My first time ... at Xenix

I've almost been to Xenix before. Several years ago, I stood dutifully in line and waited for my cinema ticket. Just before the sales assistant was about to hand it to me, I asked how long the film would be - "three and a half hours" was the answer. My hangover, which I was carrying with me from a night of drinking, wouldn't have been able to stand that length of film and I turned around. That was on Sunday, sixth January 2008, the film: "Andrei Rublev" by Andrei Tarkovsky

Over the next sixteen years, I found myself repeatedly circling the Xenix square. With a beer at the bar, a few finds from the flea market or a juicy hot dog from El Companero. But I never went to the cinema. Although Xenix is located in the heart of Zurich and I love going to the cinema, it never occurred to me to combine these two elements again. It's time to rediscover this gem on the Kanzlei site!

(The faces of Nicolas Cage: a separate poster is created for each monthly programme)

On Valentine's Day, I made my way to Xenix once again. The monthly programme focused on the eccentric Nicolas Cage and showed numerous films by the actor. On 14 February, there was even a double feature "Moonstruck" and "Wild at heart". The clerk in his booth explained to me that today's theme was: "Nicolas Cage falls in love". A fitting theme, with a total running time of three and a half hours - so it would make up for what I owed the Xenix.

Directly next to the cinema is the Xenix bar. A seamless transition from drinking pleasure to film fun, as many visitors sip a beer or a glass of wine from one place to another. While the pub shines in bright white, the cinema room is almost reminiscent of a BDSM dungeon. Exactly 111 guests can take a seat in the small room - either in the dark red armchairs or at the front on wide leather sofas.

(Dark room: even if the auditorium shudders, the cinema hearts shine.)

Although the atmosphere of the cinema is somewhat intimidating, the auditorium quickly fills up. From senior citizens to students, everyone shares this dark film gem in the middle of Zurich. And I have to admit, I'm surprised by the rush. I would never have thought that a topic like "Nicolas Cage falls in love" would cause such a stir. Alongside the Filmpodium, Xenix is the only arthouse cinema in the city. Every month, the small film house devotes itself to a theme determined by the two-member programme management team. In February, for example, the aforementioned retrospective on Nicolas Cage, in March films about Iceland and in April the theme "Lets talk about Porn". Niche topics beyond blockbusters and popcorn films. On paper, this concept is unlikely to work and yet the auditorium is full that evening.

(The cinema before the cinema. The school pavilion at the opening in 1904)

I am both delighted and amazed by this. Xenix has been promoting cinema culture in Zurich since 1984. The cinema was founded almost forty years ago by the film club of the Autonomous Youth Centre Zurich (AJZ). A former school pavilion was converted into a cinema. Two classrooms were turned into a cinema and the staff room into a projection room. A small but fine film oasis. But while the Uto will soon be closing not far away and the Frame (formerly Kosmos) is struggling to survive, the Xenix is happily showing its niche programme.

Martina Felber from Xenix provides some insight: "On the one hand, we have a bar that cross-subsidises us, and we also have a very loyal regular audience," she explains. The small cinema has around 1,500 members, which is of existential importance for the business. The popular and well-attended open-air cinema in summer on the Kanzlei site is also an important source of income. In addition, Xenix is supported annually with financial contributions from the city and canton.