Spotlight

#bullyingstory

#pestverhaal

Bullying is nothing new, but bullying in cyberspace is. In the youth documentary #bullyingstory, we get to go online with Rosalie (13) to meet fellow kids who are victims of cyberbullying. Rosalie was bullied and even in her own bedroom she wasn’t safe anymore. There she got messages saying ‘You’re worth nothing’ and ‘Drop dead whore’. The bullying has had its effect on her as she finds it hard to trust classmates and doesn’t have any friends. Talking about it online is the first step in turning the digital world from a monster into a friend.

Part of the special documentary revisiting programme ZappDoc: How Are They Now? St. Joost graduate Eef Hilgers has also directed four Bikkels episodes, that have previously won the Cinekid Non Fiction Award. The internet and new technologies have also been the subject of previous projects like Lieve k#ttelefoon and SHAME/ FAME.

Ainbo - Spirit of the Amazon

Ainbo: Heldin van de Amazone

Ainbo grows up in Candamo, a tiny village in the middle of the Amazon rainforest. She wants to be the best hunter in the Amazon. Her best friend Zumi is a chief’s daughter. When her father steps down because he is ill, Zumi has to take over. One day, Ainbo discovers their land is being threatened by an ancient demon, Yucurunu. Together with Zumi she wants to combat the curse that threatens their rainforest. They are helped by a giant tortoise who protects their village and two ‘Amazon guides’: an upbeat tapir and a crazy armadillo.

The 3D film Ainbo: Spirit of the Amazon is based on a myth from Amazonia. This Peruvian-Dutch coproduction is a magical, heart-warming, relevant tale for young and old. Themes it deals with include courage, friendship, strength and self-belief.

EEF HILGERS

THE NETHERLANDS | 2018 | 15’ | 8+

FACTS

Dutch title #pestverhaal Producer Willem Baptist, Nienke Korthof Screenwriter Eef Hilgers Editor Daan Wijdeveld Composer Stan Koch, Maarten Buning Production company Tangerine Tree, The Netherlands, info@tangerinetree.nl, www.tangerinetree.nl

JOSE ZELADA, RICHARD CLAUS

PERU, THE NETHERLANDS | 2020 | 84’ | 7+

FACTS

Dutch title Ainbo: Heldin van de Amazone Producer Richard Claus, Cesar Zelada, Sergio Zelada Screenwriter Jose Zelada Editor Job ter Burg Composer Vidjay Beerepoot Production company Cinema Management Group, United States, info@cinemamanagementgroup.com, www.cinemamanagementgroup.com Sales company Cinema Management Group, United States, info@cinemamanagementgroup.com, www.cinemamanagementgroup.com Distributor WW Entertainment

The Amazing Wiplala

Wiplala

Wiplala is an only 10 cm tall man. He isn’t a gnome, but a Wiplala, who ends up with the Blom family in Amsterdam purely by accident. Wiplala can do magic, even if he calls it tinkling, but doesn’t have the skill to tinkle things back again. One of his most disastrous tinkling acts is to turn father Blom, daughter Nella Della and son Johannes into tiny humans and he just can’t seem to reverse the effect. What follows is a spectacular journey through Amsterdam.

Wiplala is based on the children’s book by Annie M.G. Schmidt from 1957. In 2015, the film won the Audience Gold Award at the Mill Valley Film Festival in California. Part of the Zootropia installation, a wonderful journey through the history of film magic.

Artis de Partis op zoek naar planeet Sok

Artis de Partis wants to go to Planet Sock because he is crazy about socks. He travels the Milky Way in a teapot. On the way he meets Artis de Marsis and they continue the journey together. Because Artis de Partis cannot speak, he is aided by a talking finger and a narrator. On their way they encounter a meteorite that looks more like a sock. Past the moon, sun, Mars, Saturn and the stars, they travel until they are outside the Mily Way.

Artis de Partis is the Amsterdam zoo Artis’ mascot. This 360˚ dome film provides a 25-minute journey to beyond the stars and back again. The underlying message: there is only one earth for us humans, so we better look after it. The voice actors for the film include Wim T. Schippers (Dutch Sesame Street), Raymonde de Kuyper (Villa Achterwerk) and Michiel Romeyn (Jiskefet).

