Filmhuis Cavia

What Filmhuis Cavia does

Filmhuis Cavia is a volunteer-run, non-profit arthouse cinema founded in 1983 in the Staatsliedenbuurt neighborhood of Amsterdam West. It operates a 40-seat venue (the smallest cinema in Amsterdam) in the former Prinses Beatrix Schippers boarding school building, screening contemporary independent films, artists' moving image, and historical cinema — both canonical and marginalized — primarily on traditional 16mm and 35mm analog film alongside digital projection. Programming includes main film series, the Cine Interzone and Cine Fantastico film clubs, the Filmkafee Cavia archival collaboration with Eye Filmmuseum, and LGBTQ+ focused events including Roze Filmdagen, TranScreen, the Porn Film Festival Amsterdam, and Kissable Screens.

The organization emerged from Amsterdam's squatters' movement and retains a DIY ethos, handling all technical maintenance and repairs internally. All staff — programmers, projectionists, and bartenders — are unpaid volunteers. The cinema serves a diversified audience including film enthusiasts, the local Staatsliedenbuurt community, the LGBTQ+ community, and students via the Off-screen study association partnership. Distribution is anchored at the physical venue, supplemented by summer outdoor screenings at partner locations in Amsterdam West and participation in the Cineville membership network.

Revenue derives from ticket sales (€5 standard, €3 film club, €4 student), private venue rental (zaalhuur), and a recurring subsidy from Gemeente Amsterdam (stadsdeel West). Marketing is community-driven through the website, a weekly newsletter, partner cross-promotion with Cineville, Amsterdam Alternative, and Eye Filmmuseum, and word-of-mouth within the local neighborhood network.

Name

Filmhuis Cavia

Legal name

Filmhuis Cavia

Website

https://filmhuiscavia.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Filmhuis Cavia is a volunteer-run, non-profit 40-seat arthouse cinema in Amsterdam West, screening independent, artists', and LGBTQ+ cinema on 16mm and 35mm analog film for film enthusiasts, the local Staatsliedenbuurt community, and the Dutch LGBTQ+ community.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Independent Cinema / Arthouse Film Exhibition

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213), Promoters of Performing Arts, Sports, and Similar Events with Facilities (71131)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)

akta.pro primary industry

Independent & Art-house Cinemas (MPADAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Private Screenings & Venue Rentals (Corporate, Parties) (MPADAKAJ), Alternative Content Exhibition (Live Broadcasts, Concert Films, Sports, Opera) (MPADAKAG), Performing Arts & Cultural Event Venues (Theaters, Museums) (THAHAAAG)

Keywords

• Independent cinema
• Arthouse film screenings
• Analog film projection
• LGBTQ+ film programming
• Community cinema venue

Headquarters

HQ city

Amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Ticket Sales: Standard tickets priced at €5 per screening, with reduced rates of €3 for film club screenings. Revenue generated directly from physical box office at the venue.
2. Venue Rental (Zaalhuur): The cinema space is available for private screenings and events, with availability and rates communicated via [email protected].
3. Government Subsidy: Receives subsidy from Gemeente Amsterdam (stadsdeel West), contributing to operational costs of this non-profit organization.
4. Cineville Membership Network: Participates in the Cineville pass system where members have free access to screenings. Cineville operates on a subscription model (€24/month or €19/month for under-30s) providing unlimited cinema access across 40+ Dutch theaters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Filmhuis Cavia operates a volunteer-run, non-profit 40-seat arthouse cinema in Amsterdam West, presenting independent, artists', historical, and LGBTQ+ films on 16mm and 35mm analog formats alongside digital projection. It curates multiple named program series (Cine Interzone, Cine Fantastico, Filmkafee Cavia, Pride Outdoor Cinema, Cavia Club Night) and offers the venue for private rental (Zaalhuur), with tickets sold at the bar at €5 per screening.

