Updated 19 September 2026
For a city of its size, Amsterdam has a remarkable number of places for photography and film. Two photography museums stand on Keizersgracht, the Eye film museum faces Centraal Station across the IJ, and in autumn two major film festivals, Cinekid and IDFA, are added to the mix.
Foam
Foam, in full Fotografiemuseum Amsterdam, is on Keizersgracht in a building that previously housed the Museum Fodor, which opened in 1863. After a renovation Foam opened there in December 2001. The museum has no permanent display but shows changing exhibitions across all genres: historical photography, documentary, fashion, fine art photography and news images.
From the start, young talent has been a fixed part of the programme. Alongside exhibitions of established names, Foam shows work by photographers at the beginning of their careers. The museum is compact enough for a visit of an hour or an hour and a half.
Huis Marseille
A few hundred metres further along, at Keizersgracht 401, is Huis Marseille. The canal house dates from 1665 and has been a museum devoted entirely to photography since 1999. The neighbouring house at number 399 was added later. Exhibitions are spread across the rooms of both houses, with their fireplaces, ceilings and views of the canal or garden. A visit therefore feels different from a walk through white museum galleries: the photographs hang in living rooms.
Huis Marseille shows both its own collection and temporary exhibitions, with a strong focus on contemporary photography from the Netherlands and abroad. Combining it with Foam on the same day is an obvious choice.
World Press Photo
The annual World Press Photo exhibition has its world premiere every spring in the Nieuwe Kerk on Dam Square. In 2026 it opened on 24 April before starting a worldwide tour. It shows the winning photographs and projects from that year's contest and attracts many visitors; weekends are busy.
Eye Filmmuseum
Eye is the Dutch institute for film and stands on the north bank of the IJ, in the Overhoeks area of Amsterdam-Noord. The white, angular building was designed by the Vienna firm Delugan Meissl Associated Architects and opened on 4 April 2012. Before that the Filmmuseum, as it was then called, was based in the pavilion in the Vondelpark from 1975 until early 2012. In 2010 it merged with organisations including Holland Film and the Dutch Institute for Film Education to form Eye.
The building has four cinemas, an exhibition space and a large stepped hall with a terrace on the water. The programme ranges from silent film with live music to new art house releases and retrospectives. The exhibitions focus on filmmakers as well as artists who work with the moving image. The ferry from Centraal Station to Buiksloterweg is free and runs all day; the crossing takes a few minutes.
IDFA
The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam, IDFA for short, is one of the largest documentary festivals in the world. It takes place in November in cinemas and venues across the city. The 2026 edition runs from Thursday 12 to Sunday 22 November. Besides screenings there are talks with filmmakers and a programme for professionals.
Cinekid
Cinekid is the festival of film and media for children. It takes place in October; the 2026 edition runs from 10 to 25 October. Alongside films there is a MediaLab with games and interactive installations, and awards are presented for film and games.
What else
Amsterdam also has a range of cinemas for art house films and classics, from small screens in the centre to larger venues. An overview of festivals throughout the year is in the annual calendar. The link between film, video and art returns in the article on design and media art, and the role of Noord as a new cultural district is described in the portrait of Amsterdam-Noord.
Source: Eye Filmmuseum