TIM OLIEHOEK

THE NETHERLANDS, BELGIUM, LUXEMBOURG | 2014 | 100’ | 7+

FACTS

Dutch title Wiplala Producer Burny Bos Screenwriter Tamara Bos, Editor Bert Jacobs Composer André Dziezuk Leading actors Geza Weisz, Sasha Mylanus, Kee Ketelaar, Peter Paul Muller Production company BosBros, The Netherlands, info@bosbros.com, www.bosbros.com Sales company Attraction Distribution, Canada, info@attractiondistribution.ca, www.attractiondistribution.ca Distributor In The Air

CHRISTIAN BORSTLAP

THE NETHERLANDS | 2020 | 25’ | 6+

FACTS

Screenwriter Christian Borstlap Leading actors Wim T. Schippers, Raymonde de Kuyper, Michiel Romeyn Production company Part of a Bigger Plan, The Netherlands, office@partofabiggerplan.com, www.partofabiggerplan.com

Champ

Esma, who lives in the deprived neighbourhood of Molenwijk in The Hague, is a kickboxing talent who dreams of becoming one of the world’s best. However, while preparing for an exciting match, her mother has serious pains and is forced to go to hospital. Esma tries to remain big and strong, but underneath her hard shell she worries about her mother. Will she be able to deal with her anxieties and remain focused for the upcoming match?

Champ is a youth documentary about the dedication and focus that top sport takes, but also the pressure it can put on a child when life gets in the way. Director Cassandra Offenberg developed this documentary with a music video feel during the Kids & Docs programme at Cinekid. Part of the special documentary revisiting programme ZappDoc: How Are They Now?

The Children’s Mayor

De kinderburgemeester

This documentary follows Yassine, a Dutch Moroccan boy who is the children’s mayor of Gouda. Yassine wants to get rid of stereotypes by getting kids from different backgrounds to hang out together. As the children’s mayor he tries to draw as much attention as possible to this plan. He makes speeches, calls on children to spend a day together and provides the right example himself. However, his term as children’s mayor is ending. Who will listen to him once he goes back to being an ordinary kid?

He emails his hero, the first Dutch Moroccan mayor, Mr Aboutaleb, and is invited to meet him. They talk about how unfair it is to be confronted with stereotypes and having to try twice as hard as everyone else. Yassine is certain his plan can get rid of this problem. Part of the special documentary revisiting programme ZappDoc: How Are They Now?

CASSANDRA OFFENBERG

THE NETHERLANDS | 2019 | 16’ | 10+

FACTS

Producer Maarten Kuit, Sam Godfried Screenwriter Cassandra Offenberg Editor Eline Bakker Composer Wouter van den Boogaard Leading actors Esma Aras Production company Hazazah Pictures, The Netherlands, info@hazazahpictures.nl, www.hazazahpictures.nl

SUSAN KOENEN

THE NETHERLANDS | 2017 | 15’ | 8+

FACTS

Dutch title De kinderburgemeester Producer Albert Klein Haneveld Screenwriter Susan Koenen Editor Sonja ten Boon Composer Bart Hoevenaars Leading actors Yassine Mella Production company Hollandse Helden, The Netherlands, mail@hollandsehelden.nl, www.hollandsehelden.nl Sales company NPO Sales, The Netherlands, info@nposales.com, www.nposales.com

Coppelia

Swan lives with her mother in a friendly town. She secretly falls in love with the popular Franz. As their love blossoms, one Doctor Coppelius opens an impressive plastic surgery clinic in the town. He promises everyone physical perfection and his stunning muse Coppelia is the living proof of his skills. The town’s inhabitants fall for it and return from the clinic more beautiful. However, Swan discovers that the doctor steals their best characteristics, that Coppelia is a robot and that the doctor wants to steal Franz’s heart to bring his Coppelia creation to life.

This unique, international production puts live-action ballet dancers in an animated, soft watercolour environment. Choreographed by Ted Brandsen, director of the Dutch National Ballet. The latter’s star dancers Michaela DePrince and Daniel Camargo play the leads. Based on the classic French ballet Coppélia from 1870. This film is being shown as a special preview screening.

The Curse of Lughus

De vloek van Lughus

In The Curse of Lughus a centuries-old poltergeist escapes and nestles in the statue of Flipje in Tiel, a historic Dutch jam promotion character. Every wish expressed on the square then starts coming true. When the main characters, Romy and her brother Ryan, get into an argument, Ryan suddenly disappears. Does the statue have anything to do with that and can Romy find her brother again?