Product overview

Filmhuis Cavia is a volunteer-run, non-profit arthouse cinema operating as a single venue (approximately 40 seats) in Amsterdam. The core offering consists of film screenings presented across several named program series: the main film programming (showing independent, artist, and historical films on 16mm/35mm), Filmkafee Cavia (collaborative archive screenings), Cine Interzone and Cine Fantastico (film clubs with reduced pricing), plus seasonal outdoor cinema events. The cinema also offers room rental for private screenings. Access is facilitated through the Cineville membership card (giving free entry) and standard ticket sales at €5 per screening. There is no technical product platform or software offering—Cavia operates as a traditional cinema venue.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Film Screenings (Main Programming)

Quantifiable outcome

• 40 years of continuous operation since 1983
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eleven partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• COC NetherlandsminorGTM or Marketing Partner · 1 January 2026COC Netherlands supported the special WorldPride program 'Bob: Man of the Angels' examining Dutch LGBTQ+ history, marking the 80th anniversary of COC Netherlands and 80 years of WorldPride Amsterdam.
• Bob Angelo FondsminorOthers · 1 January 2026Bob Angelo Fonds provided support for the special WorldPride program 'Bob: Man of the Angels' examining Dutch LGBTQ+ history.
• CinevillecoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorFilmhuis Cavia is a member of the Cineville pass network, which provides subscribers unlimited access to films at over 40 cinemas across the Netherlands for €24 per month (€19 for under-30s). Cineville card holders receive free admission to screenings at Cavia.
• Amsterdam AlternativeminorOthersFilmhuis Cavia is part of Amsterdam Alternative, an organization supporting alternative cultural initiatives in Amsterdam.
• Gemeente AmsterdamcoreOthersFilmhuis Cavia receives a subsidy from Gemeente Amsterdam (stadsdeel West) as a non-profit community cinema.
• Nederlands FilmfondsminorOthersThe new sound system at Filmhuis Cavia was co-funded by Nederlands Filmfonds, contributing to infrastructure improvements.
• Tweede Nassau AteliersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborates with Tweede Nassau Ateliers for open studios events and the 'Found in Translation' contemporary artists' moving image screening as part of the 40th anniversary celebrations.
• Radio RadiominorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnered with Radio Radio for the Pride Outdoor Cinema event at Westerpark during WorldPride Amsterdam, bringing summer outdoor cinema to a new venue.
• Stichting KunsttrajectminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the 'Still Moving' shop windows project displaying contemporary art throughout the Staatsliedenbuurt neighborhood as part of Cavia's 40th anniversary.
• CinenovaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPresented 'The Work We Share' screening program featuring newly digitized films from Cinenova's collection addressing representations of gender, race, sexuality, health, and community.
• Eye FilmmuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with Eye Filmmuseum on the Filmkafee Cavia screening featuring archival materials about the cinema's community history.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• De Balie: Amsterdam cultural center operating a cinema program alongside debates and events, comparable to Cavia as a hybrid cultural/cinema venue with curated independent film programming.
• Cinecenter: Long-standing arthouse cinema in central Amsterdam showing independent and art films; directly comparable as a small-format specialist exhibitor serving cinephile audiences.
• Lab111: Independent art-house cinema and cultural venue in Amsterdam West with overlapping arthouse programming and a similar neighborhood-cultural positioning, located within the same district as Filmhuis Cavia.
• Kriterion: Amsterdam-based student-run, non-profit arthouse cinema with a comparable volunteer-driven model and independent/art programming focus, making it the closest operational peer to Filmhuis Cavia in the same city.

Broad incumbents

• Eye Filmmuseum: Amsterdam's flagship film museum and heritage cinema. Direct partner of Cavia (Filmkafee collaboration) and a broader institutional player in Dutch film culture, but operates at materially larger scale and resource base.

Regional players

• Brakke Grond: Amsterdam venue for Flemish/Dutch performing and visual arts that also curates film programming; comparable as a small-format alternative cultural venue in the same city but with a broader performing-arts remit.

Emerging players

• Roze Filmdagen: Amsterdam LGBTQ+ film festival that originated at Filmhuis Cavia and shares a programming and audience overlap; comparable as a queer-cinema node even though it is now a festival rather than a year-round venue.
• KLIK Amsterdam Animation Festival: Amsterdam animation festival that also originated at Cavia; shares the cinema's historical programming DNA and comparable alternative-animation audience.
• CinemAsia: Amsterdam Asian film festival also originating at Cavia, sharing the cinema's independent-film curation ethos and audience base; relevant as a programming alumni rather than a current venue operator.
• Movies that Matter: The Hague-based human rights film festival and on-demand platform with comparable alternative-cinema programming focus and mission overlap with Cavia's marginalized-cinema programming.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@filmhuiscavia
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/filmhuis-cavia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Filmhuis Cavia