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About this place
Lichtspiel / Kinemathek Bern is a film archive with its own small cinema in Bern, Switzerland. It occupies the attic of a former knitwear factory, Ryff & Co., at Sandrainstrasse 3, a short distance from the city centre. Come here for cinema off the beaten track: vintage projectors, home movies and short films you will not find in a multiplex.
What is the Kinemathek Bern?
The archive began in 2000, when an association stepped in to save the collection of cinema technician Walter Ritschard before it was broken up. Ritschard cared more about projection equipment than films, yet his holdings included trailers, newsreels, short documentaries and amateur reels. Today the institution rescues, restores and shares film material. It has had a service agreement with the City of Bern since 2008 and is a member of FIAF, the international federation of film archives, and of ACE, the European cinematheques association.
What can you see there?
The heart of the place is an 80-seat cinema, set among projector displays, viewing tables and storage rooms. Programmes mix screenings from its own vaults with retrospectives borrowed from other archives. The collection holds tens of thousands of short films, plus photographs and posters. The emphasis is on small gauges: 16 mm and the amateur 9.5 mm format, the earliest successful home-movie standard. The archive also houses the UNICA collection and the Swiss animation film group GSFA.
How do you visit?
The collections are open to the public by prior appointment. Cinema screenings follow a published programme, so check the archive's schedule before you go. The auditorium is small, so book ahead for popular evenings.
Who is it for?
Film history fans, collectors, photographers and families curious about vintage home movies. You also get a look at a converted industrial building in Bern.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Lichtspiel / Kinemathek Bern? At Sandrainstrasse 3 in Bern, in the attic of the former Ryff & Co. factory.
Can I view the collections without booking? Access is by prior appointment. Cinema screenings run to a programme.
How many seats does the cinema have? About 80.
What kind of films does the archive hold? Mostly short and amateur films, especially in 16 mm and 9.5 mm formats.
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