DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY catalogue 2020
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
NFF PROFESSIONALS DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY The NFF Professionals Digital Film Library is back online with a wide selection of leading films produced in the Netherlands over the past 12 months. The Library contains a variety of English subtitled film and TV productions from the Netherlands, including most NFF competition titles and even a few feature films which will have their Dutch theatrical release later in 2020. The Digital Film Library is accessible via nff.picturepipe.net. HFM accredited guests will have access to Library from September 22nd to October 15th 2020.
Editor Juliette Dominicus Design Justin Koopman Evelien van der Kooi
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY
Netherlands Film Festival NFF Professionals P.O. Box 1581 3500 BN Utrecht The Netherlands Tel. +31 30 230 38 00
Professionals@filmfestival.nl www.filmfestival.nl
CONTENTS 5 – 18
Short Documentaries
20 – 31
Long Documentaries
33 – 37
Television Dramas
39 – 55
Short Films
57 – 70
Feature Films
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
SHORT DOCUMENTARIES
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
ARTEMIS: THE NEVERENDING QUARTET ORIGINAL TITLE: ARTEMIS: HET ONEINDIGE KWARTET The celebration of their 30th anniversary marks a special year for the Berlin-based Artemis Quartet. When co-founder and cello player Eckart Runge decides to leave the quartet in 2018 and second violinist Anthea Kreston follows him shortly after, the quartet is seriously shaken up. The musicians decide to stay together until the end of the season, so the remaining members have the chance to reconstruct the quartet. A glimpse behind the scenes, and from up close on the international stage.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Hester Overmars Length 53 min. Year 2019 Language German, English Country Netherlands Producer Simone van den Broek Production Basalt Film www.basaltfilm.nl
CELEBRATE WHAT IS BROKEN ORIGINAL TITLE: VIEREN WAT KAPOT IS
In 2017, conceptual artist Bas van Wieringen reached the national press when a museum employee accidentally repainted his minimalist painting Portrait of the nail behind the canvas. This incident motivated a documentary exploration of the ‘damaged art’ phenomenon. What is the definition of (modern) art? Does an artwork cease to exist in a different form? In passing, we are introduced to the playful oeuvre of the ingenious Bas van Wieringen, who drew his own inspiration from the mishap.
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Director Denise Janzee Length 51 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Paul Ruven, Marian Batavier Production Talent United www.talentunitedfilm.tv
DISPLACED PIECES ORIGINAL TITLE: DISPLACED PIECES
The family history of the Lebanese artist Rayyane Tabet is closely connected to a famous archaeological site in Syria: Tell Halaf. It was discovered in 1889 by the German diplomat Max von Oppenheim, whose secretary was Tabet’s great-grandfather. Meanwhile, his great- grandfather was on a secret mission: spying for the government in Beirut. On the cutting edge of architecture, word craft and sculpture, Rayyane Tabet couches this extraordinary story in a 21st century form. In imitation of Tabet’s work, Displaced Pieces unravels a story about war, destruction and reconstruction through art.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Catherine van Campen Length 55 min. Year 2020 Language Arabic, English Country Netherlands Producer Simone van den Broek Production Basalt Film www.basaltfilm.nl
HONDS ORIGINAL TITLE: TELEDOC CAMPUS - HONDS
By mirroring man and dog, the tension between control, love and impotence in life becomes visible. Dog whisperer Ron helps people who have problems with their pets. The dogs refuse to obey, display anxiety or are aggressive and bite. In many cases, it turns out that not the dogs, but the owners need drilling. They have to learn to behave like a dog. Tragicomic observations of the complex relationship between man and animal.
