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for details of all films showing in the city, or check www.filmladder.nl. Weekly programmes change on Thursdays. All foreign movies playing in Amsterdam (Dutch movies are something of a rarity) are shown in their original language and subtitled in Dutch – which is fine for British or American films, but a little difficult if you fancy Tarkovsky or Pasolini. If you’re interested in seeing a non-English-language movie, check with the venue whether it’s been subtitled in English (Engels Ondertiteld) before you go. Films are almost never dubbed into Dutch; if they are, Nederlands Gesproken will be printed in the listings. Tickets cost between €4.50 and €8.50, depending on the day and time you go.

Entertainment and nightlife |

Film festivals

Amsterdam’s only regular event is the excellent International Documentary Film Festival in November/December (www.idfa.nl), when up to three hundred documentaries from all over the world are shown over ten days, making it the largest documentary festival in the world. Simultaneously, there’s the Shadowfestival (www.shadowfestival.nl), which showcases alternative documentaries, while the Netherlands Film Festival (www.filmfestival.nl), held each September in Utrecht, features home-grown productions only.

Entertainment and nightlife | Film festivals |

Cinemas

ArenA ArenA Boulevard 600 (Amsterdam Oost) 0900/1458, www.pathe.nl/arena. Metro or train to Bijlmer station. With 14 screens, this is the largest cinema in Amsterdam located right next to the ArenA stadium.

De Balie See "Major venues" for further details. Cultural centre for theatre, politics, film and new media, showing movies on selected evenings during the week, often with English subtitles.

Cavia Van Hallstraat (Jordaan and Western Docklands) 52 020/681 1419, www.filmhuiscavia.nl. This is one of the best of the small filmhuizen, with an eclectic and non-commercial programme of international and art-house movies.

Cinecenter Lijnbaansgracht 236 (Grachtengordel south) 020/623 6615, www.cinecenter.nl. Opposite the Melkweg, this cinema shows independent and quality commercial films, the majority originating from non-English-speaking countries, shown with an interval.

Filmmuseum Vondelpark 3 (Museum Quarter and Vondelpark) 020/589 1400, www.filmmuseum.nl. Subsidized by the government since the 1940s, the Filmmuseum has a library of tens of thousands of films. Dutch films show regularly, along with all kinds of movies from all corners of the globe, sometimes with a themed run, such as retrospectives of directors’ work. Silent movies often have live piano accompaniment, and on summer weekend evenings there are free open-air screenings on the terrace. Matinees are often cheap. Most films have English subtitles.

Kriterion Roeterstraat 170 (Old Jewish Quarter and Eastern docklands) 020/623 1708, www.kriterion.nl. Weesperplein metro. Stylish duplex cinema showing art-house and quality commercial films, with late-night cult favourites. Friendly bar attached.

Melkweg See "Clubs" for more. As well as music, art and dance, the Melkweg manages to maintain a consistently good monthly film programme, ranging from mainstream fodder through to more obscure imports.

The Movies Haarlemmerdijk 161 (Jordaan and Western docklands) 020/638 6016, www.themovies.nl. A beautiful Art Deco cinema, and a charming setting for independent films. Worth visiting for the bar and restaurant alone, fully restored to their original appearance. “Filmdinner” nights (Mon–Thurs) include a three-course meal and film from €35. There are late showings (11.45pm) of classic or cult films at weekends.

De Munt Vijzelstraat 15 (Grachtengordel south) 0900/1458, www.pathe.nl/demunt. Huge multi-screen cinema with up to six showings a day of mainstream films, as well as a few home-grown productions.

Rialto Ceintuurbaan 338 (De Pijp) 020/676 8700, www.rialtofilm.nl. The only fully authentic art-house cinema in Amsterdam, showing an enormously varied programme of European and World movies supplemented by themed series and classics. The cinema boasts a large café open to the public,