The Eye Film Institute Netherlands
Eye-opening.
In April, Amsterdam welcomed the new location of the Eye Film Institute Netherlands. Its original residence in Vondelpark in the city centre was upgraded to a permanent address right on the banks of the IJ river just north of Central Station. The 13,000-square-foot multi-level building was designed by Vienna-based architectural firm Delugan Meissl Associated Architects—whose claims to fame include the Porsche Museum in Stuttgart—and the space is more than 10 times bigger than its predecessor. The new complex houses four screening rooms, a workshop space used for educating children about how films are made, an interactive basement packed with high-tech gadgets, and an exhibition space for rotating curated programs. The opening show focused on how decades-old found footage impacts the contemporary moviemaking world. From June 21 to September 9, the museum is rolling out a Stanley Kubrick retrospective that will include presentations of storyboards, screenplays, and set models, plus screenings of some of the director’s famed features such as Killer’sKiss and Eyes Wide Shut.
Already nicknamed “the Oyster” by locals for its light-bathed, open centre that resembles a pearl, the Eye boasts what is sure to be the city’s next social hot spot. Its bar and restaurant has attracted quite a buzz for its striking interior, its kitchen helmed by chef Jérôme de Jong (previously of Belgian eatery Comme Chez Soi), and its location right on the water.