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Director Josefien van Kooten Length 26 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Ton van Zantvoort Production NEWTON film www.newtonfilm.nl
HOME IS HOME ORIGINAL TITLE: DOMA KAK DOMA
Different Ukrainians are put in ten cinematographictableaux vivants. In this alienating yet realistic setting, they tell about their lives. Between colourful blocks of flats, for example, on a baroque sofa in front of an immense, edited photograph of felines, or sitting on a circular couch in what seems like a hotel lobby. During these intimate encounters, the protagonists discuss themes like a home, connection, history, loss and beauty. A poetic short film that reveals a personal side of Ukraine today.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Eefje Suijkerbuijk Length 16 min. Year 2020 Language Ukrainian, Russian Country Ukraine, Netherlands Producer Anna Nekrasova Production Eefje Suijkerbuijk
HOLY MOLY ORIGINAL TITLE: HEILIG BOONTJE
Merle (8) lives in a village in the south of the Netherlands. Soon, she will make her first Communion in church, just like her parents, grandfathers and grandmothers did before her. Merle is looking forward to the beautiful clothes and the presents she will receive for her Communion, but she does not really know what to make of the religious teacher’s stories. Does Jesus really come closer when you eat the sacred host? In chats with her grandpa, dad and classmates, she tries to find out how this really works, in this short youth documentary.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Eva Nijsten Length 16 min. Year 2019 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Nienke Korthof, Willem Baptist, Merle Bemelmans Production Tangerine Tree www.tangerinetree.nl
JOVANNAFORFUTURE ORIGINAL TITLE: JOVANNAFORFUTURE
Jovanna is afraid in the future the earth will be beyond saving, so she fights for the climate every day. Along with her friends, she skips one hour of school every Friday to hold a demonstration in front of the city hall, she does not eat meat or fish, and she always uses public transportation. She and her family live in an ‘earth ship’: a special house where they generate their own energy. It is not always easy to live this way, but her mission is far more important.
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Director Mirjam Marks Length 15 min. Year 2019 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Willem Baptist, Nienke Korthof Production Tangerine Tree www.tangerinetree.nl
MY MOTHER’S LAST DAYS AND SOME OF HER CLOTHES ORIGINAL TITLE: MY MOTHER’S LAST DAYS - AND SOME OF HER CLOTHES
Short film about the last days of life, shot in the hospital and at home. The sounds of personal conversations, medical procedures and doctor visits, in combination with footage of the locations where all this takes place and the traces of a life that is slowly tapering off, produce an intimate yet universal film about a death foretold. ‘I’ve done my best for so long. But still, the end is the end. There’s nothing I can do about that.’
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Director Susanne Helmer Length 17 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch, German Country Netherlands Producer Susanne Helmer Production Shelmerfilm/ Susanne Helmer www.shelmerfilm.nl
SHORT TRIP ORIGINAL TITLE: SHORT TRIP
Six best friends, all in their twenties, live life to the full. They’re brimming with unlimited energy, wild dreams and big desires. Until Dave passes away. This biggest daredevil of them all dies as the result of a scooter accident. In this documentary, the group of friends reflect on this all - decisive moment. The boys discus their fears, jealousy and anger. In how far are they still the ‘young boys’ they once were, and how do they look at their future now?
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Cassandra Offenberg Length 26 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Iris Lammertsma, Boudewijn Koole Production Witfilm www.witfilm.nl
SHOW US YOUR SMILE Foreign visitors to Austria get all sorts of instructions. Women can dress the way they want, please do not bargain in stores and we eat at a table. But these western norms and values are not self-evident fort everyone, and sometimes they are hard to put into practice too. Observing, poetical documentary about the meeting between Arab and western tourists in an idyllic Austrian village.
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Director Nicky Maas Length 16 min. Year 2020 Language no dialogue Country Netherlands Producer Ilja Kok Production Copper Views Film Productions www.copperviews.com
TALKING HEADS - DICK, MARLOES, AMJAD & MILOU ORIGINAL TITLE: HOOFDZAKEN - DICK, MARLOES, AMJAD & MILOU
One by one, children sit down in hairdresser Marko’s chair. During the haircut, they share their dreams, desires and worries. In this episode, we listen to Dick, Marloes, Amjad & Milou. Dick describes what his favourite music does to him. Amjad tells he wil have to practice hard before he can become a professional soccer player. Marloes explains why in the morning she bounces around like a ball, and Milou knows an interesting fact about every animal Marko mentions. Touching series with chats on small and big topics, always with a happy ending: a beautiful new haircut.
