Best Dutch Live Action Short

Foster Hannah’s Dream

Elias and Wesley are part of a nice family in the Dutch city of Haarlem. They are lovingly cared for by their two fathers. However, one Sunday the atmosphere is decidedly disharmonious. Elias, a teenager, doesn’t want to get up and argues at breakfast. The two fathers are also clearly tense. During breakfast it becomes apparent why: eightyear-old Wesley is due to be picked up by his biological father to go and live with him again.

Together, the four people constitute a foster family. Each member deals with the impending farewell differently, but everyone finds it hard, even though they knew this would happen from the start. Elias decides to have one last ice cream with the boy he views as his brother, even though he looks nothing like him. Hannah lives with her father in a happy street in a sunny climate. Due to the lockdown, they are stuck at home. Her father is out of work: he is a composer and there are no more assignments. Hannah sees him try to compose something, but he is getting more and more depressed and easily annoyed. When she tries to cheer him up, he just gets angry and, in the end, he just lies in bed. When she discovers that many musicians live in their street and are all stuck at home, she gets an idea. She goes to work, now it is all about whether people support her plan.

Almost dialogue-free and employing simple images and subtle animation, the film shows the consequences of the lockdown as well as how small things can have a major impact.

JORDI WIJNALDA

THE NETHERLANDS | 2021 | 13’ | 9+

FACTS

Producer Rogier Kramer Screenwriter Jordi Wijnalda Editor Tessel Flora de Vries Leading actors Rick Paul van Mulligen, Thomas Ryckewaert, Freek den Hartogh, Souhail Attahiri, Jayden Brienesse Production company Dutch Mountain Film, The Netherlands, info@dutchmountainfilm.nl, www.dutchmountainfilm.nl

EUGENE ARTS, EMILY REEKERS

THE NETHERLANDS | 2021 | 14’ | 6+

FACTS

Producer Koji Nelissen, Derk-Jan Warrink Screenwriter Eugene Arts, Emily Reekers Editor Augustine Huijsser Composer Nico Huijbregts Leading actors Linne Pasveer, Ronald Armbrust Production company Keplerfilm, The Netherlands, hello@keplerfilm.com, www.keplerfilm.com Sales company Kapitein Kort, The Netherlands, info@kapiteinmedia.nl, www.kapiteinmedia.nl

Nova Rotje

Nova is 15 and more or less looks after her little sister Ivy, because her mother is always working or tired and her father is out of the picture. The family moved from Belgium to the Netherlands not so long ago and are still getting used to their new environment. One day, Nova accompanies Ivy to football training, where she meets Nadia who trains the girls’ team. Nova is confused by this woman who is much older than she is and differs from her mother in that she is beautiful, soft spoken and smiles a lot.

For a brief time, we closely follow how Nova’s feelings develop and how she takes an entirely new path. The film shows how special, unpredictable and vulnerable new love can be, as well as how consuming. Two best friends from the Dutch town of Urk are about to start their first day at high school. Before each of them cycles to their own, new school, they head into the woods one last time to play soldiers. One, who is only just still a child, becomes immersed in the fantasy, while the other is led by reality. He worries about being late and doesn’t want to get dirty.

The film shows how the two boys experience their day differently and how insecure they are about this new phase through music and exciting, sometimes surreal footage of the woods. Will they be able to find each other again when their game is over? And does it matter that they won’t be together all the time from now on?

LUCA MEISTERS

THE NETHERLANDS | 2021 | 10’ | 10+

FACTS

Producer Marc Bary Screenwriter Luca Meisters Editor Tessel Flora de Vries Composer Minco Eggersman Leading actors Pauline Bas, Nadia Amin, Naomi Velissariou, Lona van Steekelenburg, Kendrick Etmon Production company IJswater Films, The Netherlands, films@ijswater.nl, www.ijswater.nl Sales company Kapitein Kort, The Netherlands, info@kapiteinmedia.nl, www. kapiteinmedia.nl

MEANDER VAN HARREWIJEN

THE NETHERLANDS | 2021 | 13’ | 8+

FACTS

Producer Merel van Beek Screenwriter Meander van Harrewijen Editor Max Helmantel Composer Joep Boode Leading actors Jesse van Wilbrenninck, Marijn van Wijk Stalman Production company Nederlandse Academie voor Beeldcreatie, The Netherlands, info@navb.nl

Shielded

Pantser

Dark thriller about two sisters who live together in the same house during a global pandemic, which is fatal to anyone going outside unprotected. Slowly but surely it becomes clear that the two of them are alone and that their parents have gone to look for help. The girls survive on tinned food and rainwater, and keep themselves entertained with games – but their food is running out.

