Discoveries from Netherlands World Cinema

Thomas, 12 years-old, and his brother Arne, 8 years-old, come back from a walk in forest. They've got blood on their clothes.

Impressive, abstract dance film from Bert Haanstra.

‘De Verrekijker’ primary school in Katwijk provides education for some 150 children from the local reception centre for refugees. The inspired teachers’ ultimate challenge is to offer these children a safe haven and make their school days as ordinary as possible. At first glance, De Verrekijker looks like a normal Dutch primary school. However, the boys and girls are children of rejected asylum seekers. Headmaster Toon and the teachers do all they can to give them the best education. Yet each morning they worry if any pupil has been forced to leave the country. After a series of deportations it becomes increasingly difficult to provide the children with a safe haven. The situation escalates when a group of Syrian boys fleeing war arrive at the school.

A nice boy. That is-ie. Emilio Guzman. He will not fight. Does not seek conflict. He just wants it to go well with everyone. Everyone does what he can not leave. But unfortunately the world is not like that. Underdevelopment prevails. Tension. Anxiety and aggression determine Doing our affairs. Even late Emilio conduct regular surprise. While he was still a nice guy. And smart. He wants to understand what is going on. And why that's happening. And how it could run out. That hand so Ever chose Leiden Cabaret Festival Audience him the winner of one of the strongest ever finals. Now he takes the side of his audience. Not to say what they want to hear. But because he wants to be understood. And that can not leave. Let? We say do it!

Bassie and Adriaan teach children a number of traffic rules in a playful way. They show them what to look out for when crossing the road and that bicycles also play a very important role in traffic. As a bonus, there is the exciting adventure "The missing TROS star."

Recorded live at the Gelredome in Arnhem, The Netherlands in 2006, when Dutch singer Marco Borsato performed live as a part of the yearly Symphonica in Rosso concerts.With guest performances of Andrea Bocelli, Lucie Silvas, Ali B, Yes-R, Julian Thomas and Ilse DeLange.

Registration of the theatre program by the Dutch comedian Youp van 't Hek.

An animated satire of the muscular ideal beauty in the gay scene.

John Bailey carelessly ignite a fire in the forest but with his imagination and a little help from a new friend, he is able to put the blaze and win back the favours of the forest inhabitants.

Najib Amhali's theatre show, "Where was I?", answers the question of why Najib was forced to cancel his show in 2021. Featuring many personal stories that can be laughed at, with old acquaintances passing by.

How can you understand a violent past? Somali-born Abdi is furniture designer and support worker. He reenacts his life, marked by war and criminality, with the help of his neighbor and filmmaker Douwe. By means of playful reconstructions in a special effects studio, Abdi and Douwe embark on a candid and investigative journey through a painful history, focusing on the creative process throughout.

With the Rio Olympics fast approaching, a national coach and a star eventer are ready to prove themselves in the world of horse triathlon riding.

In her first show Jasperina de Jong sings songs about Sibylle, the last striptease dancer, about a Bach concert with a Woodstock vibe, about a nunnery where everyone gets addicted to mind-altering substances, about a provincial girl who travels to Amsterdam, and many more.

An Algerian girl steals a pullover for her father. The father brings it back to the shop where she had stolen it.

A mysterious foreign woman who is staying temporarily in a house there. Who she is and what her secret is are both slowly revealed in the reconstruction of a story about passion, revenge and war. Paul Ruven's homage to the films of Marguerite Duras and Chantal Akerman.

A stand-up comedy set by the Dutch comedian Daniël Arends, recorded live in Toomler in January 2007.

Aart is madly in love with tramdriver Sonja. When her line is cancelled, he tries all sorts of ways to stay in contact with her. He follows her, waits in front of stores she has visited, and crashes a party of her employer. He discovers there’s another man in her life. But he doesn’t let his dream of a life with Sonja be crushed by this “Fat Boss”. While Aart's real life is getting worse and worse, his fantasies and dreams about his future with Sonja are getting better and better.

Documentary about the Wadden Sea in which Van der Keuken looks at this ribbon in the landscape through the eyes of a city-dweller. A film about the relationship between the minuscule and the overwhelming in this flat jungle.

“Every body can exercise and move,” a member of Rotterdam-based Queer Gym explains; however, not every person feels comfortable in typical sports environments that often hone in on heteronormative beauty ideals and fitness aspirations. That’s why Romy started Queer Gym, a safe space in Rotterdam, where queer folk can comfortably enjoy sports and exercise. Through intimate conversations with members, trainers and owner Romy, Esmée van Loon’s endearing portrait reveals a true physical need for spaces where queer communities can discover their own strengths.

