Discoveries from Netherlands World Cinema

A searching, melancholy Dutch documentary about the lives of four classical musicians who won the prestigious Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, a victory that did not prove a guaranteed ticket to the top of the classical music world.

A woman wants to find out if her husband is cheating her.

Bram Vermeulen searches for the origin of man and his civilization on earth. The Sumerian clay tablets, which are considered the first historiography, lead him via the story of creation and the theory of evolution to a revealing conclusion.

In 1938, Queen Wilhelmina celebrated her fortieth anniversary of reign. This overview covers the development of the Netherlands during the period 1898–1938. We see constitutional issues Wilhelmina dealt with, as well as changes in transport, water management, and technology. The House of Orange was interested in science, culture, and sports; Queen and Prince Hendrik made an appearance at many festivities. An overview of Wilhelmina's life reveals her great interest in the Dutch people. Highlights of her life include her engagement and marriage to Hendrik, the Silver Wedding Anniversary, and the engagement of Juliana and Bernhard.

The film is about how humans behave differently in different contexts. It depicts the everyday life of a couple at work, together and alone, where they can express themselves fully without being constrained by other people, social norms, and society.

This unique performance, scheduled for September 20th*, will not only bring our greatest hits combined with orchestral arrangements to your living room, but also a setlist full of secret fan favourites, guest performers and plenty of surprises – even including NEW MUSIC from our upcoming album! Yep, you read that correctly.

A portrait of beloved presenter Dieuwertje Blok compiled before her death.

Fragment nul uur nul chimes with the tune of such a symphony, yet plays eclectically with form and image. A hidden gem, it was originally conceived as a backdrop to a theatre play and offers, if you will, a form of expanded theatre/cinema. The Filmliga protagonists‘ practice to cut up films as they seemed fit, or to show only fragments and loose ends to support their aesthetic preferences, is reflected here.

Following the deaths of his father and many others from his village, filmmaker Daniel Lambo sets off on a passionate quest to find the truth about the deadly asbestos industry. His search takes him to the largest asbestos waste dump in India and unveils a cold-blooded industry still endangering the lives of workers and consumers around the world. A gripping story on the fight of individuals against a booming asbestos industry.

For months Eva Van Tongeren maintains a correspondence with the convicted and incarcerated paedophile Thomas. With a voice-over she reflects upon his thoughts and how their atrociousness resonates through her daily life. Despite her unchanging incomprehension she seeks the limits of her empathy and tries to find ways to deal with such a loaded subject. As it proves to be impossible to make a connection she looks for something that does bind them. This brings her to the American landscape surrounding Death Valley, a place Thomas always wanted to visit. The filmmaker sends him fragments of quiet landscapes and memories that will never be his.

Registration of the fourth comedy special by the Dutch comedian Ronald Goedemondt, in which Goedemondt explores the theme conformism.

Four years ago, 28-year-old Bo Gyi Hasenaar ended up in the hospital with unbearable headaches. For nine days, he was in a coma, intubated, suspended between reality and a vivid dream world. On day five of his coma, the doctors delivered a hopeless message: "He probably won't survive." After nine days in the coma, nothing seemed the same. In a family where emotions were rarely expressed, the old filter suddenly fell away. For the first time in years, Bo Gyi told his parents he loved them. Bo Gyi demonstrated that vulnerability and seeking connection, especially among men, are not weaknesses but strengths.

3 generations of filmmakers tell a story about Brussels, 3 stories settled in the rue Saint Quentin, a forgotten street somewhere in the shadow of the European administration area.

The lesbian movement in the Netherlands was a driving force within Dutch feminism and came into full force in the 1970s. From demonstrations to squatting actions, from opening women’s cafes, bookstores, funding collectives to print shops, women were taking back the street and the city. A whole cultural paradigm shift caught in this documentary, with interviews, historic images and film material.

The polder, main feature of the Dutch landscape, has a disconcerting effect on the traveller who comes across it. In the film a young man begins to explore this world and finds himself steeped in silence and in the vastness of space. He has a feeling of serenity which he naively endeavours to capture. But the climate of Holland always seeks revenge. Serenity gradually gives way to despair against the backdrop of the bare landscape with no shelter to offer. The very same reasons which explain the polder’s charm now become responsible for a hostile attitude : the vastness becomes oppressive, paradise becomes a hell.

During the Second World War 6 prisoners are being held in a prison cell in Concentration Camp Amersfoort, Holland. Their fate is unknown. This night has an impact for many years and in many lives.

Private chauffeur Robert picks up a boy from a schoolyard. They spend the day together within the safe environment of the car and share a moment of being together that unfortunately is not obviously.

Part of a series of found landscapes, filmed on a single 8mm roll.

An ongoing series of found landscapes, filmed on a single 8mm roll.

Part of a series of found landscapes, filmed on a single 8mm roll.

A documentary about the past, present and potential future of the Digital Compact Cassette. Very few people know the true story about, the Digital Compact Cassette or DCC. Was DCC's audio compression the grandfather of all compressed audio formats today? Why did it have such a short life? Why didn't it become popular in more countries? The early termination of the format in 1996, leading to the rejuvenation in 2014 by Techmoan and later the DCCmuseum in countries that rejected the format before. Nearly 2 years of research allowed us to finally get the truth about DCC on camera, presenting DCC enthusiasts the past, present, and potential future of the format we love. This documentary is about the format, the creators, the decision makers, the musicians, the collectors, the geeks, and the audiophiles behind DCC.

