All events

Kriterion

Roetersstraat 170
Amsterdam
website

Movie theatre with occasional queer events.

Upcoming events in Kriterion

  1. City of lost souls

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    City of lost souls

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    Rosa von Praunheim - 1983 - 94 Minutes - English & German Spoken - English Subtitles

    WO 29-07 | 19:00

    ZO 16-08 | 21:00

    City of Lost Souls is a wild German musical that follows a group of eccentric cabaret performers as they move from America to Berlin to pursue careers in the arts. The raunchy ensemble - consisting of an occult sex therapist, a trapeze act duo, and artists of various sexual orientations and disorientations - struggles to find acceptance and creative freedom, all while working together in a greasy, fast-food joint called the Hamburger Queen. The main plot kicks off when the starstruck performer Lila gets pregnant by a mysterious communist who promises her fame and stardom in East Berlin. All hell breaks loose, and a wave of hilarious and politically satirical chaos ensues.

    Von Praunheim's masterpiece has been described as a trans punk musical extravaganza brimming with outrageousness while remaining deeply human at its core. The film blends interviews, voice-overs, songs, and performance art, infusing the narrative with authentic autobiographical elements drawn from the lives of its performers and actors. Although the film received a modest reception upon its release, it has since developed a cult following and, in recent years, has been widely praised for its groundbreaking exploration of trans experiences and gender identity.

  2. D.E.B.S.

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    D.E.B.S.

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    Angela Robinson - 2004 - 91 Minutes - English Spoken - No Subtitles

    ZO 02-08 | 21:00

    ā€œThey're calling you a hero, when really you’re a slut. A GAY SLUT!ā€

    D.E.B.S. is a slick action-comedy that flips the spy genre on its head. A squad of elite teenage secret agents gets scouted straight out of college to defend the nation, led by top recruit Amy Bradshaw. But everything changes when she is sent to take down notorious supervillain Lucy Diamond... Instead of capturing her, Amy finds herself falling for the very criminal she’s supposed to stop.

    Written and directed by Angela Robinson, D.E.B.S. is a campy ode to queer romance, loaded with espionage and early-2000s energy. It got a lukewarm reception when it came out in 2004, but the film has since built a devoted cult following and secured its spot in queer cinema history for putting a fresh spin on the action-rom-com formula.

  3. The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    Auraeus Solito - 2005 - 100 Minutes - Filipino Spoken - English Subtitles

    WO 05-08 | 21:00

    ZO 23-08 | 19:15

    The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros is a sweet coming-of-age film set in the buzzing streets and slums of Manila. Maxi is a kid on the edge of his teens who’s totally comfortable being himself, and his family has got his back, even though they are mixed up in petty crime on the side. When Victor, a good-hearted young cop, swoops in and saves him from getting jumped, Maxi ends up developing an innocent crush for him.

    Things get complicated when Victor starts digging into what Maxi’s family is really up to. Suddenly Maxi is stuck trying to figure out where his loyalties lie; first crush or family. Director Aureaus Solito tells the story with a ton of heart and humor, digging into identity, right and wrong, and just how messy growing up can be when love and family duty don’t line up.

    The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros premiered at the very first Cinemalaya Film Festival back in 2005, ended up being the Philippines’ pick for the Oscars, and has since become a real classic in queer film.

  4. P.S. Burn this Letter Please

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    P.S. Burn this Letter Please

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    Michael Seligman & Jennifer Tiexiera - 2020 - 101 Minutes - English Spoken - English Subtitles

    P.S. Burn This Letter Please is a moving documentary that brings to light a forgotten piece of LGBTQ+ history, built around a cache of personal letters found in a storage unit nearly six decades after they were written. These letters give a glimpse into New York’s drag scene of the 1950s, a time when simply being yourself could mean facing intense violence or even being cast out of society.

    The documentary brings together personal accounts and rare archival footage, showcasing a vibrant underground world that history came close to losing entirely. P.S. Burn This Letter Please honors the courage it once took, and, for so many, still takes, to live openly as ourselves.

  5. Venus Boyz

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    Venus Boyz

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    Gabriel Baur - 2002 - 102 Minutes - English Spoken - Dutch Subtitles

    WO 12-08 | 21:00

    ā€œHere I am, and you can’t avoid me.ā€

    Venus Boyz is a documentary that dives into the world of female masculinity, tracing the lives of drag kings, transgender men, and gender-nonconforming people across New York and London. Starting out in New York’s lively drag king club scene, the film unpacks the countless ways masculinity gets performed and reshaped.

    Through intimate interviews and impressive performances, director Gabriel Baur treats gender as both something people express and something they live. For some, masculinity is a one-night playful performance. For others, it’s a core piece of who they are. Venus Boyz delivers a unique look at gender and self-determination, while also amplifying voices from communities that have long pushed back against traditional notions of what masculinity means.