This adventure-horror film was directed by Sjoerd de Bont, who also directed the low-budget filmPestkop (2017). The Curse of Lughus was supposed to première last year, around Halloween, but the launch was postponed because of the Covid-19 pandemic. Although the première was linked to Halloween, The Curse of Lughus is not a scary film, but primarily a funny story for six to ten-year-olds. The cast mainly consists of young actors from the Betuwe region of the Netherlands.

BEN TESSEUR, JEFF TUDOR, STEVEN DE BEUL

THE NETHERLANDS, GERMANY, BELGIUM, UNITED KINGDOM | 2021 | 80’ | 6+

FACTS

Producer Bruno Felix, Adrienne Liron, Janneke van de Kerkhof, Femke Wolting Screenwriter Ben Tesseur, Jeff Tudor, Steven De Beul Editor Michiel Reichwein Composer Maurizio Malagnini Leading actors Darcey Bussell, Daniel Camargo, Igone de Jongh, Michaela DePrince, Vito Mazzeo, Production company Submarine, The Netherlands, info@submarine.nl, www.submarine.nl, 3 Minutes West, The Netherlands, production@3minuteswest.com, www.3minuteswest.com Sales company Urban Distribution International, UDI, France, sales@urbangroup.biz, www.urbandistrib.com Distributor Periscoop Film

SJOERD DE BONT

THE NETHERLANDS | 2021 | 73’ | 6+

FACTS

Dutch title De vloek van Lughus Producer Sjoerd de Bont Screenwriter Jeroen van der Leading actors Tommy van Lent, Rein van Duivenboden, Tjebbo Gerritsma, Anne-Marie Jung, Bartho Braat, Rayan Belrhazi Alaoui Production company Tram 17 Producties, The Netherlands, info@ita-rights.com Distributor In The Air

Fractal Time Heatwave

Fractal Time is an abstract, immersive fulldome film that plays with the origin and future of our universe.

Horsthuis considers his work “a journey of discovery” and the audience is invited to step inside these new, fractal realities. The results, accompanied by an original score, are both cinematic in their visual scope, and operatic in their approach: cities emerge from space ships, bottoms of the ocean turn into jungles, at any point in time anything can happen and feel as if they reach what our imagination is capable of.

Fractal Time is specifically designed for the fulldome format, with omnidirectional viewing in mind, but works equally well in forward-facing tilted domes. The best way to experience Fractal Time is to lay back in beanbags and let the fractal worlds wash over you.

In addition to being an enjoyable journey, the film can be used to accompany an educational program about mathematics or fractals. Some concepts are better understood when experienced firsthand and fractals are no exception.

JULIUS HORSTHUIS

THE NETHERLANDS | 2019 | 11’ | 12+ Crowds gather on a Greek beach to enjoy the sunshine and hot weather. However, the hotter it gets, the more frustrated they get. A man can’t swat a fly, a boy can’t get his sandcastle to set and a woman’s make-up keeps melting off before she can take the perfect selfie. The beachgoers become increasingly antsy and irritated, but all they really need is to cool down. Luckily, a girl manages to break away from her mother, and with the help of her new friend, creates a wave that can combat even the hottest of days.

Heatwave is director Xenos’s graduating work. In just seven minutes, he manages to encapsulate the universal frustration of a too hot day on the beach, and his quirky animation style and sense of humour are a pleasure to watch. Part of the Zootropia installation, a wonderful journey through the history of film magic.

FOKION XENOS

UNITED KINGDOM, GREECE | 2019 | 7’ | 8+

FACTS

Dutch title Hittegolf Producer Fokion Xenos, Priya Dosanj Screenwriter Fokion Xenos, Stella Heath Keir Editor Stella Heath Keir Composer Andreas Gutuen Aaser Production company National Film and Television School, United Kingdom, info@nfts.co.uk, https://nfts.co.uk/ Sales company National Film and Television School, United Kingdom, info@nfts.co.uk, https://nfts.co.uk/

How It Was Told to Me: Māori Legends from New Zealand Hugo

How It Was Told to Me: Māori Legends From New Zealand are three captivating animations consisting of Māori stories from the Iwi people about the southern constellations. The Creation Story tells the story of the heavenly father Ranginui, the earth mother Papatūanuku and the origin of the world. In Rona And The Moon, the audience finds out how the moon was created the way we know it today. Finally, The Great Waka tells the story of a fisherman who created the Milky Way and all its constellations.

