Discoveries from Netherlands World Cinema

When a gunman enters an Apple Store in the heart of Amsterdam, the police face a delicate challenge to resolve the standoff.

Helen suddenly finds herself penniless and without a home after the death of her well to do husband who has overdrawn his credit account. She rents a room with a common area for all the tenants living in that place. There she met Joeri, an adorable and cute gay rent boy who also resides in that apartment. They bond a special friendship but a one night stand might ruin it all. Is there any chance Helen might be happy again?

After World War II, Antonia and her daughter, Danielle, go back to their Dutch hometown, where Antonia's late mother has bestowed a small farm upon her. There, Antonia settles down and joins a tightly-knit but unusual community. Those around her include quirky friend Crooked Finger, would-be suitor Bas and, eventually for Antonia, a granddaughter and great-granddaughter who help create a strong family of empowered women.

A young woman quietly unsatisfied in the bedroom by her boyfriend puts their relationship to the test when she proposes to open up their sex life to a third person.

Jonathan Stavleu explores, in a stream-of-consciousness video essay, the relationship people have with water and what happens when access to it is taken away. For this work, he examines anecdotal histories he has heard from Estonians, as well as stories from his own family history in the Netherlands, weaving them together into a journal-like narrative.

When neighboring country Veragua suddenly attacks Curaçao and Aruba, the Dutch government is taken completely by surprise. The conflict escalates rapidly. Three young Navy recruits must figure out what is the right thing to do.

A gang of six wealthy, well-dressed and well-spoken hoodlums break into a married couple's house and rape the wife while forcing the husband to watch. Thus begins a dogged investigation by a determined detective who quickly finds that their cult-like solidarity can be a serious obstacle to breaking them.

A young adventurous panda travels from China to Africa to rescue his best friend, Jielong the Dragon, who has been kidnapped. On his journey, he discovers a strange amazing new world of mountains, deserts and jungles.

A group of mostly black infantrymen return from the Spanish-American War with a cache of gold. They travel to the West where their leader searches for the men who lynched his father.

When charismatic stripper Jorrit is single again, his best friend Bas convinces him to open a strip club in Miami. But they could use some extra hands and so their friend Thijs also flies to Miami, together with new stripper and fellow construction worker Boris. But before the stripping can commence, the men have to get to work, because the club turns out to be a construction nightmare. Soon they find themselves in the grips of real-estate king Pablo, who also turns out to be a competitor in the love department. Jorrit falls deeply for the attractive and free-spirited Lola , a Dutch woman settled in Miami, who is also a stripper and who counts Pablo as one of her suitors. Jorrit will have to find out where the boundaries of seduction and freedom lie in their work. Meanwhile, an ego clash between Bas and Jorrit leads to a disastrous opening of their club. Ultimately, it is the camaraderie that made our boys successful in the first place, that will save their enterprise.

After years apart, brothers Horst and Franz reunite. Horst is dealing with Alzheimer’s, while Franz is in debt, and sees his brother’s unspent inheritance as the solution to his financial problems. When Horst’s former love Andrea, turns up, old wounds and a buried family mystery come to the surface, forcing them to confront their past.

When Maarten learns that his father, Hans, is terminally ill, he decides to take him on one last road trip to the Champagne region.

Caught in the crossfire of their parents’ divorce, Nina and Eli are torn between loyalty, anger and a longing to be seen. Through their mirrored perspectives the same story unfolds, revealing how love can fracture and still find its way.

In the year of 754 AD, during a time of epic battles and bloodshed, the legend of the pagan warrior king, Rebad, is born, but so is a new weapon against his people: Christianity. Redbad must ultimately unite a Viking army powerful enough to defeat the seemingly invincible Franks.

Matthijs is a street photographer in Amsterdam, aiming to succeed and grow within his profession. A new client gives him a unique photography assignment: create a photo that captures the spirit of art in Amsterdam. Matthijs travels the city in search of the best photo, ultimately learning not only what he considers the essence of true art, but also how he can become a better artist himself.

An autistic man sets out to get his driver's license to prove he can function "normally." But when he falls in love during lessons, his pursuit of independence collides with society's demands and forces him to face unexpected challenges.

A young Dutch soldier deployed to suppress post-WWII independence efforts in the Netherlands’ colony of Indonesia finds himself torn between duty and conscience when he joins an increasingly ruthless commander’s elite squad.

The film is set in 1521 Antwerp, in a Europe ravaged by religious wars, and during the early years of the Reformation. It tells the story of the twelve year old, Falko Voeten – a printer’s son. When Falko’s father, Klaas Voeten, a printer of forbidden literature, is caught by the Inquisition for printing a letter written by Maarten Luther; Falko is unwittingly propelled into helping his father and into searching for the letter. Threatened by the Inquisition but aided by Marieke, a Catholic orphan girl from the underground sewers, Falko is faced with a race against time if he is to save his father from being executed for heresy.

