Lumière is celebrating its 50th anniversary with a week full of special activities
Lumière is celebrating its 50th anniversary in October with a week packed with films and festivities. From 9 to 16 October, the Maastricht arthouse cinema will be hosting a programme featuring special films, preview screenings, a Movie Night and various anniversary events.
The programme brings together five decades of Lumière: from Themroc, one of the films from the early years, to an exclusive preview screening whose title will only be revealed in the cinema. In doing so, Lumière not only looks back on its history, but also looks ahead to the future.
The founding of Lumière
Lumière’s history dates back to 1976. On 10 September of that year, the first Film Night took place, organised by what was then still known as the Stichting Filmhuis Maastricht. A month later, on 14 October 1976, the foundation was officially established.
What began as a small-scale cinema grew over the following fifty years into the Lumière we know today. The cinema moved several times and, in 2016, found its current home at ‘t Bassin, in the former Sphinx power station dating from 1910.
The venue changed, the programme expanded and the organisation evolved, but according to Lumière, the core principle remained the same: to provide a platform for films and stories that do not always naturally find their way to a wider audience.
Anniversary programme
The anniversary programme begins on Friday 9 October with a new edition of Movie Night, the event that marked the launch of the Filmhuis Maastricht Foundation all those years ago. Visitors can look forward to a (partly late-night) programme that evening, featuring a film quiz, special screenings, introductions, a Q&A and several preview screenings.
The history of Lumière will also take centre stage throughout the rest of the anniversary week. On Monday 12 October, a live Murder Mystery will take place (during the fictional Oscars); on Thursday 15 October, we invite visitors to join us for lunch or dinner at a long table (under the banner ‘Family Meal’); and on Friday 16 October, films from various periods will be screened in all six cinemas, including Paul Thomas Anderson’s 4K-restored Boogie Nights (1997) by Paul Thomas Anderson and the raw, absurdist Themroc (1973), a film that was also part of the programme during the very first Movie Night.
A party to round it all off
The grand finale of the anniversary celebrations takes place on Friday evening. After a week packed with films and retrospectives, the chairs in the Grand Café will make way for a 70s-style dance floor. DJ Disco Patrick will be spinning his favourite vinyl tracks from the 1970s all evening, with disco, soul, funk and boogie providing the soundtrack.
Programme:
Friday 9 October: Movie Night
Monday 12 October: Murder Mystery (Language: Dutch
Thursday 15 October: Family Meal
Friday 16 October: Birthday Party