissent: Auteur Cinema.

Full programme & tickets

The two main themes – Auteur Cinema in the Soviet Periphery after the Thaw, and Auteur Cinema in the Final Years of Francoist Spain – take place alternatively in the morning and afternoon, followed by a coffee break and lecture (in English). The evening screenings are accessible to all participants. ZOMERFILMCOLLEGE brings film lovers in touch with renowned film specialists from Belgium and abroad, but also with films from the collection of CINEMATEK and other film archives which are seldom or never shown on the big screen.

This programme is compiled by film critics Cristina Álvarez López and Adrian Martin, as well as Film Secession curator Richard Suchenski (Bard College).

Click here for a for the full programme or one of the two focuses. There are also separate tickets for film screenings available here.

In the Soviet Periphery after the Thaw (ca. 1965-1980) 522a3e

us for a journey to the creative periphery of post-Thaw Soviet cinema. From the mid-1960s to the early 1980s, the borderlands of the USSR were a rich breeding ground for emerging filmmakers who found a political and artistic way forward in a profound search for lost identity and a poetic return to tradition and folklore.

Delve into the work of auteurs such as Kira Muratova, Larisa Shepitko, Artavazd Peleshian, Sergei Parajanov and Otar Iosseliani, who, despite the bureaucracy and censorship of the Soviet regime, managed to develop a unique cinematic language that continues to captivate film fans to this day and still exerts a profound influence on contemporary cinema.

Internationally renowned specialists of postwar Soviet cinema Birgit Beumers (University of au/Aberystwyth University) and Eugénie Zvonkine (Université Paris 8) will guide you through this programme with stimulating perspectives and surprising insights. 

In the Final Years of Francoist Spain (ca. 1960-1975) 446ua

For the second strand of the ZOMERFILMCOLLEGE, we shift our focus to cinema at the end of the Franco era in Spain and the creative environment of idiosyncratic auteurs Victor Erice, Carlos Saura, Pere Portabella and others. In the hostile environment of the waning dictatorship, they managed to bring back an atmosphere of humanity and magic. They stood side by side and offered resistance to the oppressive cultural climate of the times.

With their often metaphorical films, they breathed new life into Spanish cinema, a period sometimes described as El Nuevo Cine Español. We also look at the influence of their great predecessor Luis Buñuel, who left Spain for Mexico at the end of the Civil War but returned to make VIRIDIANA (1961) on home soil.

This programme will be curated and contextualized by film critics Cristina Álvarez López and Adrian Martin and Film Secession curator Richard Suchenski (Bard College).

Artist in Focus: Alexandre Koberidze 3v4e3k

The Georgian film director Alexandre Koberidze is best known for his evocative feature films WHAT DO WE SEE WHEN WE LOOK AT THE SKY (2021) and LET THE SUMMER NEVER COME AGAIN (2017). On Saturday July 13th, we will close the Zomerfilmcollege with a selection of his short films, in which he explores almost wordlessly how to look at the world as a miracle. In many ways, his work echoes the films by Tengiz Abuldze, Sergei Paradjanov, Otar Iosseliani and others in our programme. On Friday July 12th, Koberidze will personally introduce and discuss THE GEORGIAN CHRONICLE OF THE 19TH CENTURY (1979), a film by his mentor Aleksandr Rechviasjvili.

Trailer by Lars Van der Perre