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Director Menno Otten Length 15 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Derk-Jan Warrink, Koji Nelissen Production Keplerfilm www.keplerfilm.com
THE LATE LIFE ORIGINAL TITLE: HET LATE LEVEN
In the subdued light of the Irish country, the aged actor Piet Kamerman (94) has been leading a secluded life for years. His body protests, but this does not keep him from fervently playing the piano and declaiming texts with a powerful voice. Before the camera eye, Piet shines as himself. Sprightly, he embraces old age with his fixed costars the radio, the telephone and his cats. This charming, meditative portrait invites the viewer into a rich life in the lowest gear.
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Director Jaap van den Beukel Length 27 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch, English Country Netherlands Producer Jaap van den Beukel, Pascale Korteweg Production Jaap van den Beukel
THE LONG RIVER SLIDES ORIGINAL TITLE: WATER WIEG ME
For thirty years, De Kift have been playing the international stage with their poetic fanfare punk. In this musical documentary, frontman Ferry Heijne sets sail, looking for adventure and inspiration. The portholes frame the bleak winter landscape. Along the way, Heijne listens to the life stories of people he meets. Their stories resound with loneliness, melancholy and perseverance: fixed ingredients in De Kift’s songs. The struggle of life inspires new compositions and turns out to be a beautiful ode to sadness.
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Director Sanne Rovers Length 53 min. Year 2019 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Ilja Roomans, Fabie Hulsebos Production Docmakers www.docmakers.nl
TO THE MOON AND BACK ORIGINAL TITLE: WOLKENZUSJE
It is summertime. Kess enjoys her holiday with friends in the outdoor pool. She has just bid farewell to primary school and prepares to go to secondary school. Her elder sister Bo passed away when Kess was almost five years old. Since then, she lives in a house full of memories. She carefully keeps Bo’s things, hoping this will preserve their bond. At the same time, she is afraid her memories of Bo will gradually fade.
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Director Sara Kolster Length 16 min. Year 2019 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Simone van den Broek, Eline van Wees Production Basalt Film www.basaltfilm.nl
LONG DOCUMENTARIES
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ALL AGAINST ALL ORIGINAL TITLE: ALLEN TEGEN ALLEN
This documentary combines unique archive footage and interviews, while asking questions about the rise and the state of fascism in the Nether- lands. Apart from the universally known NSB, it turns out dozens of Dutch fascist movements were active in the 1920 and 1930s. This appears to be an unknown episode in history full of continuous quarrels, intrigue, rifts, fusions and little FĂźhrer. What initially looks like a comic confusion of bickering fascists eventually takes on ever darker shapes.
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Director Luuk Bouwman Length 104 min. Year 2019 Language Dutch, German, Polish, Italian Country Netherlands Producer Joost Verheij Production Doc.Eye Film www.doceyefilm.nl
AFRICAN BRIDE ORIGINAL TITLE: AFRIKAANSE BRUID
Retired Belgian paratrooper Gilbert lives in Diani Beach, on the Kenyan coast. Here, he enjoys the climate, the beer and the local women. It is not hard to find a nice lady, because the most beautiful women in Kenya move here to find a ‘mzungu’, a Western man. Yet, it turns out to be hard to find true love. Time and again, Gilbert suspects his girlfriends of just being after his money. But are they? Or is it his troubled past that keeps haunting him?
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Director Roy Dames, Jos Driessen Length 87 min. Year 2019 Language Dutch, English, Swahili Country Netherlands Producer Robbert van Lanschot, Joost Verheij Production Howling Dogs / MM Filmprodukties www.mmfilmprodukties.nl
ANGELS ON DIAMOND STREET ORIGINAL TITLE: ANGELS ON DIAMOND STREET
North Philadelphia is weighed down under poverty and drug-related problems. Armed violence and police intimidation are everyday phenomena. This does not impede the determined protagonists of this documentary. Black Panther Barbara Easley-Cox, pastor Renee Mackenzie and chef Mamie Mather fight side by side for social justice in their neighbourhood. In the soup kitchen of the Afro-American Church of the Advocate, these three inspiring women fight for the poor and homeless. Everybody is welcome at their table.
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Director Petr Lom Length 90 min. Year 2019 Language English, Spanish Country Netherlands, Norway Producer Corinne van Egeraat Production ZIN Documentaire B.V.
