Art Cinema Natlab made a loss of 850,000 euros last year. To keep the Eindhoven art cinema afloat, the municipality comes to the rescue. Natlab will receive a one-off additional sum of nearly four thousand euros to enable a clean sweep.
Natlab
The Mayor and Alderpersons say the financial situation gives rise to concern. The loss leaves the art cinema with a negative capital of 86,000 euros. The additional assistance and better governance the foundation should be able to reverse the downward trend.
Problems
Visitor numbers never went back to what they were before the Covid pandemic, and a number of restaurant staff were fired. A new manager was appointed to get the cultural organisation back on its feet.
Importance
The municipality say that Natlab is important to ensure Eindhoven has an art cinema and a black box theatre (with the stage and the audience in the first row on the same level, allowing more interaction, editor). Furthermore, the foundation has the important task of furthering culture education in Eindhoven, the municipality says. This justifies the additional subsidy, says the College. “Having said that, it may create a precedent for other subsidised cultural institutions suffering from the aftermath of the Covid pandemic”, the College says.
Conditions
The once-only assistance does come with conditions. For example, the subsidy may not be used for the restaurant in Natlab. The foundation Plaza Futura (Natlab) is also expected to present a plan to raise more money and reduce the cost. In addition, the foundation should investigate how the building can be exploited further, for example by renting out some of the space.
Source: Sudio040
Translated by Greta
Natlb lso has English spoken and English subtitled films
