Eye Film Institute

1 IJpromenade

Step inside the Eye Film Institute to discover an homage to international cinema replete with interactive displays and perched like an ivory spaceship ready for launch on the northern bank of the IJ River. The striking facility, accessible via a free ferry from the main train station, houses four movie-screening rooms, a museum shop, and an exhibit space showcasing the works of masters like Fellini and Kubrick. Topping the contemporary structure is the eye-popping Eye Bar-Restaurant, where you can wash down a plate of bitterballen with beer on tap while musing about cinematography. On sunny days, a spacious terrace beckons.

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EYE on the IJ: Holland's Homage to International Cinema

Step inside the Eye Film Institute to discover an homage to international cinema replete with interactive displays and perched like an ivory spaceship ready for launch on the northern bank of the IJ River. The striking facility, accessible via a free ferry from the main train station, houses four movie-screening rooms, a museum shop, and an exhibit space showcasing the works of masters like Fellini and Kubrick. Topping the contemporary structure is the eye-popping Eye Bar-Restaurant, where you can wash down a plate of bitterballen with beer on tap while musing about cinematography. On sunny days, a spacious terrace beckons.

Film Buffs Go to Amsterdam, Too

Going to Amsterdam‘s film institute and museum, called the Eye, is fun for the journey alone: from the Central Station, you take an extremely short ferry ride (it’s free) to Amsterdam-Noord. The museum is the swooping white building just to the left of the ferry dock. If I lived in Amsterdam, i would be at the Eye all the time. They show great films every day. When we were there they also had a really good Stanley Kubrick exhibit. We rode our bikes around the sweetly suburban-feeling neighborhood and ate at the cafe just across from the museum, Cafe De Pont, which was really good.

EYE Film Institute

Cinematography fans won’t want to miss the relatively new EYE Film Institute. (It opened in Amsterdam Noord in 2012, replacing the older Filmmuseum in Vondelpark.) The institute serves as an archive, a venue to show films and a museum for associated media like posters and books. Visitors can take a seat in the screening rooms to watch classic movies, or head to the rooftop restaurant to grab a bite overlooking the river.

Film

Amsterdam’s EYE Film Institute offers cinema enthusiasts a myriad of options to explore the history and modern developments of film. Among the many exhibits and theaters located around the property, this fall EYE is featuring an exhibit on Michelangelo Antonioni, the Italian director best known for his 1960s trilogy The Adventure, The Night, and The Eclipse. Antonioni is regarded for his focus on visual storytelling in film, rather than conventional narratives. Film buffs can browse through photographs, letters, and articles detailing Antonioni’s vision and influence on the film industry, as well as paintings and excerpts from documentaries created by the filmmaker. The exhibit is currently on display, and runs until January 16, 2016. Visitors to EYE can also admire the Institute’s stunning waterfront building by Delugan Meissl architects, opened in 2012. Photo courtesy of EYE Film Institute.

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