Eye is a treasurer, pioneer and guide to the world of film and the art of the moving image.
Treasurer: collecting and sharing
As the only museum for film heritage and film culture in the Netherlands, Eye manages the country’s cinematographic heritage with an internationally renowned collection of more than 55,000 films, ranging from the very first moving images to the very latest films. Eye’s ever-growing collection also encompasses hundreds of thousands of photographs, posters, sheet music, (pre-)cinema devices, filmmakers’ archives and an extensive library.
Eye is responsible for the Netherlands’ film collection: storing this in a sustainable way, making it accessible, providing context, and keeping it alive.
We are aware of the gaps in our collection and are therefore always looking out for new and different perspectives on the history of film. In this way, we are able to supplement and reinterpret the collection on the basis of new insights.
Guide: curating and opening up
Film is as popular as ever, and everywhere. We are constantly surrounded by moving images. We strive to create connections and point the way through this flood of images and films: what is important (historically), what has been forgotten or is unseen, what is exceptional, beautiful, controversial or urgent. The diversity of our collection and programming is always in the foreground.
We create educational programmes for teaching throughout the Netherlands, and every year we welcome many (school) students through our doors. In an international context, we promote the whole, broad spectrum of Dutch film culture. By entering into dialogue with audiences and professionals, we open up multiple perspectives on (film) history. We strive to be not only a guide, but also to open up our collection and our museum to new, as-yet-unheard-of makers and narrators.
Pioneer: discovery and innovation
Within the international archival world, Eye is recognised as a pioneer in the fields of restoration, conservation, digitalisation and presentation of film heritage. We are always looking for new ways to make our collection as widely available as possible, online and on-site. We show how film can live outside of the familiar setting of the cinema, from exhibitions at the intersection of film and visual art right through to the presentation of the very latest artistic VR works.
We help children and young people discover the power of visual language. We search for innovative ways to reach and bond with familiar and as-yet-undiscovered target groups.