A feast for the (film) eye

Like a white beacon, the Eye Film Museum shines from across the IJ River, directly opposite Amsterdam Central Station. It's hard to miss. This is the Netherlands' national film museum. Museum director Suzanne Swarts explores the world of film, where imagery is paramount and style plays a leading role.

At the Eye Film Museum, you can not only watch films but also admire impressive exhibitions. And from the café-restaurant, a panoramic view unfolds over the silhouettes of the historic city center. It's a place where film and the city converge.

In just a few minutes, you can cross the IJ River by ferry at the back of Amsterdam Central Station. It's the easiest, but also the most enjoyable, way to get to Eye. As the boat cuts through the water, the iconic building slowly grows—growing ever larger and more imposing. Once ashore, a short walk takes you to the stairs leading to the entrance. There, the building leans above you, as if it wants to swallow you up. This unique sensation contrasts sharply with the openness you experience on the other side of the building, on the waterfront. This dual experience aligns with Eye's mission: on the one hand, looking inward at the museum's collection brimming with film history, and on the other, looking outward at the world of film, both present and future.

From Vondelpark to the north bank

Since 2012, the Eye building has been located on the northern bank of the IJ River. Despite several mergers and name changes, the film museum has existed for almost eighty years and was previously housed in the Stedelijk Museum and later the Vondelpark Pavilion. The modern design is by Roman Delugan of the Austrian firm Delugan Meissl Associated Architects | DMAA, which previously designed the spectacular new buildings for the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart and the FH Campus in Vienna. He envisioned a building that now houses four cinemas, a state-of-the-art exhibition space, rooms for rentals and workshops, a museum shop, and space for film equipment and the digital collection presentation, plus a bar-restaurant with expansive views of the IJ River. Delugan has covered the layered building with a white shield of angular, interlocking shapes, on which the light reflects differently throughout the day.

50.000 films

From ten in the morning to midnight, you can watch films at Eye, from classics and contemporary blockbusters to experimental arthouse films and children's shows. The film program regularly addresses current themes, but also enriches your knowledge of film history. You can also visit the permanent exhibitions, which showcase everything the film museum holds and encompasses: the collection includes some 50.000 films (the oldest dating back to 1896), 90.000 posters, 750.000 photos, and 32.000 film books and magazines. Perhaps most intriguing are the temporary exhibitions, in which Eye showcases its more experimental side. Think of previous exhibitions featuring leading filmmakers like Chantal Akerman, Andrei Tarkovsky, and Alex van Warmerdam. This fall, Tilda Swinton is coming to Eye—that's definitely circled in my calendar. The iconic British actress presents an immersive exhibition unfolding her creative autobiography through her most important artistic collaborations. That alone would make me happy to take the ferry – even if only to escape the city for a moment and enjoy the city views and the moving images of film.