Can you tell me a little bit about ?

CZ as such was launched in 2009, but its prehistory dates back to 1994. It all started as the Antwerp Film Museum, which was housed for ten years in the former Royal Palace (Meir). The Film Museum moved in 2004 to the building of the Photo Museum where it got two brand new theatres. We changed the name to CZ to simply state what we are (a cinema) and where we are (the south side of the town).

What kind of movies do you guys play? Who is your target audience?

Different kinds of movies: we want to highlight cinema in all its rich diversity. So, we don’t just show classics or so-called auteur cinema, but also popular genre films, documentaries, animation, experimental cinema, trash/cult, you name it. Target audience? Everyone who prefers seeing a film in a cinema (because that’s essential to fully experience it). We attract a very diverse audience: the young and the elderly, hardcore film buffs next to occasional visitors, students and parents with children.

I had the impression CZ mostly played classics and older movies but I saw that, for example, The Master, Killing Them Softly, The Perks Of Being A Wallflower were all playing this (and last) month. What brought on this change or wasn’t their any?

Next to our repertory roster of classics (starting with the silents) we also include new releases. Too many interesting ‘smaller’ films disappear from view after a few weeks in a regular cinema. We offer them a second chance. But I confess that we sometimes show films we very much cherish no matter if they were box office hits or not.

Who selects the movies and does he/she follow any criteria?

Two people do. Films should have historical or contemporary relevance. Most of all we like to dig up older films which have been forgotten or new ones which deserve a better visibility.

CZ is not your average cinema. You can’t buy popcorn or m&m’s, you only show 1 or 2 movies a day and are very selective about what you show. What sets you apart from the more regular theatres in Antwerp and why do you think it works?

Indeed, we are not a candy store (most larger cinemas these days are candy stores with a theatre attached to it) and our audience doesn’t like the sound of crunching and slurping during a screening. The constant flux of films, old and new, the sheer size of our program, the quality projection, the fact that we still show 35mm (next to dcp of course), the regular live events, the low entrance fee, is what makes us unique and that’s the reason it ‘works’.

What are you looking for when you invite someone?

We do like to invite film-makers or actors or technicians to talk about their film and their profession and to answer questions from the audience. That makes it much more lively.Next to that we ask critics or other connoisseurs to introduce films and to have a chat with the audience. We have a good relationship with the Antwerp University and we sometimes host symposia and or lecture days.

What was your favourite event?

I really liked the opening event of Cinema Zuid, some years ago, when John Parish was invited to bring some live filmscores in collaboration with the famous Belgian director Patrice Toye, but also the screening of ‘Controle’ in the presence of director Anton Corbijn himself.

Do you have any long term goals?

We hope to improve our activities, make CZ an even more exciting place to be.