BEHIND THE BLOOD ORIGINAL TITLE: BEHIND THE BLOOD
Priest and furniture maker Daniel Pacheco lives in one of the most dangerous cities in the world: San Pedro Sula, Honduras. He tries to save lives, but that is no simple matter in a country with staggeringly high murder rates. Not only the drug cartels, but also the police and army make countless victims. This documentary also follows a TV journalist, who reports on the gang violence, and a hitman who claims he dreams of a more pious life. Nobody seems to be capable of ending the horrible violence.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Loretta van der Horst Length 86 min. Year 2019 Language Spanish, English Country Netherlands Producer Wout Conijn Production Conijn Film www.conijnfilm.com
DRAMA GIRL ORIGINAL TITLE: DRAMA GIRL:
A young woman is given the chance to come to terms with some tough situations in her life by enacting them. Leyla (26) becomes the protagonist in a drama film that is based on her own life story. For the project, the director surrounds her with professional actors. The team jointly explores how people paint a certain picture of their lives. Meanwhile, the film raises the question how drama, as a genre, can help us learn to better understand ourselves and the world around us.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Vincent Boy Kars Length 95 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Olivia Sophie van Leeuwen Production HALAL www.halal.amsterdam
KEEPER At a time when most attention goes out to the forward line, to scoring, and to the strikers, this for a change is a subtle and occasionally humorous psychological quest for the motivation and character traits of goalkeepers. Five unconventional amateur soccer keepers demonstrate how exciting it is to wait all alone, in an oversized goal, for the inevitable goal against. As soon as we accept that the defence is fallible, we can be vulnerable and really make contact with the world around us.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Johan Kramer Length 76 min. Year 2019 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Olivia Sophie van Leeuwen Production HALAL www.halal.amsterdam
KING OF THE CRUISE A rich and extravagant Scottish baron spends his days on luxurious cruise ships, surrounded by romantic couples, well-off families, slaving staff and relaxed retirees. A floating micro-community that is appealing to one and repulsive to another. While baron Ronald Busch Reisinger van Inneryne ostentatiously parades across the deck, in his kilt and royal cape, under the surface the universal human desire for recognition and validation seems to be at play.
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Director Sophie Dros Length 75 min. Year 2019 Language English Country USA, Netherlands Producer Olivia Sophie van Leeuwen Production HALAL www.halal.amsterdam
LOST IN MEMORIES ORIGINAL TITLE: WEI
When filmmaker Ruud Lenssen’s father is diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, he decides to document his parents’ subsequent care programme. While father Jac frenetically clings to his idyllic hectare of land with horses, chickens and a vegetable garden, mother Ria struggles with her role as a caregiver. Meanwhile, the inevitable farewell draws near. This personal documentary carefully captures dementia and informal care, and is also an affectionate story about the ephemerality of life.
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Director Ruud Lenssen Length 71 min. Year 2019 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Ruud Lenssen Production Ruud Lenssen Documentaires
OUR MOTHERLAND ORIGINAL TITLE: ONS MOEDERLAND
Constant Kusters is the controversial political leader of the extreme right Nederlandse Volks Unie. Portraying his daily life, Ons moederland paints a picture of Dutch society and its attitude towards ‘the stranger’ through the centuries. Incorporating historical Dutch archive footage and intimate scenes in the far-right milieu, this documentary shows a politician who is pleased to see that his ideas penetrate the establishment ever further. In the process, the film holds up a mirror to the viewer. To what extent is our national history a breeding ground for the current fear of newcomers?
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Director Shamira Raphaëla Length 73 min. Year 2019 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Nienke Korthof, Willem Baptist Production Tangerine Tree www.tangerinetree.nl
PRISON FOR PROFIT ORIGINAL TITLE: PRISON FOR PROFIT
In 2001, the first privately run penitentiary of South Africa, the Mangaung Prison, was opened. Security services company G4S, a controversial British multinational, promised to provide the best facilities and a humane treatment – at the lowest rate, obviously. In practice, as demonstrated by leaked surveillance videos and witness accounts about excessive violence, neglect and unimaginable torture, things were quite different. Warders are underpaid and overloaded and fear for their lives every day. Prisoners are treated as money spinners, keeping them far from rehabilitation. What are the negative consequences of this growing privatisation trend on society?
