A movie theater where the board member is behind the bar and the bartender helps decide on movie policy. It sounds unlikely, but at Kriterion it's just how it works. Ever since November 1945, this movie theater on Roetersstraat has been running itself, without subsidies, without an external owner and without anyone having the final say.
It began right after World War II. Wouter van Zeytveld and Piet Meerburg, students with a background in the resistance, founded Kriterion as a place that would run on its own. That idea still runs deep. Every employee works at least once a week, regardless of position. And there is a weekly meeting where everyone gets to submit policy proposals and vote on the theater's direction. No hierarchy to stop that.
The building itself is close to the University of Amsterdam, near Weesperplein. Three movie theaters, a café and a small terrace. The atmosphere is one of a place that knows what it is: not a multiplex cinema, not a hip pop-up, just a serious movie theater with a long history and a clear own face. Those who walk in quickly notice that the people who work there also believe in it.
Every employee works at least once a week, regardless of position, and votes on the direction of the theater.
Also noteworthy is how long people stay at Kriterion. On average, three to five years, which is exceptional for a student-run company. Former employee Hicham, interviewed in 2021, talked about his time as a general member and how the shared responsibility model makes you look at work differently. Kriterion is part of the Kriterion Foundation, which also manages other student businesses, but the movie theater is by far the best known branch. If you're in the Roetersstraat neighborhood and crave a movie that doesn't run in every theater, you know where to go.