These three, short, award-winning 360° animations that completely immerse you in the culture of the indigenous inhabitants of Aotearoa (as New Zealand is called in Māori), contain recordings of traditional Māori instruments and oral traditions. They can be watched individually or together and were produced by an artists’ collective. Orphan Hugo Cabret lives hidden at a busy railway station in 1930’ Paris. After the death of his father and the disappearance of his uncle, Hugo has secretly taken over looking after the station’s clocks. His prize possession is a mechanical doll his father left to him. The object’s importance only becomes apparent after he meets the embittered owner of a toy shop. He discovers the link between his father, the owner and the mechanical doll.

This fantasy adventure film was directed and produced by Martin Scorsese. It was adapted from the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick who, in turn, was inspired by French film pioneer George Méliès. The film received 11 Oscar nominations, including that for Best Film, then won five. It also received two BAFTAs and three Golden Globe nominations. Part of the VPRO Cinekid Top 100, a list of must-see films for children.

MATT PITT, FRANK RUETER NEW ZEALAND | 2019 | 17’ | 8+

FACTS

Dutch title Hoe het mij werd verteld: Māori-legendes uit Nieuw-Zeeland Producer Kara Vandeleur, Yael Gezentsvey Composer Rhian Sheehan Leading actors Rangimoana Taylor Production company OHU Domes, New Zealand, domes@ohufx.com Sales company OHU Domes, New Zealand, domes@ohufx.com

MARTIN SCORSESE

UNITED KINGDOM, UNITED STATES, FRANCE | 2011 | 126’ | 9+

FACTS

Producer Johnny Depp, Tim Headington, Graham King, Martin Scorsese Screenwriter John Logan Editor Thelma Schoonmaker Composer Howard Shore Leading actors Asa Butterfield, Chloë Grace Moretz, Ben Kingsley Production company GK Films, United States, contact@gk-films.com Sales company Park Circus Limited, United Kingdom, info@parkcircus.com, www.parkcircus.com

The Kid Koplopers x TOMMY

In this film classic, Charlie Chaplin plays his famous character The Tramp. He finds a baby in a limousine, orphaned by its mother. However, the car is stolen by thieves, who leave the baby in the trash. The Tramp also wants to leave the child behind but takes it anyway when a cop walks past. When he finds a note written by the child’s mother, he decides to look after the baby. Years later the mother, who has become a famous opera singer, has regrets and goes in search of her son.

The Kid was Chaplin’s directorial debut. The silent film was the second highest grossing film that year. In 2011, The Kid was added to the National Film Registry of the American Library of Congress due to its historical and cultural value. This film, part of the VPRO Cinekid Top 100, is being shown in honor of its 100-year-anniversary. Daan is a DJ and producer with global ambitions making a name for himself as TOMMY. To him, the Netherlands are only the beginning, but where does Daan end and TOMMY start? His life changes as his career takes off. He slinks into the spotlights from his familiar DJ booth and works towards the pinnacle of his career thus far: popular wildlife biologist Freek Vonk’s shows in Amsterdam, which he produces the anthem for. It sounds like a dream, but is it? How do you combine fame and school? Is there any room left for friends or girls? And how do you deal with the typical teenage insecurities?

The VPRO Youth documentary series Koplopers follows young rising stars. What do they encounter en route to success? Koplopers provides an unfiltered, intimate glimpse behind the scenes. Part of the special documentary revisiting programme ZappDoc: How Are They Now?

CHARLES CHAPLIN

UNITED STATES, UNITED KINGDOM, FRANCE | 1921 | 60’ | 8+

FACTS

Producer Charles Chaplin Screenwriter Charles Chaplin Editor Charles Chaplin Composer Charles Chaplin Leading actors Charles Chaplin, Jackie Coogan, Edna Purviance, Carl Miller Production company Charles Chaplin Productions, United States Distributor Piece of Magic Entertainment

EVA VAN WEEGHEL

THE NETHERLANDS | 2020 | 15’ | 8+

FACTS

TOMMY Producer Marjolein Klooster, Martijn Bakker Editor Eva van Weeghel Composer Wouter van den Boogaard Production company VPRO, The Netherlands, info@vpro.nl, www.vpro.nl

Labyrinthus Mon oncle

14-year-old Frikke accidentally discovers a mysterious black box someone dropped from their bag. The box transforms his care-free teenage life into a frightening nightmare. It contains a computer game that uses real children as characters. A few of his friends have ended up in it. They are in danger and only Frikke can free them. However, this entails finding a secret code as well as the brains behind this evil computer game. A race against the clock to save his friends from the horrific game ensues.

