A group of prominent Dutch film professionals have launched a campaign to rescue the Ketelhuis, the permanent showcase cinema for Dutch film in Amsterdam.

Both the Dutch Council for Culture and the Amsterdam Arts Council are opposed to giving the cinema any further support as they have serious doubts about its viability.

In a letter to Dutch culture secretary Rik Van der Ploeg, film professionals including actor-director Jeroen Krabbe, actress Monique van de Ven, producer Matthijs van Heijningen, documentary film-maker Johan van der Keuken and producer Burny Bos, asked for a permanent subsidy for the cinema of $123,000 (NLG300,000).

Several organisations such as the Rotterdam Film Fund, the Netherlands Film Festival and the Dutch Film and Television Academy are supporting the initiative.