In a repressive city-state, a tomboy schoolgirl persuades three classmates at an all-girls school to rebel by forming a triad gang.

Fifteen-year-old Malou is struggling with herself; while her mother is mostly absent and her rowing teammates bully her, the one person she can rely on is her brother Max. When Malou develops feelings for Max’s girlfriend Nouria, her life is dragged in an unstoppable current. Malou has to face her true self, may it be at the expense of her brother.

The young Katelijne grows up in a strict Protestant peasant family. As the only girl between six brothers, she is hardly involved in farm work and is excluded from daily conversations. Hereby she lets her imagination run free by surrendering to Biblical stories, gossip and even fairy tales, although she is not allowed to read them. During her brother's wedding, however, she overwhelms her family with literature, saying goodbye to her childhood.

A young Dutch soldier deployed to suppress post-WWII independence efforts in the Netherlands’ colony of Indonesia finds himself torn between duty and conscience when he joins an increasingly ruthless commander’s elite squad.

After a bizarre accident leaves Fransje Hermans in a wheelchair, he seems doomed to live out his days in the sluggish village of Lomark. The accident leaves him unable to move or speak, and with the exception of one functional arm, his life seems hopeless. All that changes when charismatic newcomer Joe Speedboot arrives and forms an unlikely friendship with Fransje.

When single mother Sandra, full of unwavering energy, is evicted from her apartment by the Dutch government due to fraud, she convinces her daughters Harrie and Stella that their emergency shelter is a holiday hotel. Taking care of her children while being the main breadwinner seems impossible, but Sandra won't go down without a fight: with heroism and creativity, she gives her daughters the best summer of their lives.

A low-class antisocial family ends up in a rich upper-class neighborhood and causes all sorts of trouble.

An extravagant, exotic and moving look at Rembrandt's romantic and professional life, and the controversy he created by the identification of a murderer in the painting The Night Watch.

The lives of six people, who seem to have nothing more in common than their faraway homelands, become inextricably linked in Amsterdam, the city they have chosen as their new home.

Tough prime school girl Akkie loves soccer and can be a real bully. Love is the only thing she's scared of. When Akkie is diagnosed with leukemia, she has to fight for her life. On the verge of going to high school, Akkie has to allow love to enter her life, and thus gain courage to accept the inevitable.

The mini-series is based on the true story of journalist Hans Knoop, who attempts to find the truth behind the then not yet prosecuted war criminal Pieter Menten. In the seventies, the case caused uproar in the media and in the political landscape in The Netherlands.

Jonathan Stavleu explores, in a stream-of-consciousness video essay, the relationship people have with water and what happens when access to it is taken away. For this work, he examines anecdotal histories he has heard from Estonians, as well as stories from his own family history in the Netherlands, weaving them together into a journal-like narrative.

A woman with a steady marriage and a little daughter, goes bezerk and enters a seducing game.

Joris is trying to come to terms with his broken family relationships on the 10th anniversary of his father’s death when he meets the free-spirited, Yad. Also dealing with family issues, Yad has returned home to The Netherlands after living on his own. Joris and Yad spark an instant connection and decide they want to be more than “just friends,” but fear their families could threaten their relationship.

Super Miss is back! When a brightly coloured parrot lands in Miss Josje’s garden one sunny, spring day, it turns out to be the start of a grand adventure. The parrot has flown all the way from the South American jungle in search of help. The area where the parrots live is under threat of being developed into a large holiday resort. But can Miss Josje, as Superteacher, fly all the way to the other side of the world? And what can she to do stop the bulldozers all on her own?

Nervous job applicant Martijn is offered a magical coffee by HR Manager Rianne, making it impossible for him to lie and causing the interview to take some surprising turns.

A Dutch web cartoon created by Studio Massa. It tells the story of three adopted sisters named Maya, Coco and Mymy going through their lives.

A mysterious diver hiding in Amsterdam's canal system embarks on a rampage of gruesome murders, terrifying city officials and leaving few clues for the city's best detective, who doesn't suspect that both his new girlfriend and twelve-year-old daughter may be closer than he is to finding the killer.

A cocksure, road-raging family man finds himself pursued and terrorized by the vengeful van driver he chooses to tailgate.

A group of mostly black infantrymen return from the Spanish-American War with a cache of gold. They travel to the West where their leader searches for the men who lynched his father.

Divided into chapters, the film first chronicles Hemel's many sexual conquests, but then takes on a different tone as it explores her complicated relationship with her father, Gijs. A dapper auctioneer, Gijs has dated a series of younger women since Hemel's mother's death. But when Gijs starts seeing the charming Sophie, for the first time Hemel feels that her special relationship with her father is threatened...