Dimitri is lonely and depressed: since his shop in party goods went bankrupt, he has been struggling with a dead-end situation, with all the mess in his house and everyday troubles like a leaking freezer. Marina recently ended her relationship and decided to set off on an adventure. She finds Dimitri via a website for cheap lodgings. It seems something beautiful may develop between them, perhaps even romantically. But not everything is what it seems in this dark fairy-tale.

TV registration of Wim Kan's 1981 Dutch comedy show called 'In een Ommezien' (broadcast in 1984, a year after his death).

The vampire countess is trying to bring her master Dracula back to life and create a new kind of immortal creature - the doppelganger. But for this, she needs innocent blood obtained voluntarily, and this is a very difficult task.

Short poetic documentary about the southern sea in the Netherlands.

A 7 Hour Difference is what happens when East meets West at the crossroads of love, culture, and most importantly family. Back home from the states, and enjoying the festivities leading up to her sister's wedding, Dalia (Randa Karadsheh) gets a huge surprise when the love of her life JASON (Thom Bishops) shows up unannounced in Amman, and proposes. Problem is , she hasn't told her family... yet.

Award-winning artist Wim Helsen proves in his fifth theater performance that he not only has deep, absurd thoughts, but is also a good listener.

Two very different friends who share an apartment in Amsterdam have reached a dead end in their lives. The arrival of a parcel looks like an opportunity for a change.

A girl finds a mysterious egg in the woods and takes it home, keeping it secret from her parents, she puts it in the attic. Not knowing what consequences could be. Then, it hatches.

A short government funded industrial documentary showing the hard work and craftsmanship of labourers in the leather industry that otherwise goes unnoticed, (deserving as much attention as the exploits of a famous boxer).

Bassie & Adriaan are in Denmark. There they will receive the package from the hands of a children's friend, but who is that? When Bassie sees a Viking ship during his search through Denmark, he thinks he is dreaming. But when he suddenly sees B100, he knows he is wide awake. After Denmark, Bassie & Adriaan go to Belgium. On their way there, they are having a great time. They are traveling in a hot air balloon. From the balloon, they look out over beautiful Belgian towns and villages. But they don't see that B100 is preparing an ambush under the balloon...

Dutch musician and rapper Joost Klein's live performance at Lowlands Festival on August 18, 2023 in Biddinghuizen, The Netherlands.

Documentary about Haarlem.

If We Knew is a documentary about paediatricians in an intensive-care unit for newborns. A film about the compassion needed to heal the sick and occasionally needed to hasten the death of a child.

As death approaches, a lonely man sends his final words into space, hoping alien life will one day understand the quiet wonder of being human.

From the translucent golden eggs of the Tibetan bearded vulture to those of the British guillemot with their Jackson Pollock-like splashes, German ornithologist Max Schönwetter (1874-1961) collected them all. He devoted his life to oology, the study of birds’ eggs. But while Schönwetter created order in his world of eggs, chaos broke out in the world around him on the eve of the Second World War.

Registration of the show by Dutch comedian Freek de Jonge. As long as there are privileges, human rights fall short. How can we live together peacefully as humans? During the Christmas conference, Freek de Jonge will answer that question. With his characteristic sharpness and humor, he takes us on a journey through the violent history of humanity and exposes the sore points of our current society.

A mysterious detective wants to know more about his biological father and decides to search for answers to all the questions in his mind. He gets help from two kids who also don’t know their biological father, Duuk (12) and Maarten (11). The boys give the detective advice by sharing their own experience.

Merle (8) lives in a tiny village in the very south of the Netherlands. In a few weeks time, she will make her first Holy Communion in church. Just like her parents, grandparents and grandparents once did. That is a very special moment in the Catholic faith," says grandpa. Merle is looking forward to the beautiful clothes and gifts she will receive for her communion party, but is not yet sure what to think of what the religious teacher tells her at school about Jesus. For example, that by eating the host he comes very close to you. In conversations with Grandpa, Dad and her classmates, she tries to find out how that really works. Will things really change when Merle eats the blessed host?

Bertha loves to draw. She needs help in her daily life for she has a rare disease that impairs her vision. But Bertha refuses to be discouraged. She has organised an exhibition together with a well-known painter. The proceeds will go to research into her disease, the so-called Wolfram syndrome. Can Bertha tame the wild wolves in her life?

When stuttering Stef (17) decides to tell his grandmother about his studies at her birthday party, his family stop him from speaking, as they always do. But this time Stef refuses to remain silent.

A romantic story set in the heart of a war-torn Kurdish town. When Sherin leaves to fight, her anguished lover Ferhat stays behind awaiting her return.

The fact the 11-year-old Dalou has no father is not necessarily a problem, according to his best friend Coco. They’ll just find a ‘surrogate father’. Their quest turns out to be harder than expected and puts their friendship to the test.

A feeder is getting bored with his current project.

Stage registration of the theatre performance by the Dutch theatre vedettes Jenny Arean and Brigitte Kaandorp.

An incomplete word that we never hear is reduced to a single phoneme by echoes and stutters in digital cut-ups. The voice is not subordinated to any rational order, avoiding an adaptation to semantic content or syntactic structures. The digital sounds metaphorically blur distinctions between what is heard as natural or artificial and reference the dynamism and ephemerality of environments and forms of life. An amorphous figure appears timidly in a familiar background. We cannot predict its movements or what is going to become. We cannot decode its gender, age, nationality, or mood. It doesn’t follow any law, it’s just there to exist.

One of a series of humorous claymation films about an alternative distribution of household responsibilities between men and women.