  6. City of lost souls

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    City of lost souls

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    Rosa von Praunheim - 1983 - 94 Minutes - English & German Spoken - English Subtitles

    WO 29-07 | 19:00

    ZO 16-08 | 21:00

    City of Lost Souls is a wild German musical that follows a group of eccentric cabaret performers as they move from America to Berlin to pursue careers in the arts. The raunchy ensemble - consisting of an occult sex therapist, a trapeze act duo, and artists of various sexual orientations and disorientations - struggles to find acceptance and creative freedom, all while working together in a greasy, fast-food joint called the Hamburger Queen. The main plot kicks off when the starstruck performer Lila gets pregnant by a mysterious communist who promises her fame and stardom in East Berlin. All hell breaks loose, and a wave of hilarious and politically satirical chaos ensues.

    Von Praunheim's masterpiece has been described as a trans punk musical extravaganza brimming with outrageousness while remaining deeply human at its core. The film blends interviews, voice-overs, songs, and performance art, infusing the narrative with authentic autobiographical elements drawn from the lives of its performers and actors. Although the film received a modest reception upon its release, it has since developed a cult following and, in recent years, has been widely praised for its groundbreaking exploration of trans experiences and gender identity.

  7. P.S. Burn this Letter Please

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    P.S. Burn this Letter Please

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    Michael Seligman & Jennifer Tiexiera - 2020 - 101 Minutes - English Spoken - English Subtitles

    P.S. Burn This Letter Please is a moving documentary that brings to light a forgotten piece of LGBTQ+ history, built around a cache of personal letters found in a storage unit nearly six decades after they were written. These letters give a glimpse into New York’s drag scene of the 1950s, a time when simply being yourself could mean facing intense violence or even being cast out of society.

    The documentary brings together personal accounts and rare archival footage, showcasing a vibrant underground world that history came close to losing entirely. P.S. Burn This Letter Please honors the courage it once took, and, for so many, still takes, to live openly as ourselves.

  8. The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    Auraeus Solito - 2005 - 100 Minutes - Filipino Spoken - English Subtitles

    WO 05-08 | 21:00

    ZO 23-08 | 19:15

    The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros is a sweet coming-of-age film set in the buzzing streets and slums of Manila. Maxi is a kid on the edge of his teens who’s totally comfortable being himself, and his family has got his back, even though they are mixed up in petty crime on the side. When Victor, a good-hearted young cop, swoops in and saves him from getting jumped, Maxi ends up developing an innocent crush for him.

    Things get complicated when Victor starts digging into what Maxi’s family is really up to. Suddenly Maxi is stuck trying to figure out where his loyalties lie; first crush or family. Director Aureaus Solito tells the story with a ton of heart and humor, digging into identity, right and wrong, and just how messy growing up can be when love and family duty don’t line up.

    The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros premiered at the very first Cinemalaya Film Festival back in 2005, ended up being the Philippines’ pick for the Oscars, and has since become a real classic in queer film.

  9. Out of the Archival Closet: Queer Shorts Programme

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    Out of the Archival Closet: Queer Shorts Programme

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    Michael Brynntrup, Agustina Comedi, Su Friedrich - 1992, 2019, 1999, 1987, 2009 - 88 Minutes - English, Spanish, German, Chinese spoken - English Subtitles

    WO 26-08 | 21:00

    ā™”ļøŽ THIS SCREENING WILL BE ACCOMPANIED BY OUR YEARLY QUEER SPEEDDATING EVENT. STAY TUNED FOR MORE INFORMATION. ā™”ļøŽ

    Shorts Programme

    This programme brings together various short films exploring queer lives across different generations and places.

    Liebe, Eifersucht, Rache (Love, Jealousy and Revenge)

    Michael Brynntrup | Germany | 1992 | 7'

    In this absurd experimental short, queer filmmaker Michael Brynntrup plays with the ties between language and desire. The short is framed as a language-learning film for non-German speakers, and takes place in a gay leather bar, where a phone call between a patron and a drag-dressed escort turns into a story about translation and miscommunication, all the while honoring queer performance.

    Playback. Ensayo de una Despedida (Playback: An Essay of Farewell)

    Agustina Comedi | Argentina | 2019 | 14'

    Using a stash of VHS tapes and the recollections of ā€œLa Delpi,ā€ the last living member of a community of transgender women and drag queens in Córdoba, Agustina Comedi pieces together a history that is left out of the official records. Playback is set in Argentina during the late 1980s, showing how lipstick, playback shows, and homemade costumes doubled as acts of resistance against police brutality and social rejection.

