Xenix (cinema)
The Xenix is a arthouse cinema and bar in Zurich's District 4 . It is run by the Xenix film club and supported by the Kino Xenix association. The movie theater shows monthly changing program series, each dedicated to a specific topic. The film club was created in the context of the youth riots in Zurich in the early 1980s. Although the political and cultural situation has changed over the years, the Xenix remains true to the idea of freedom for different lifestyles and cultures.
movie theater
The Xenix is a cinema that some concerns with its programs and activities around the film critical of political, social and cultural topics. 11 programs are shown each year. The monthly changing focuses can be thematic, geographical, social or political or, as a retrospective, devoted entirely to the work of certain filmmakers and pay special attention to the work of independent filmmakers and the filmmaking of different (sub) cultures. Whenever possible, the films are shown in their original format and in the original version with subtitles. The Xenix cinema sees itself as a place for imparting knowledge. For example, guests are repeatedly invited for lectures and readings, exchange with the audience is encouraged and the detailed program booklet contains an introductory text on each of the program topics.
The fixed points in the annual program include
- Open-air cinema : During the official school holidays (July and August) the open-air cinema takes place on the gravel square in front of the cinema barrack.
- Nocturne: Since spring 1982 - the cinema was still on Tessinerplatz at the time - the Xenix has been showing late night shows from 11.30 p.m. on the weekend.
- Christmas open air: On December 24, 1998, another tradition was introduced with the Christmas open air.
- Children's cinema: Since January 2000, Wednesday afternoons have belonged to the children. Every month on the afternoon when there is no school, the Xenix shows a classic that is specifically aimed at the young audience.
- Documentary film: Since January 1999, documentary films have been shown every Sunday in a matinee performance; Since 2015 there has been the “Dok um 5”, an independent program on a monthly changing topic.
bar
The Xenix bar, which is housed in the same building as the cinema, sees itself as a social district meeting point. Especially in summer, when a second outside bar and a food stand are set up, the gravel area on the office area is a popular playground in Zurich. The many events that are fixed points in the event calendar also contribute to a lively, communal life in the quarter. For example, a big anniversary celebration that is held every five years. During the soccer world championships the games will be shown live in a tent in front of the barracks. Traditionally, the summer season ends with a pétanque tournament.
history
The Xenix cinema goes back to a project by the Autonomous Youth Center Zurich (AJZ). In 1980, a group of film enthusiasts founded a film club called "AJZ-Kino" with the aim of showing politically and socially relevant cinema. At the time, the group only owned one 16 mm and one Super 8 projector. The AJZ showed Je Ka Mi by Jonas Holenstein as the first film. Although the youth center was closed in the same year, the “Mobile AJZ-Kino” continued to show films at changing screening locations, for example in the Volkshaus , the Aussersihl casino and the Theater am Neumarkt .
Wandering years
The “wandering years” came to an end in 1982 when the film club stayed for around 8 months in an occupied house on Tessinerplatz (Lavaterstrasse 9) in Zurich. During this time, the AJZ cinema - based on the autonomous Amsterdam small cinema Xinema Xinix and due to the ironic play on words - was baptized Xenix ("Xenix = gseh nix", means Swiss German: "I see nothing"). When the house on Tessinerplatz was demolished, the Xenix found shelter in the Walche sex cinema from January 1983 to the end of 1983. The Zurich porn cinema pioneer Edi Stöckli provided both the room and an operator. Together with other cultural organizers, the film club organized film evenings, theater and concerts under the name "Houdini" in the Walche cinema. When the owners of the building demanded sponsorship for the new operation and the city of Zurich could not be won over as a sponsor and sponsor, the Xenix cinema makers at the end of 1983 again faced the problem of not having a permanent venue.
Office area
The Xenix has been located at its current location, the former school barracks on the premises of the chancellery school house, since September 21, 1984. Here, the passionate and voluntary commitment of film-loving youths from the political youth movement of the 80s has developed into a professionally run business that has become an important cultural institution for non-commercial cinema in the city of Zurich. The Xenix has always remained true to the basic idea of creating space to deal with socio-political issues. The Xenia women's cinema could be cited as an example. From April 1988 to 2000, the cinema and bar were only open to women every Thursday. Xenia had the goal of showing "films about lesbian reality, portrait films, documentaries, feature films - funny, serious, sad, humorous, demanding, enjoyable, encouraging films, especially by and about women". The Xenix's help in rebuilding a cinema in bombed Sarajevo (1994/95) or the mobile open-air cinema in Senegal (1994) can also be cited as examples of Xenix's political and social engagement.
The wooden barrack, which houses the bar and cinema, has been in existence since 1904 and was enlarged by around a third with an extension in 2007. The cinema has 111 seats, including 12 sofas that are reminiscent of the early days of the AJZ cinema (“Sofakino”). Until the conversion, the operators worked with two Bauer projectors (B-12 and B-11). The B-11 is still in use as an open-air projector. Since 2007, the Xenix has been demonstrating with two 40-year-old Philipps projectors (FP 20) that were taken over from a boarding school near Versailles, practically unused. The cinema also has a Digi-Beta player (J-3), a DV-Cam player, Blu-Ray / DVD player and a Mac mini as additional playback devices. In 2012 the cinema was digitally upgraded: A DCP system with a Barco projector and Dolby server were installed. The 5.1 sound system consists of a Dolby CP 650 processor with analog and digital sound. In addition, the Xenix also features the 16 mm and Super 8 projectors, which are relatively rare today. This infrastructure - including staff - can also be rented from external organizers.
The cinema and bar employ around 40 people with 1,300 percent of the workforce.
Xenix film distribution
In 1996 Xenix Film Distribution was founded, which arose from the activities of the Xenix film club, but today operates as an independent company with no direct connection to the cinema.
literature
- Cinema in your head. Ten years of Xenix . Xenix Cinema Club, Zurich 2010.
- Veronika Grob, René Moser, Beat Schneider (eds.): Xenix: Cinema as a program . Marburg, Schüren Verlag 2006, ISBN 978-3-89472-403-0
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kristina Trolle: The legendary cinema in the heart of Zurich. 25 years of Xenix . In: Cinema , number 50, Schüren-Verlag, Marburg 2005, pp. 152-160.
- ↑ Tanja Hanhart: Success story of a somewhat different cinema . In: Zürichsee-Zeitung , January 13, 2004
- ^ Gunther Adomeit: From AJZ cinema to Xenix . In: Cinema in your head. Ten years of Xenix . Kinoclub Xenix, Zurich 2010, p. 78.
- ^ Andreas Furler, "Out of the Ghetto", in ZüriTipp, August 4, 2000
- ↑ Michael Lang: The alternative cinema heart of the Limmatstadt, Xenix Zurich . In: ZOOM , No. 10, 1998
- ↑ Women's cinema Xenia, “Where many women's eyes glow” . In: Cinema in your head. Ten years of Xenix . Kinoclub Xenix, Zurich 2010, p. 19.
- ↑ Irene Genhart: Great, quirky, unique . In: Zürich-See Zeitung , October 4, 2000
- ↑ Reconstruction and expansion of the Xenix cinema, Zurich . In: Holzbulletin , 87/2008, June 2008
- ↑ Package for distributing digital cinema films
- ↑ Xenix Film Distribution
Coordinates: 47 ° 22 ′ 31 " N , 8 ° 31 ′ 34" E ; CH1903: 682 129 / 247729