THE LOUIS HARTLOOPER COMPLEX
In the spring of 2004 a new film and cultural centre was opened in the centre of Utrecht: The Louis Hartlooper Complex (Louis Hartlooper Centre). It is housed in a monumental building (1928), which used to be a police office.
Louis Hartlooper
Louis Hartlooper (1864 – 1922) was a famous film lecturer or ‘explicator’ (‘explicateur’) during the 1910s. These explicators were local celebrities who attracted a bigger audience in their heydays than the film itself. Louis Hartlooper used to be a comical actor and wrote poems, articles and worked on plays. He was a lecturer who really identified with what happened on the screen. A critic wrote about him: "a lecturing like Louis Hartlooper's deprives the screening of the deadly, he makes it into a lively art".
The building
The building has kept its original appearance, but the inside was severely altered. The courtyard was roofed over with a glass ceiling, through which it became a luxurious foyer. Underneath this foyer an underground cinema was established. Three other cinemas were built on the first and second floor, among which a smaller theatre for classic and silent films. The total capacity of these cinemas is now around 500 seats. Other facilities that are housed in the LHC are an auditorium (‘Das Kabinett’), an exhibition room, a cafe and a debating centre.
Film and culture
Art house world cinema is the main type of film that is shown in the Louis Hartlooper Complex. Auteur cinema is paramount. Not only can one watch films in the Complex: in the auditorium, cinema courses are being taught and lectures are being given. Also, one can experience many more cultural events in the Complex. These events vary from exhibitions and educational projects to festivals, lectures, student film viewings, and presentations. In order to organise these events, the Louis Hartlooper Complex houses a foundation of its own: the Louis Hartlooper Foundation.
The Louis Hartlooper Complex aims at a fruitful co-operation with the University and the Art School of Utrecht, but also with museums and national and international film festivals. Through stimulation of many cultural activities and the screening of quality films, the Louis Hartlooper Centre aims at creating an inspiring environment where many filmic, literary and artistic encounters will take place.