The lonely 17-year-old outcast Aike craves attention and finds it online where he conducts dangerous chemistry experiments. Hoping to pull Aike out of his internet bubble, his mother, a hardworking nurse, sends him to the scouts to make real friends. When that fails, Aike feels rejected and hurt. To prove himself to the world, he begins his biggest experiment yet: he secretly builds a nuclear breeder reactor in his mother's shed, encouraged by a growing group of internet followers.

After a bizarre accident leaves Fransje Hermans in a wheelchair, he seems doomed to live out his days in the sluggish village of Lomark. The accident leaves him unable to move or speak, and with the exception of one functional arm, his life seems hopeless. All that changes when charismatic newcomer Joe Speedboot arrives and forms an unlikely friendship with Fransje.

When sixtysomething Bob's life collapses in work, health, and love, he rediscovers the power of true connection with the help of his loyal friends.

A couple is reunited years after tragedy drove them apart. Their brief but intense meeting will bring simmering pain and resentments to the surface but will be a reminder too of cherished intimacies and the love they once shared.

A girls weekend in a remote cottage in the Ardennes. Relationships are put into focus - do the four girls know everything about each other? The filming of the 'best youth book' of 2012 written by Mel Wallis de Vries.

After years of suppressing her desires, Stella finds she can no longer ignore her deep-rooted longings. Breaking out of her cage and starting a secret double-life, Stella transforms into a "unicorn", a nickname for single women who indulge in a hedonistic lifestyle, visiting sex clubs and erotic parties, and flourishing with all the new attention. Even as her husband uncovers his Stella's secret life, he can't do much more than give her the freedom that she obviously needs, in the hope it's all just a phase. Then one day she finds herself lying unconscious in a basement cell, with no idea how she arrived there. Days go by when an other woman is brought into her cell. Christine, a woman about the same age. In the following days they reveal their life stories to one other. Christine is convinced that the reason for their captivity lies in Stella's lifestyle.

A woman lives in a small village in Russia. One day she receives the parcel she sent to her husband, serving a sentence in prison. Confused and angered, she sets out to find why her package was returned to sender.

Three modern couples juggle relationships and demanding careers while navigating the unpredictable terrain of parenthood.

Cissie Colpitts drowns her cheating husband and, in the ensuing cover-up, enlists the help of lonely coroner Henry Madgett, an old friend with a longstanding weakness for her charms. But when Cissie's daughter and granddaughter—both also named Cissie Colpitts—decide to resort to the same methods for solving conflicts with their own frustrating husbands, the women and their repeated appeals for help begin to wear on Madgett's conscience.

The past collides with the present in this excavation of the Nazi occupation of Amsterdam: a journey from World War II to recent years of pandemic and protest and a provocative, life-affirming reflection on memory, time and what's to come.

Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1944, during World War II. Andries Riphagen, a powerful underworld boss, has made his fortune by putting his many criminal talents at the service of the Nazi occupiers. But the long battle is about to end and the freedom fighters, who have been persecuted and murdered for years, are abandoning their hideouts to mercilessly hunt down those who have collaborated with the killers.

Follow a day of the life of Big Buck Bunny when he meets three bullying rodents: Frank, Rinky, and Gamera. The rodents amuse themselves by harassing helpless creatures by throwing fruits, nuts and rocks at them. After the deaths of two of Bunny's favorite butterflies, and an offensive attack on Bunny himself, Bunny sets aside his gentle nature and orchestrates a complex plan for revenge.

Amateur dirt-bikers Rien and Hans–and their mechanic Eef–each fall in love with Fientje, a young woman who, with her brother Jaap, works a concession stand at the races. Everyone seeks a better life: Fientje wants out of the business and away from Jaap; and Rien and Hans aim to make their marks as pro racers, like their hero, Gerrit Witkamp.

When single mother Sandra, full of unwavering energy, is evicted from her apartment by the Dutch government due to fraud, she convinces her daughters Harrie and Stella that their emergency shelter is a holiday hotel. Taking care of her children while being the main breadwinner seems impossible, but Sandra won't go down without a fight: with heroism and creativity, she gives her daughters the best summer of their lives.

In the occupied Netherlands during World War II, banker Walraven van Hall is asked to use his financial contacts to help the Dutch resistance. With his brother Gijs, he comes up with a risky plan to take out huge loans and use the money to finance the Resistance.

The lives of six people, who seem to have nothing more in common than their faraway homelands, become inextricably linked in Amsterdam, the city they have chosen as their new home.

May 1940. As Europe trembles on the brink of war, two lives cross within Brussels’ legendary Flagey building, the beating heart of national radio. Elza, a young actress making her debut in radio drama, meets Berre, a gifted soundman with a magical ear. She is enchanted by storytelling; he finds solace in sound. Their encounter sparks a love that dares to exist beyond the rising shadow of their time.

When Jen's old boyfriend Oscar returns to her small town in Ireland, she is forced to face the tragedy that marked them for life.

A lift technician finds himself drawn into a web of mystery and peril as he investigates the perplexing deadly accidents occurring in the elevators of a new office building.