Labyrinthus is an exciting Flemish film from 2014 which blurs the boundaries between the real world and the online one. Shooting was followed by a lengthy postproduction process which augmented half the live action scenes using CGI. Part of the Zootropia installation, a wonderful journey through the history of film magic. Monsieur Hulot visits his nephew who lives in a supermodern home with his parents. The tiles in the garden are perfectly symmetrical, the kitchen cabinets close automatically and the stylish chairs are very uncomfortable. Monsieur Hulot doesn’t like it one bit and nor does his nephew. The boy isn’t allowed to bring friends home for fear the modern art might get damaged and his parents are always working. Hulot (Tati’s alter ego) takes his nephew to a cosy housing estate where he can play to his heart’s content.

French film classic by actor, comedian and director Jacques Tati from 1958, which won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film. It was Tati’s third feature film and his first in colour. The comedy centres on decadence, modernity, greed and the innocence of children. There is almost no dialogue and it provides an acute observation of a rich, unhappy family.

DOUGLAS BOSWELL

BELGIUM, THE NETHERLANDS | 2014 | 95’ | 9+

FACTS

Producer Bart Van Langendonck, Screenwriter Pierre De Clercq Editor Jan Hameeuw Composer Pieter Van Dessel Leading actors Spencer Bogaert, Emma Verlinden, Felix Maesschalck, Pepijn Caudron, Herwig Ilegems Production company Savage Film, Belgium, info@savagefilm.be, www.savagefilm.be Sales company Attraction Distribution, Canada, info@attractiondistribution.ca, www.attractiondistribution.ca Distributor Paradiso Filmed Entertainment

JACQUES TATI

FRANCE, ITALY | 1958 | 116’ | 6+

FACTS

Screenwriter Jacques Tati Editor Suzanne Baron Composer Franck Barcellini, Alain Romans Leading actors Jean-Pierre Zola, Adrienne Servantie, Jacques Tat Production company Specta Films, France Distributor EYE Filmmuseum

Pat & Mat: Baking and Grilling!

Buurman & Buurman: Bakken en grillen

In this new Pat & Mat adventure, the two neighbours cause more chaos. This time, they come up with original solutions for preparing food. They decide to organise a BBQ, but how do you do that if the grill doesn’t work properly? Pat & Mat know what to do: they will build their own. They also make ice cubes and bread in their own characteristic, idiosyncratic way. When Pat & Mat decide to fix the garage door after watching their homemade 4D film, they lock themselves in. No doubt, they will find their way out of this situation too.

Pat & Mat is a farce, featuring stop-motion animation, about two clumsy DIY enthusiasts by Czech Lubomír Bene_. 10 seasons and five feature length films have appeared thus far, of which Baking and Grilling is the most recent.

The Penknife

Het zakmes

Mees has a problem: he accidentally took Tim’s penknife home and can’t give it back because his best friend has just moved. The only thing Mees knows is that Tim has moved to Flevoland. Mees’ mother is almost never home and his father is preoccupied with running the household and all the mail for his famous wife. They don’t have much time for Mees, and so Mees sets off to find his friend on his own.

In collaboration with Lemniscaat publishing house, Cinekid has organised a special event for The Penknife to mark the 25th anniversary of the film’s release and a new hardcover edition of Sjoerd Kuyper’s book. The film, directed by Ben Sombogaart, won both a Golden Calf for Best Direction and the Cinekid Film Award in 1992. In 1993, The Penknife won an Emmy for Best Kids’ Program.

MAREK BENEŠ

CZECH REPUBLIC | 2020 | 60’ | 4+

FACTS

Dutch title Buurman & Buurman: Bakken en grillen Leading actors Kees Prins, Siem van Leeuwen Distributor Just Entertainment

BEN SOMBOGAART

THE NETHERLANDS | 1992 | 90’ | 6+

FACTS

Dutch title Het zakmes Producer Burny Bos Screenwriter Sjoerd Kuyper Leading actors Olivier Tuinier, Maxim Hartman, Genio de Groot, Verno Romney, Adelheid Roosen Production company BosBros, The Netherlands, info@bosbros.com, www.bosbros.com Distributor In The Air