Each week we ask readers to tell us about where they go to watch films. Today, the home of Denmark's national agency for film and cinema culture, in the heart of its capital city
This week's Clip joint is from Luke Richardson, contributor for culture blog The Frame Loop. Follow him on Twitter @luke_richardson
Location
Filmhuset (The Filmhouse), part of the Danish Film Institute, is located in the very heart of Copenhagen: a stone's throw from the Rosenborg Castle Gardens, Round Tower observatory and the colourful Nyhavn harbour.
The building
The DFI may not look much from the cycle lane but inside the drab, five-storey office building is a space brimming with film enthusiasm. Designed with industrial structures that could have been borrowed from The Crystal Maze set, Filmhuset (The Filmhouse) has three cinema screens, each named after a leading figure in the Danish film industry: Asta (after silent film star Asta Nielsen), Benjamin (director, screenwriter and actor Benjamin Christensen) and Carl (filmmaker Carl Theodor Dreyer). All are kitted out with fantastic surround sound and project films in both digital and film formats. The projectionists and archivists work tirelessly to make sure that the audiences always have a perfect cinematic experience.
The clientele
Filmhuset attracts a diverse crowd of cinephiles, from pensioners looking for their weekly fix of Greek cinema to fresh-faced students who want to revel in the avant-garde. Denmark has a very relaxed celebrity culture, so you're quite likely to spot a famous face every now and then too.
If you pay the yearly membership fee (the equivalent of £30 for adults, and £16 for students and seniors) you get 40% discount on all regular ticket prices for you and a friend.
The programme
What sets Filmhuset apart from the other 10 inner-city cinemas is the calibre of its programme. It showcases forgotten archive favourites on archived stock reels, right up to new indie releases that are yet to be snapped up by European distributors. It also loves a good thematic schedule, ranging from career retrospectives of Russian visionary Alexander Sukorov to American oddball Tim Burton; from midday children's classics to late-night presentations of notorious Danish porn movies from the seventies. Fun for all the family.
Aside from the regular programme, Filmhuset is often used as a central space for several Danish film events, including the documentary fest CPH:DOX, LGBT festival Mix Copenhagen, and the city's own Jewish film festival.
Further comments
There are many hidden treats inside this building. One can visit the DFI library, containing thousands of film theory books, an extensive DVD library and private screening rooms. Access is available to all, for free.
The aforementioned membership brings lots of perks, including discounts at the cinema bookshop, and 10% off your bill at the adjoining restaurant, Sult (Danish for "hunger"), which abounds with fusion European cuisine, pastries and good coffee.
The best element of the entire DFI is that, while audiences gather to watch brilliant films downstairs, the offices above are filled with financiers, producers and film savants all helping to shape the quality Scandinavian cinema of the future. The building and all the staff are so welcoming that you'll never want to leave.
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