The DKC Cinema (DKC – Serbian acronym for the Cinema Hall of the Cultural Centre of Belgrade) started working on 19 October 1963, when the short animated film Soloist by Nikola Majdak and feature film Radopolje by Stole Janković was screened. The first editor of the film programme was Marija Marinčić Majdak. Non-Stop Cinema was a popular film programme which involved daily movie marathons. In addition to feature films, the cinema also screened short films, documentaries, animated films and newsreels. Matinees for children were organised on weekends. The audience turnout was huge. The DKC is located in the Press House building which is classified as a Serbian cultural monument. Architect Ratomir Bogojević designed the DKC as, at the time, a highly modern cinema. The original idea was for the DKC to be one of the first duplex cinemas, yet this highly innovative idea for its time was never realised, and the DKC to this day still has just one cinema hall.

Earliest film retrospectives and cycles One may say that the retrospectives of the best and most popular films shown in Belgrade cinemas in the previous year, selected by Marija Majdak together with film critic Milutin Čolić from the Politika daily, was the inspiration for the establishment of the FEST film festival. Special screenings attended by actors were also organised. One such screening remembered for a long time, was attended by the famous Hollywood movie star Burt Lancaster.

The golden age of cinema: in this period, one in ten citizens of Belgrade came to the DKC at least once a year. Numerous film cycles originated in this period, including A Film Critic’s Selection, as well as Your Choice which was made after the audience was offered a list of 800 film titles and asked to choose their three favourites. These film cycles showed that the tastes of the most renowned film critics and the audience largely overlapped at that point. The DKC’s “Mobile Crew” would frequently take a 16mm projector, film reels and screen on tours, organising film screenings in schools, gyms, libraries and other public gathering locations in nearby, as well as remote places. This programme contributed to the development of film culture, as well as the decentralisation and popularisation of the art of film in those environments that did not have their own movie theatres.

A crisis of cinemas caused by the development of home video technology and film pirating. The DKC managed by the ‘“Belgrade Film” film theatres’ network until 1994.

During the years marked by wars and international sanctions, management of the DKC was overtaken by the VANS film producing and distributing company, and this lasted until 2005. In spite of the unfavourable social climate, the Auteur Film Festival “A View into the World” began to be organised in the DKC, in cooperation with Yugoslavia Film and the VANS film production and distribution company.

As a part of the Auteur Film Festival, the DKC hosted French movie star Sophie Marceau and the famous Polish Director Andrzej Żuławski. The two of them were the first stars of the European and world cinema, to visit Belgrade after the revolution of 5 October 2000.

In the year when a record decline in cinema attendance of 70% was recorded, the DKC once again became a part of the Cultural Centre of Belgrade’s programme system. Film critic Nebojša Popović became the editor of the film programme of the Cultural Centre of Belgrade (KCB) and, together with the KCB programme editor-in-chief Vesna Danilović, began to create this institution’s film programme, now under the slogan “CINEMA OF GOOD FILMS”, including primarily art and auteur films of high professional standards. The DKC saw the foundation of Free Zone, a festival of socially engaged film, created in cooperation with the REX Cultural Centre / B92 Fund. The festival of short, animated and documentary films of Nordic countries, Nordic Panorama, was founded in cooperation with the Balkankult Foundation (discontinued in 2015).

The DKC became a member of the Europa cinemas network. The DKC provides support to the first International Student Film Camp Interaction (still held) organised by the NFC Filmart, Požega.

The first edition of the Spanish language film festival Spanish Meter (still held) was organised in cooperation with Instituto Cervantes Belgrade.

The first Finnish Film Week (still held) co-organised with the Embassy of Finland in Belgrade.

New era: digital equipment came to the DKC making it one of the first digitalised cinemas in Serbia, which was simultaneously still capable of screening 35mm film. The first Goethe Fest (still held) organised in cooperation with the Belgrade Goethe Institute.

The first 50 years of the DKC’s operation was marked, inter alia, with the slogan It’s Better in Cinema! made by Boris Miljković.

Film director Stefan Arsenijević took the position of film programme editor, continuing with the concept conceived by Popović, while upgrading it with innovations. In the following years, guest-editors were periodically appointed: Bojan Vuletić, Melina Pota Koljević, Maja Uzelac and finally Ivan Aranđelović who occupies this position today; each of them left their distinct mark. The first Austrian Film Festival was held (up to the present day).

The film Gallery opened in the DKC hall, the first exhibition being The Unpicked Strawberries – 40 Years of the TV Series by Srđan Karanović, accompanied the screening of this TV series’ all 10 episodes and conversations of the author and actors with the audience. The “Nebojša Popović” Award was established and given for the first time for the promotion and critical thinking of film art and culture, in cooperation with 9 more founders from the field of film art. The award carries the name of the long-term editor of the DKC film programme (2005–2015).

Via direct video link, in a Q/A session projected on the DKC cinema screen, while answering the questions of the Belgrade crowd, David Lynch admitted that he thought about continuing his work on his TV series Twin Peaks, and this was reported by all global media. This was the first public appearance of the cult film director after the third season of Twin Peaks had been broadcast. (12 September 2017). The first Days of Israeli film were held (up to the present day). Opening of the exhibition entitled Milena, and Milena Dravić’s (1940-2018) last conversation with the Belgrade audience.

For the first time, after 57 years of continuous work, the DKC Cinema discontinued its operation for three months due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The first Romanian Film Festival organised in cooperation with the Embassy of Romania in Belgrade, followed by the first Festival of Iranian Documentary Film, co-organised with the Embassy of Iran in Belgrade.

The 60th birthday of the oldest working cinema in Belgrade The first edition of the Unmade Film Festival