To drive this ‘new generation’ of film fans to the De Uitkijk, a special film club was created: Upload Cinema. It’s goal was to bring the best videos of the web on to the silver screen. Every first Monday of the month, a fresh program of Internet shorts was screened at De Uitkijk. With a new theme each month. The audience could submit films from which an editorial team would select the best and compile a 90-minute program.Upload Cinema was launched the way many online communities are: by invitation only. Without any form of traditional advertising, just by word of mouth and ‘Member Get Member’ the club emerged rapidly.

Upload Cinema has been a great success right from the start. From the original invitation mailing of 300, more than 500 members were recruited in just three months (target 250). All the screenings are fully booked (100% of the seating capacity). That’s four times more than usual on a Monday! (Target was 50%). The total number of visitors to De Uitkijk in the last three months of 2008 rose by 22% compared with 2007! (Target was 10%). A survey showed that out of the 38% of visitors who had never been to the film theater, 70% expressed interest in visiting De Uitkijk on other occasions.