The IDFA Documentary Pavilion in the Vondelpark

Amsterdam has a new cinema. IDFA, known for its annual International Documentary Festival, has opened The Documentary Pavilion in the former filmmuseum in the Vondelpark. This unique initiative hosts documentarians, filmmakers and students, making it a first in the Netherlands. In this day and age, there is a growing need for documentaries, and this pavilion responds to this perfectly.

The Documentary Pavijoen is the very first movie house dedicated specifically to documentaries. Although there are documentary cinemas in other cities, such as Hot Docs in Toronto and DocHouse in London, this concept had not been realized in the Netherlands before. "And the way we want to integrate everything, from meetings to education, is quite unique," emphasizes Wotienke Vermeer, the program manager of The Documentary Pavilion.

Starting in April, documentaries will be shown here three days a week. Starting in June, film lovers with a Cineville pass will be able to enjoy documentaries. With the help of a successful crowdfunding campaign, Idfa raised 126,625 euros, which was enough to furnish the auditorium. The beautiful ceiling has been restored to its former glory with beautiful lighting. The cinema is known as The Mirror.

It is expected that the house will host 20,000 visitors annually. Moreover, an ordinary film lover may just meet a documentary filmmaker during a visit. Renowned filmmakers such as Peter and Petra Lataster have already labeled the arrival of the Idfa house as a "home away from home.