Largely unknown to the public, Cologne is home to a film collection that places great value on the quality of the films it contains and offers a broad overview of international film production. Since the mid-1950s, the Cologne resident Leo Schönecker has been involved not only in working groups and discussion rounds on film-related topics, but also began collecting, screening and distributing films himself. His collection was continuously maintained and expanded until his death in 2013. Among film connoisseurs and curators the collection was known, and people liked to draw on its holdings. In total, the archive contains around 1,200 film titles. Now it is time to show this treasure to the public.
The films all exist in analogue form, mostly in 16mm format, some in 35mm format. Meanwhile, digitisation has been making its way into cinemas for some years now.