A performance blending 16mm film, sound loops, music and spoken word. In collaboration with Mariëtte Groot, Janeiro creates a rich soundscape that moves fluidly from karaoke recordings and breathing exercises to synths and acoustic instruments. The visuals depict everyday social life, interwoven with sudden, inexplicable mysteries, drawing on gothic themes, with transformation and death as central elements. These are portrayed in a raw, visceral way, heightening the piece’s unsettling yet playful atmosphere.

A domestic interior. A naked man writhes frenziedly in front of the camera, caressing his own body with rubber gloves. A woman, seated behind him, stares impassively, seemingly uninterested in the spectacle before her. It seems that these two will never combine as one. The tape is truly intriguing, and sophisticated in its grasp of the dynamics of performance.

In 1990s Amsterdam, Loe and Bob are in a relationship, but wanting different things. Loe is a singer who likes to party and who is also engaged in migrant support. Bob is a lawyer focused on his career. As the film progresses, the tensions in the relationship become exposed.

The widow Fien Appel, owner of a pastry shop, lives next door to café owner Camille, a widower. Camille is eager to win Fien’s hand, but she is first and foremost concerned with the future of her daughters. Her devoted servant Julleke, who cares deeply for the girls, worries that Camille won’t be able to persuade his mistress and advises him to seek a suitable wife through a marriage broker. A rendezvous is arranged at the bar “In het Paradijs,” setting the stage for unexpected twists and comedic developments.

Four persons travel by rail to visit a city. On arrival they take a bicycle to continue their tour and join occasionally a passing protest manifestation. The camera is never far off their trail.

Documentary about the Dutch author, illustrator and performer Joke van Leeuwen, who has won various awards for her literature for children which sometimes uses a quest as a theme.

A press release and a review describe a scene from the film: a skipper refuses to abandon his burning ship, despite his daughter's pleas. In a last-ditch attempt to save her father, the daughter jumps into the water and climbs onto the burning ship.

Short documentary on the Carnival at Aalst, Belgium.

A short music experience created with the sounds, both rhythmic percussive and vocal of 35 Indonesian street vendors.

De Oplossing? is a movie about the dangers of racism and fascism. A group of Dutch young people is influenced by an ultra right political party.

Belgian movie-icon Marc Didden's artistic documentary about the houses he lived in throughout his life.

A reportage about the rice culture in the Dutch East Indies, with a focus on processing the sawahs (wet rice fields).

COVID-19. The whole world is in Lock Down. There is panic in society. What is going on? Is this actually about our public health?

1998 Dutch experimental film.

In his third solo performance the Dutch cabaret artist Harrie Jekkers makes a trip around his own world and travels back to the fifties, singing and telling.

In the Netherlands, there are more bicycles than people, and in the city of Utrecht, they are everywhere. But for filmmaker Ella Aafjes, they are also constantly disappearing. Despite the evolution of the bicycle over 200 years, Ella remains stuck in a primitive cycle of loss, unable to keep a bike for more than a few months. The film explores "The Circuit"; an urban ecosystem where stolen bikes are sold and resold in a never-ending loop, turning victims into unwitting participants. Through a nostalgic and humorous look back at her "bike history," Ella documents her escalating war with Utrecht’s bike thieves.

A group of young men waltz in pairs, balancing with a glass between their foreheads. In this captivating setting, director Albert Rask crafts a new code of conduct - an allegory reflecting the experience of growing up. A playful yet poignant exploration that reframes the burdens of responsibility, expectations and the rules of adulthood.

Young Freya loves her dad, even though he doesn't always give the same amount of love back. She learns that it’s not always easy to get recognition from your parents. We follow her journey and while growing up she develops a passion for climbing. However, her father doesn’t approve of it. His strong opinion weighs heavy on her and she carries his words with her, until it has taken over her life. She learns to overcome his negativity by realizing those words are just something her dad said and does not say anything about her worth. By accepting herself for who she is, she learns how to break free from her father’s opinion. In this animated short full of metaphors, the gravity of the theme is combined with stylized design, bright colors and analog textures. So it will ease us into the vulnerability of what a parent-child relationship can entail.

A roaming cowboy becomes the mark of a white bird. A film referring to the books by Karl May.

Eight-year-old Lisa feels something is wrong with her grandma. Is grandma still grandma, or is she someone else? Eerie thriller shows the puzzling world through a child's eyes.