Among 1078 cinemas from 644 cities and towns in 41 European countries, the Croatian Kino Europa (Europa Cinema) in Zagreb won The Best Programming Award in 2016.

This prestigious award is given by Europa Cinemas, the network of European cinemas and is the most important annual award and the highest one that a cinema can receive at the European level. It is also one of the most important awards that has ever received by any cultural institution in Croatia.

The Kino Europa was built in 1924/25 by the wealthy Müller family from Zagreb and was designed by the architect Srecko Florschütz in order to construct the most beautiful and modern cinema in the region. The cinema was officially opened on the 8th of April 1925 with Fritz Lang’s ‘’Die Niebelungen’’ and the local film ‘’Dalmatia, Land of Sun’’.

After years of neglect and troubles over the cinema’s ownership, the City of Zagreb bought the cinema in October 2007 and in early 2008 the cinema management was trusted to the Zagreb Film Festival Art Organization.

Under the new management, the Kino Europa became the leading regional cinema for independent contemporary film, with over 60 independent titles from all over the world screened annually. Every year the Kino Europa hosts around 30 premieres, it is home to more than 20 festivals and events, whilst a special attention is given to events for children and young audience.

The most popular Zagreb’s cinema Kino Europa became a protected cultural heritage site and a Croatian national treasure.