The cinema Basel scene has a grand dame in the form of 104-year-old theater Kino Borri, established in nineteen oh six by a Jesuit priest named A.Joyce. Father Joye began operating an orphanage and home for apprentices in 1886 first called “Vinzentianum” and subsequently “Borromäum”, which became a popular meeting place for young Christians. As a man with both a social and cultural fondness, Joye shortly realized the red-hot trend of motion pictures would be an useful appurtenance to his meetings, hence launching the 1st Kino Basel.
It belongs to a group of 12 small independent movie theaters in Basel. Where other cities are moving on to large multiscreen centers, the city of Basel is holding on the tradition of what is locally called “studio kino”: art movie. Today, the Kino Borri posesses one of the largest series of movies from the first decades of the last century, also thanks to this pioneering monk.
Besides the Kino Borri, there are about 40 movie screens in Basel, showing all big Hollywood movies as well as many European and foreign films. All films are screened in the original language with subtitles in German and French. In summer, the open air cinemas are everywhere: in parks as well as near the swimming pool. The main opean air cinema certainly is Orange Open Air. During a couple of weeks, famous films are shown on the Münsterplatz square, in addition to premieres, special nights and previews. For those who prefer smaller movies, the Neues Kino screens older movies on the roof of an old corn tower in the Rhine port.