Discoveries from Netherlands World Cinema

The poet Valentijn Boecke meets his former teacher Mieke. They have a short relation. After a while Mieke appears to be pregnant. Valentijn is through with Mieke and leaves her...

Songs for a Passerby is a meditative quest that allows you to step outside reality for a moment and look at yourself. As a puppeteer of your own body you will be entering a poetic space where the melancholy question arises: is this me passing by moments, or is it rather the moments passing by me?

A series of four stories written by the Dutch writer Heere Heeresma, interpreted by four different directors. A confirmed bachelor bumps into his secretary after work. An old man just wants to be left alone at Christmas time. A former sailor yearns to get back to the sea, away from his clarinet playing wife. A shopkeeper in a rowboat gets into an argument with a postman on a bicycle.

The result of a two-year collaboration with the fishing community of Urk, a former island in the Netherlands. In the previous century, the Dutch closed off and drained their inland sea to reclaim new farmland. The island of Urk, situated in the middle of the sea, suddenly found itself embraced by land. Its inhabitants were expected to switch from fishing to farming, but the fishermen managed to continue their trade. They found new fishing grounds, far out in the North Sea.

After a bizarre one night stand leaves him infertile, a careless bachelor sets out to connect with the television presenter who, as the result of the anonymous sperm donation he once made, happens to be pregnant with his child.

A young boy plays an accordion in a shopping mall. Béla Tarr picks up the camera one more time to shoot his very last scene. It is his anger about how refugees are treated in Europe, and especially in Hungary, that drove him to make a statement.

What if your father murdered your mother? Maeve, Roser, and sisters Perla and Aurora each lost their mother, their father, and their safe home in a single day. Director Sara Kolster, in collaboration with expert Perla Joy, tells their stories about that single day, about how it could happen, but especially about what came afterward. Using tape, they reconstruct the contours of their childhood home, as it was before it became a crime scene, even though it served as a blueprint of their childhood.

The Hope Affair is the story of the fascinating affair between an impassioned woman in the midst of an attack on a conservative male bastion and an éminence grise from that same men’s world. An affair that pitches head against heart. An affair that completely spins out of control. And that can be quite funny.

Mist is a multidisciplinary dance film created by the Franco-Belgian choreographer Damien Jalet (1976) and filmed by Rahi Rezvani, inspired by the phenomenon of fog banks that are often associated with the Netherlands. The presence of wind and sea and the fact that a third of the Netherlands is below sea level served as some of the main sources of inspiration for the Jalet. Mist is part of a three project collaboration between Jalet and Japanese visual artist Kohei Nawa, following their critically acclaimed pieces VESSEL and PLANET [wanderer]. The work explores the ephemeral space between reality and mirage, and a physicality that recalls the dynamics of evaporating, condensing and falling water. For this creation, Jalet is also collaborating with choreographer Aimilios Arapoglou, composer Fennesz, lighting designer Urs Schonebaum, costume designer Sruli Recht and photographer and videographer Rahi Rezvani.

A man remains dazed and confused after his wife's death. Strange things start happening in his house. The next day the undertaker comes to collect the body.

Sensuality and spaghetti are the stars in a playful study of the body.

The girls of competitive rowing club Nereus are hoping to win the women’s eight. One of them, Jenny, falls for an art dealer and becomes pregnant. Her friends at the club, her coach and her father all pitch in to help. The first Dutch feature length colour film.

Short film depicting the genuine challenges of stuttering, wrapped in a fictional office drama. By stuttering director Irmo Stijnberg.

What it’s made of was produced for the Dutch customs laboratory (douane lab) in Sloterdijk over a period of 4 months. In this dual-channel film installation the viewer can watch the Dutch Customs Laboratory take shape in front of their eyes. Observing this process of the laboratory and its machines slowly being formed, attention is drawn to the shapes and forms that make up the laboratory and its machines.

What happens behind the scenes at Forum voor Democratie? For this documentary, PowNed spoke with multiple sources who have been involved with the party and its environment for years. They discuss the culture, ideology, and ambitions within the movement and share their experiences with topics such as conspiracy theories, ideas surrounding white supremacy, and dealing with critics. Why are they choosing to tell their story now?

One of the world's best restaurants, the Copenhagen-based NOMA and its renowned chef-owner René Redzepi relocate the restaurant and its entire staff to Tokyo.

While the homeless twenty-something, Owen, presents himself as an average student, he tries to conceal his truth at all costs despite his growing despair.

Milan and Sophie are two twentysomethings who want to marry and have children. Milan has ambitious plans for opening a dance club. After hard work, it seems to be a success. But one day, after getting beat up, Milan is told that he will never walk again. His world collapses and not just his...

Class 6b is going camping, led by Mees Kees and Principal Dreus. But after Dreus strains her back all responsibility suddenly rests on the shoulders of Kees. When things go wrong, he begins to doubt himself. But he soon learns that it is not about making mistakes, but about how to solve them.