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Director Femke van Velzen, Ilse van Velzen Length 84 min. Year 2019 Language English, Sotho Country Netherlands Producer Ilse van Velzen, Femke van Velzen Production IFproductions www.ifproductions.nl
PUNT UIT - SCHLUSS AUS - FULL STOP ORIGINAL TITLE: PUNT UIT - SCHLUSS AUS - FULL STOP
A sensitive, intimate and intriguing look at one of the most radical moments in a person’s life: the decision to give up living because the pain annuls the joy in life. In this process, documentary filmmaker Rosemarie Blank closely follows her partner in life. Teaming up, they made this film of his final days. The dilemma, the struggle: in cinematographically fascinating scenes and with humour, they manage to capture life in its most naked and pure form.
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Director Rosemarie Blank Length 80 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch, German, Italian Country Netherlands, Germany Producer Frank van Reemst Production Doc.Eye Film www.doceyefilm.nl
STOP FILMING US A challenging programme on representation. How can images confirm or counteract stereotypes and prejudices? In Stop Filming Us, the director struggles with these questions. He makes a documentary on Congo, but is not sure if he as a filmmaker of western origin is the right person to do so. In the short Kramp - Sebastiaan de Krab, an actor of colour gets an embarrassing assignment at a casting. Excruciating humour and cringing guaranteed!
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Director Joris Postema Length 95 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch, English, Swahili, French Country Netherlands Producer Janneke Doolaard Production DOXY www.doxy.nl
TELEVISION DRAMAS
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ANNE+ 2 Anne (24) has a job at a creative agency, she dates a nice girl, has friends and lives in a great apartment in Amsterdam. Still, the protagonist of this eight-part TV drama is not really doing well. Her ex-girlfriend pays a surprise visit, Anne’s parents have their own issues to deal with and her friends have other things to worry about than Anne’s life. Plus, she should finally look at the bills piling up on her kitchen table. Life as an adult is quite different from what she had expected.
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Director Valerie Bisscheroux Length 25 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Rachel van Bommel, Suzan de Swaan Production Millstreet Films www.millstreetfilms.nl
FOX AND HARE ORIGINAL TITLE: VOS EN HAAS
During their daily activities, the well-known duo Fox and Hare end up in all sorts of situations. Along with their friends and armed with imagination and creativity, they conquer minor and major challenges. Animals actually do not differ that much from humans, in this TV series that is not only entertaining for younger viewers. Based on the award-winning books of Sylvia Vanden Heede and ThĂŠ Tjong-Khing.
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Director Mascha Halberstad, Tom van Gestel Length 11 min. Year 2019 Language Dutch Country Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg Producer Bruno Felix, Femke Wolting, Eric Goossens, Toon Roebben, Pierre Urbain Production Submarine, Walking the Dog, Doghouse Films www.submarine.nl www.walkingthedog.be www.doghousefilms.eu
HUGGLEBOO ORIGINAL TITLE: KNOFJE
From catching a snail in the garden to staying over at Zizou’s house next door: Knofje’s adventures are quite normal, actually, but through Knofje’s eyes they become special. Due to her enterprising, unconventional character, she occasionally gets into trouble. Fortunately, all is well in the end. An animation series brimming with familiar situations for infants from four to seven years old, based on Burny Bos’ popular stories.
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Director Anneke de Graaf Length 7 min. Year 2018 Language Dutch Country Netherlands, Belgium, Germany Producer Burny Bos, Jolande Junte, Bruno Felix, Femke Wolting Production BosBros, Submarine www.bosbros.com www.submarine.nl
HEIRS OF THE NIGHT ORIGINAL TITLE: VAMPIEREN IN DE NACHT
Five European vampire clans are threatened with extinction in 1889. In order to survive, the children of the clans are brought together in a vampire school. This way, they can join forces and become stronger than ever before – although this appears to be hard for clans with a history marked by mutual strife. One of the vampire children is fifteenyear-old Alisa, who finds out at school she is connected to Dracula. The English- spoken youth series is a European co-production based on Ulrike Schweikert’s German book seriesDie Erben der Nacht.
