50 years — half a century! — of Lumière Maastricht. Over time, Lumière changed its shape, its scale, its address. From a modest screening room above the Kombi youth centre to a cinema that has firmly taken its place in the city. Our home at ’t Bassin carries that history in its walls. A former power station from 1910, where energy was once generated. Today, something else flows through the building: imagination. A factory of dreams, at the heart of Maastricht.

Throughout all those years, the core has remained the same: creating space for films that move, unsettle and surprise. Films that deserve to be seen — and might otherwise disappear. A home for new voices and established filmmakers alike. For independent productions and for classics that demand the big screen, again and again. For the simple, enduring pleasure of watching, discovering, and feeling wonder together.

But Lumière is more than film alone. It is a place where conversations begin. Where plans are sketched over a glass of red. Where ideas drift and collide, much like the stories on screen. Where the evening carries on, long after the credits fade to black. A place to gather, to celebrate, to meet old friends and discover new ones. Lumière has grown. But — if we may say so ourselves — it has never lost its independent, slightly defiant heart. And that is something worth celebrating.

All year round, we invite you in for the films you love and the events that stay with you. From our big celebration during Museumnacht to the open-air film festival in summer. And in this anniversary year, we’re taking things up a notch. Think of it as an extra dollop of whipped cream on an already delicious slice of vlaai.