One day a man in a protective suit turns up at their door. He says he wants to help them. He has only one more suit, so can take the girls one by one to a shelter, where there is enough food and drink and space for a few hundred people. The sisters face a huge dilemma: should they trust him and let him in? Or should they stick with what they know? Their decision has massive consequences.

Sleepless Nights: Faceswap

Slapeloze nachten

Veronica is in high school and always on her smartphone, just like all her friends. Their lives consist of TikTokking, Instagramming and hashtags. Her neighbour Anna is very different and therefore creepy. One night, Anna suddenly has to stay over because her mother is working late at the morgue. Veronica doesn’t really like the girl but is intrigued by her simple ‘green phone’ and primarily by the app Faceswap.

She decides she wants to try the app, but that proves to be a bad decision. Because it might be fun to swap faces online for a laugh, but what if it happens for real? And what do you do when you can no longer use the app because the phone’s battery has died and there is no charger around? Can Veronica undo events before morning comes?

JAN VERDIJK

THE NETHERLANDS | 2021 | 21’ | 12+

FACTS

Dutch title Pantser Producer Daniel Dow Screenwriter Jan Verdijk Editor Joshua Menco Composer Koen van de Wardt Leading actors Nola Kemper, Femke de Booys, Ward Weemhoff Production company DPPLR, The Netherlands, info@dpplr.nl, http://www.dpplr.nl/

NIELS BOURGONJE

THE NETHERLANDS | 2021 | 11’ | 9+

FACTS

Dutch title Slapeloze nachten Producer Frank de Horde, Tim Vloothuis Screenwriter Paul Bontenbal Editor Wietse de Zwart Composer Tom Sikkers Leading actors Frida Heijmen, Carmen van Zantwijk, AnneFleur Klinkhamer, Hanneke Scholten, Ernst Dekkers, Production company Every Media, The Netherlands, info@everymedia.nl, www.everymedia.nl Distributor Every Media

Spotless

Vlekkeloos

Getting your period is never fun, but for some women and girls it’s a real drama. For fifteen-year-old Ruby, for example, who lives with her mother and sister in a depressing suburb. They don’t have much money; her mother has a lot of debts and works day and night to make ends meet. Ruby gets food from the food bank every week, but they don’t have tampons there. And buying them is expensive.

This realistic drama shows how essential sanitary towels and tampons are if you want to be part of society. Ruby wrestles with this problem every month and doesn’t want to bother her mother with it, as she has enough to worry about already. And she doesn’t want to keep troubling her best friend either. Eventually, she takes a drastic step.

Sunshine Motel

Seven-year-old Roos is on holiday in a sunny country with her mother. She really looked forward to this: swimming in the sea, eating ice creams and dancing at the children’s disco. However, when Roos wakes up at the Sunshine Motel, she discovers her mother has gone and has left her behind. She has no idea where her mother has gone or how long she will stay away.

After getting over the initial shock, the girl decides not to let this get her down, but to do what she likes, now that she can and to make it a proper holiday day complete with bouncing on the bed and eating as many crisps as she wants. However, how long can she pretend she is having a wonderful time? When night finally falls, Roos takes a drastic decision.

EMMA BRANDERHORST

THE NETHERLANDS | 2021 | 15’ | 12+

FACTS

Dutch title Vlekkeloos Producer Marc Bary Screenwriter Milou Rohde Editor Tessel Flora de Vries Composer Hans Nieuwenhuijsen Leading actors Astrid van Eck, Wendy Ruijfrok, Ilva Los, Alicia Prinsen Production company IJswater Films, The Netherlands, films@ijswater.nl, www.ijswater.nl Sales company Kapitein Kort, The Netherlands, info@kapiteinmedia.nl, www.kapiteinmedia.nl

ROSITA WOLKERS

THE NETHERLANDS | 2021 | 7’ | 10+

FACTS

Producer Denise van den Hoek Screenwriter Rosita Wolkers Editor Fatih Tura Composer Hans Nieuwenhuijsen, Arend Bruijn Leading actors Lola van Zoggel Production company BIND, The Netherlands, info@bindfilm.nl, www.bindfilm.com