Abaton-Kino

Abaton-Kino stands at the corner of Grindelhof and Allende-Platz, close to the University of Hamburg. Werner Nöfer’s murals cover the entrance with bold, colourful forms. Three screening rooms give this Hamburg cinema around 520 seats and a distinct neighbourhood presence.

Founded in 1970 by Werner Grassmann and Winfried Fedder, the venue championed films absent from conventional German cinemas. Its programme brings together filmmaker cinema, underground and avant-garde work, original-language films with subtitles, classics, documentaries, children’s films and thematic series. Directors, authors, actors and other film professionals frequently meet audiences here. The cinema also helped establish Arbeitsgemeinschaft Kino in 1972, supporting programme exchange and access to rare film copies.

Digital projectors and Dolby Digital 5.1 sound serve every room, while the largest still accommodates a 35-millimetre projector. The largest auditorium seats 288 people beside a 25-square-metre screen, with smaller rooms holding 136 and 96 seats. During the day, the largest hall once served as a lecture hall for the University of Hamburg. A record shop originally occupied the foyer before a small screening room replaced it.