Basel’s kult.kino marks 50 years with a mix of blockbusters and art-house films

Basel’s kult.kino has survived five decades by pairing popular films with niche titles and expanding its bar and food business, SRF reports. The independent cinema company now runs seven screens at two venues: Kino Atelier at Theaterplatz and Kino Camera near Claraplatz.

Many of Basel’s traditional cinemas have closed, with their buildings becoming restaurants, shops or offices. The former cinema strip in Steinenvorstadt has largely disappeared. Kinokoni has reopened as a boutique cinema, while the Küchlin is still occasionally used for screenings. Basel also has a multiplex, Arena, on the outskirts near the harbour.

Streaming and cheaper competition just across the border in Germany add to the challenges facing kult.kino. Co-managing director Gini Bermond said the company had built a strong brand as an independent business focused on art-house films. It also runs its own streaming platform to make very niche films available.

The company has adjusted its programme to help fund less commercially successful films. Most films lose money, Bermond said, and even hits such as the Swiss film Heldin last year do not usually make cinema operations profitable on their own. The Atelier’s bar and food service has become an important source of income and also attracts customers who are not going to a film.

Swiss films make up the largest share of the programme, Bermond said, with French films also important. The company screens almost all film productions from Basel. As a local business, she said, it can better understand its audience, which includes more women than men, and has noticed differences in what audiences in Basel and Zurich enjoy.

From film club to seven screens

The company’s roots go back to 1976, when Studiokino AG and the Filmclub Le Bon Film, founded in 1931, established Kino Camera at the Cinéma Maxim near Claraplatz. Studiokino opened Kino Atelier at Theaterplatz in 1979. In 2002, the Camera, Atelier, Club and Movie cinemas joined to form kult.kino AG. The Club and Movie later closed, while the Atelier expanded from three screens to five in 2015.

Ivette Djonova, secretary general of the Swiss cinema association Pro Cinema, said Switzerland currently has 193 cinema businesses, 261 halls and 620 screens. The number of cinemas has been stable for several years, while the number of screens has risen. Djonova also pointed to a growing trend for event screenings, including themed evenings and knitting cinema.

kult.kino was founded as a project for film enthusiasts, not to make its investors rich. In its early years, shareholders accepted losses to keep it operating. The company now has around 150 shareholders and a support association with 430 members. Its co-managing directors say all profits are reinvested in the programme, a practice they describe as unique in Switzerland.