De Balie: Theatre in Leidseplein, Amsterdam

De Balie is an independent centre for debate, film and journalism on the Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen, right by the Leidseplein in Amsterdam. Go for a talk with a writer or politician, a documentary followed by a conversation, or a meal in the large café-restaurant, which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day. The programme makes daily public events on art, culture and politics, many of them streamed live, with a team of nearly twenty programme makers. De Balie Cinema shows documentaries and international features, from urgent new films to classics on 35mm, and its CinéDialogues bring makers in to talk with the audience. IDFA began here, and festivals still use the house. The building has three theatre halls and a cinema. It was once the city's cantonal court and a remand prison, due for demolition in the late 1970s to make way for a hotel until a campaign called 'Bouw es wat anders' stopped it. A temporary theatre was built on a small budget, and in 1982 Felix Rottenberg was among the founders of De Balie. That theatre survives almost unchanged. The art deco Grand Café, with about 120 seats, came in the 1980s. The hours on this page are those of the café-restaurant. For a programme the box office opens about an hour beforehand, and for a film 15 minutes beforehand. Cineville pass holders see films for free, but need to have the pass scanned at the box office before the start. Trams 1, 7 and 19 stop at the door, and trams 2, 5, 12 and 13 about 200 metres away. The main entrance is reached by lift, stairlifts serve all the halls, and there is a wheelchair-accessible toilet.