Story of two con men, Boorman and his younger assistant Laarmans, who are trying to sell companies their non-existing magazine.

Het grote gebeuren (The big happening) is a Dutch movie about the day of judgement in the small village of Rijssen.

“Job is 2 meters tall and has been my baby for 58 years. I will continue to care for him as long as I can,” says 91-year-old Tineke about her severely disabled adult son. But how long can she keep that up and who needs who: Job Tineke or Tineke Job? A documentary about the limits of motherhood.

First film by Pim de la Parra, about a young Surinamese man in Amsterdam who delivers a “monologue interior” about his dissatisfaction with society and his position as an outsider.

13-year-old Arianne is terminally ill. Her best friend Zahra, a refugee from Afghanistan, is about to be deported. Arianne writes to the government minister: ‘I’m dying. Could Zahra stay in Holland instead of me when I’m gone?’ Inspired by a true story.

A young mother called Maria is returning home after a long abscence. Her kids have created their own fantasies as to why their mother has been away for such a long time.

Nola is badly screwed when a video is distributed at school showing her being dumped by her boyfriend Jesse. Her grief and jealousy get her into even more trouble: she is no longer allowed to attend camp. Popular Fenna takes advantage of this, as she wants to win over handsome Jesse. When Nola is at her wit's end and wants to avoid this, she gets help from an unexpected source. Boy, a rebellious boy from second grade, comes to the rescue. Together they set out to stop Fenna and win Jesse back... But is this still what Nola wants?

Two modern women and their free-spirited mother struggle to balance their private, professional and family lives.

A journey into the hidden world of the Netherlands, beneath the water's surface, where extraordinary creatures inhabit a wondrous habitat. Thirty years ago, filming there would have been unthinkable: the polluted, murky waters were devoid of life. Now, the many efforts to protect the environment are paying off...

The small boy Eryk does the household and takes swimming lessons just to please his demanding father. The only way to break out is to be as courageous as his giant avatar Polska Warrior in the computer game Goldhunter.

When Max goes out looking for troll’s footsteps, he climbs the fence of luxury hotel Dikkersdorp. Caught by a security guard who mistakenly holds him responsible of a theft orchestrated by the mysterious Pie, Max is in trouble. Luckily, his new neighbor Sellie sets him free and, together, they meet with Trollie. Unfortunately, Sellie’s father hears about the troll and goes out of his way to expose the creature to the public. But Trollie is very miserable being put in display and Max stages his escape to reunite his troll friend with his family in the land of Ekeby.

Farewell Pavel takes place in two cities. In Rotterdam, we follow Russian reporter Alexei Petrov. He stays in a shabby hotel while investigating Russian ships that have been chained up and writes an article about trafficking in women. His contact with a Russian prostitute gets him into trouble when he tries to arrange a fake passport for her. While Alexei becomes entangled in a criminal web in the West, Alexei's 14-year-old son Pavel longs for his father in St. Petersburg and takes his first steps on the path of love. The events in both cities run almost parallel, but are told from different time perspectives. Over time, a shift occurs. For Pavel, who is on his way to adulthood, time passes more and more quickly, while for Alexei, who feels increasingly threatened, time seems to stand still.

In the small Dutch village of Lagerheide, two members of the local brass band get into a fight, forcing the band to be split in two. The two hotheads and their followers are doing their utmost to sabotage each other’s attempts at becoming the band who will represent the village at the upcoming brass band competition.

On a summer trip with friends, Momo becomes consumed by the belief he has encountered alien life.

Due to the measures taken by the government, students have fewer and fewer prospects for a meaningful future. Life is on pause and society is kept in fear. The confidence in a bright future is gone. Even after 18 months, there is still no light at the end of the tunnel. The many promises have not yet changed this situation. In this moving documentary, young people give an idea of the impact of the measures on their lives. Is there still hope or has the damage already been done?

A lonely man tossed by life and hectored by his landlady finds happiness only with an alley cat.

The last surviving whale in the oceans meets its greatest enemy - man.

Reda is 26 years old. His dreams of escaping the Palestinian refugee camp of Ain El-Helweh ended in failure after three years trapped in Greece. He returned with a heroin addiction to life in a camp being torn apart by internal strife and the encroachment of war from Syria. Against all odds, he decides to marry his childhood sweetheart; a love story, bittersweet as the camp itself.

The film is put together as a collection of autonomous images which, once combined, make up van der Keuken's mental universe: family happiness, fragments of some of his earlier films, a homage to the saxophonist Ben Webster, two poems by the great contemporary poets Remco Campert and Lucebert, a portrait of the director's grandfather, who taught him photography at the age of twelve... 
"One of those small masterpieces one encounters by surprise..." Jean-Paul Fargier, Cahiers du Cinéma, 1975

Guided by the evocative narration of Charlotte Rampling, Nostalgia for the Future is a descent into the labyrinthine world of Chris Marker, the “best-known author of unknown films,” who spent a lifetime concealing himself behind a veil of pseudonyms and images of cats. Moving through a constellation of personal documents and film fragments, an archivist attempts to decode the man through the material traces he left behind. By repurposing and recontextualizing Marker’s own body of work, the film treats his images as “time machines,” transforming the archive into a landscape of living memory. Nostalgia for the Future is a meditation on memory, identity, and the power our past images hold over the futures we imagine.