    Straightboy Lessons

    Ray Rea | United States | 1999 | 10'

    Beginning the transition from female to male, a transguy seeks counseling from a cisgender male pal. Come along for an illustrated lesson on the do's and don’ts of being a straight boy, in some ways a throwback to the late 1990s and in other ways, a timeless story of friendship and change.

    Damned If You Don't

    Su Friedrich | United States | 1987 | 42'

    Su Friedrich’s Damned If You Don't blends fiction with archival footage to investigate the connections between religion, sexuality, and repression. Inspired by a classic convent-set melodrama, the film follows the building attraction between a young lesbian woman and an isolated nun. Straightboy LessonsRay Rea | United States | 1999 | 10'Beginning the transition from female to male, a transguy seeks counseling from a cisgender male pal. Come along for an illustrated lesson on the do's and don’ts of being a straight boy, in some ways a throwback to the late 1990s and in other ways, a timeless story of friendship and change.

  10. Een Vrouw Als Eva [35MM]

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    Een Vrouw Als Eva [35MM]

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    Nouchka van Brakel - 1979 - 103 Minuten - Nederlands Gesproken - Geen Ondertiteling

    ZO 30-08 | 19:15

    Op advies van haar man vertrekt Eva, moeder van twee kinderen, naar Zuid-Frankrijk om tot rust te komen. Daar leert ze Liliane kennen, een onafhankelijke gitariste die in een commune woont. Tussen de twee vrouwen groeit een onverwachte liefde, die Eva ertoe aanzet haar huwelijk en haar hele leven onder de loep te nemen.

    Geschreven door Nouchka van Brakel en Judith Herzberg, verkent Een Vrouw Als Eva onderwerpen als vrouwelijke zelfbeschikking, seksualiteit en het verlangen naar een bestaan buiten de gebaande maatschappelijke paden. Bij de release in 1979 riep de film gemengde reacties op en werd door sommigen weggezet als feministisch pamflet, maar tegenwoordig wordt hij beschouwd als een mijlpaal in de Nederlandse filmgeschiedenis en een belangrijk werk binnen de queer en feministische cinema.

Past events in Kriterion

  1. Transscreen šŸ³ļøā€āš§ļø

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    Transscreen šŸ³ļøā€āš§ļø

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    The next TranScreen Film Festival is scheduled for 16 & 17 May 2026 in Kriterion and JACO in Amsterdam! During the festival, we will show multiple movies, a shorTs block and organize workshops and borrels.
    Ask any questions you might have at the Q&A’s and aftertalks, and be sure to join our workshop! Before and after every movie, there is time and space for a drink and a bite to eat at the Kriterion-cafĆ© with our community. We hope to see you at the festival!

  2. Queer art club

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    Queer art club

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    Something new, something cool! We're collabing with @kriterionamsterdam for Pride Month! On Sunday the 22nd we’re doing Queer Art Club AND we're watching a movie in their gorgeous theater together! That’s June 22nd, from 3:40 pm to 6:30 pm. Have a relaxed and artsy time with us & bring all your queer friends (or make some new ones)! šŸŽØšŸŒˆ

    The movie: Looking for Langston (1989)

    A black and white, fantasy-like recreation of high-society gay men during the Harlem Renaissance, with archival footage and photographs intercut with a story. A wake is going on, with mourners gathered around a coffin. Downstairs is an elegant bar where tuxedoed men dance and talk. One of them has a dream in which he comes upon Beauty, who seems to reject him, although when he awakes, Beauty is sleeping beside him. His story and his visits to the jazz and dance club are framed by voices reading from the poetry and essays of Hughes and others. The text is rarely explicit, but the freedom of gay Black men in the 1920s in Harlem is suggested and celebrated visually.

    Queer Art Club basics:

    * bring your own art project/supplies
    * all levels and art forms are welcome
    * queers only (you know who you are)
    * registration for the movie is required, link in bio

    Kriterion is a wheelchair accessible space.

  3. Queer speed-dating

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    Queer speed-dating

    Kriterion, Roetersstraat 170, Amsterdam

    As part of our pride month programming we are organising a speed dating event in our Foyer. This event, starting at 20:00, will be followed by the film Queerpanorama at 21:30. So sign up, bring yourself and get ready to meet some beautiful, lovely people !

    What do you need to do to apply?

    If you're 21 or older, send an email with a description of yourself and your interests to kriterionspeeddating@gmail.com before the 9th of June 23:59. The descriptions will be used to create matches, so consider what you think might be relevant for the matchmaking process. This could be interests, orientation, age preferences or whatever else you deem important or helpful.

    The screening of Queerpanorama is optional and tickets will be sold separately. So if you miss the speed dating, come see Queerpanorama at 21:30! Info and tickets for our Pride Month screenings will be available soon in our linktree !