The Netherlands are being threatened by a weird terrorist. The only one who can save The Netherlands from this terrorist seems to be Francois. He is a gay couturier who very much looks like the terrorist. They turn out to be twin brothers. Francois takes on the duty to pose as his brother to stop the terrorist activities.

With extraordinary access and urgent storytelling, Antidote anchors its timely narrative on whistleblowers and activists who have worked to uncover Vladimir Putin’s deadly regime — and are now facing dangerous and fatal consequences for their courageous actions.

From different time perspectives, Sloophamer tells the story of 55-year-old Dirk, who one Friday afternoon returns to his house in the pleasant street where he leads a happy life. He is proud of the house he has converted into a snug little palace with his own hands. But then, suddenly, a wrecker's ball knocks a gaping hole into the outside wall. Dirk's wife quickly explains that the house is going to be demolished, but the bull-headed Dirk refuses to vacate the place. Still, the overseer of the demolition team wants to finish the job before the weekend. To 'smoke out' the couple, he makes their situation increasingly dire. Water, gas and electricity are cut off and the anti-riot squad is even on standby. While Dirk is cheered as a hero by sympathisers, the overseer decides to go upstairs and terminate the predicament. There, he finds a different man than he had imagined. It slowly becomes clear that Dirk is out of touch with reality.

Dylan, a young man with a beautiful and carefree life, runs, along with his best friend Mike, the "Break-Up Club", a private club that offers assistance to help cope with the breakup. Things are going well until Zoë, a journalist and former employee of the club, starts writing a compromising article about the "Break-Up Club".

A short – apparently innocent – announcement turns the lives of a couple of employees at a wellness centre down. An absurd tragicomedy.

Documentary about a group of young idealistic friends in their squat in Amsterdam. Chased by the police and the press, they moved from squat to squat, with a clear message: don't make the city too expensive for the new generation of Amsterdammers. But living with such a large group and the flaws of the squat begin to take their toll. When the squatters collective falls apart halfway through the film, the filmmaker is left disillusioned and decides to confront the young squatters with her feelings of disappointment.

Stef moved to a new home, but there is another man in his home, Theo. Theo is the previous owner of the house, he died a few years ago. Stef seems to be the only one who can see him.

Drama on the dawning love between a Polish woman and a farmer. Anna is forced to work in a brothel, but manages to escape. She's found, exhausted and scared, by Henk (the farmer) who offers her a place to stay, but her past chases her.

Two sisters (Geerteke van Lierop, Nicole Moerland) meet with their estranged mother (Monic Hendrickx). While they're trying to connect over the course of a day, we hear the thoughts of their deceased father (Rutger Hauer).

Tarik helps his father Elias transport illegal immigrants into the Netherlands. When an accident occurs, Tarik gains the acknowledgment from his father he has yearned for, but at a high price - the loss of his own innocence.

When Sinterklaas and Diego arrive at the harbor in Spain, they discover that the pakjesboot has already departed. This marks the start of a race against the clock to catch up with the boat in time. That’s not easy, because thanks to the meddling of the crooks Joris and Boris, the Piets left for the Netherlands a day early...

Going on a safari is a dream for many. For middle-aged couple Linda and Troyer, it turns into a horribly real adventure when they get left behind in the wilderness.

In a near future the world is split into two categories, the supporters of law and order on the one hand and the rebels on the other. Chico, a biker, who is to be conscripted into the army, is part of the second group. He soon runs away from a military hospital and, thanks to the help of a gang of motorcyclists, helps his friends to escape from prison. A violent confrontation with police forces ensues.

Berry has lost everything, but gets a job at taxi company IVOTAX. When Ivo finds out about Berry's past, he devises a trial that culminates in an intense chase through the streets of Eindhoven, in which no one seems to be trusted.

In 1970s Amsterdam, two promising young dancers have their friendship put to the test when they are both hired by the same highly demanding and competitive royal ballet company.

The peaceful cohabitation of two 30-something bachelors is disrupted when they both fall in love with the charming young woman who moves in with them.

Chris' thirtieth Birthday party is turned upside down when he finds out there is a ticking bomb growing in his stomach.

A talented singer and her singer-songwriter boyfriend get the chance to represent their school in the biggest music competition for students in which the grand prize is a record deal. But instead of fighting for a bright future together, they end up having to compete against one another.

In 2023, there were an estimated 30.6 thousand homeless people. This number continues to rise at an alarming rate. One of them is the headstrong Ruurdt. He has difficulty getting help and cannot adapt well to our society. He is now also in danger of losing the houseboat that was assigned to him. 'Ruurdt' is an intimate portrait of a man on the fringes of our society.