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Director Diederik van Rooijen Length 26 min. Year 2019 Language English, Norwegian, Italian, German Country Netherlands, Germany, Norway Producer Fleur Winters, Leontine Petit Production Lemming Film www.lemmingfilm.com
ROTTERDAM IN QUARANTAINE A parody on the home coverage phenomenon in the form of a series of short sketches about various people in Rotterdam who are compelled to stay home, all played by Rienus Krul. How do they cope with the loneliness of the Covid quarantine? A family man presents a puppet show to his children. An alto violinist denies being depressed. Others try to lark about it as well, but their attitude betrays a different mood. Or is it annoyance with the reporter who keeps nagging?
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Director Kuba Szutkowski Length 3 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Kuba Szutkowski Production Szutkowski AV
SHORT FILMS
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ATILLA All his life, Turkish Kemal, who grew up in Amsterdam, has had a laborious relationship with his father. Becoming a father himself now, he decides to share his feelings for the first time. He and his dad meet at a Turkish restaurant in Amsterdam. But the conversation does not go as Kemal had hoped: His father’s old patterns are in the way. The film is interlarded with flashbacks to Kemal’s childhood.
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Director Alkan Coklu Length 13 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch, Turkish Country Netherlands Producer Alkan Coklu, Indra Baars Production Indra Baars
BEFORE BEDTIME ORIGINAL TITLE: VOOR HET SLAPEN GAAN
Duco (12) looks ahead apprehensively when his father sits down beside him on the bed. ‘I thought, perhaps we can feel good now’, the man says. ‘You love daddy, don’t you?’ These hair-raising words apparently herald a daily ritual that Duco is unable to escape. Or is he?
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Director Guido Coppis Length 9 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Paul Ruven, Marian Batavier Production Talent United www.talentunitedfilm.tv
BIRDLAND ORIGINAL TITLE: BIRDLAND
Eight-year-old Skye and her mother Joy live on a trailer site on the edge of town. Skye wants to be like her mother so much that she copies her behaviour. In the process, Skye explores the boundaries of Joy’s liberal upbringing style. The intuitive photography gives the viewer access to Skye’s perspective, in this intimate, candid film.
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Director Ashgan El-Hamus Length 16 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Janneke Doolaard Production DOXY www.doxy.nl
BUTTERFLIES ORIGINAL TITLE: VLINDERS
The lonely prostitute Rika finds support and affection in the single, drug dealing mother Dewy. The two get to know each other when Rika finds herself in an unpleasant situation with a client, and Dewy drops by to deliver his speed. The dealer offers herself as Rika’s guardian angel, before the duo sets off on a trip across Amsterdam. A traumatic incident with a punter lands one of them in jail and seriously puts their relationship to the test.
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Director Liza Koifman Length 23 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Liza Koifman, Tomas Overtoom Production Tomas&Liza
CYCLING TRIP ORIGINAL TITLE: FIETSVAKANTIE
On their way to a concert, Ravi and Vincent dream of wild adventures. They try to revive their washed-out friendship during this trip. But due to lost tent poles, endless roads and childish stubbornness, the two drift apart ever further and the final destination seems more distant than ever. A roadmovie on bicycles.
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Director Sven Peetoom Length 15 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Dobber Bolhuis Production Courageous Cinema
HEAT ORIGINAL TITLE: HITTE
A shy girl steps into an ice cream parlour to cool off, but she can’t choose a flavour. A sweltering summer sun, the slurping of a milkshake and a saturated floorcloth that is wrung out over a stainless steel ice bin. Horror never tasted this bittersweet. Short film made on the occasion of the tenth anniversary of Cineville.
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Director Thessa Meijer Length 3 min. Year 2019 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Julia Rombout Production July Film www.julyfilm.nl
A HOLIDAY FROM MOURNING ORIGINAL TITLE: A HOLIDAY FROM MOURNING
A teenager tries to escape the grief about her mother’s decease by joining her friends on a graduation trip to a Portuguese party town. Here, she immerses herself into a fuddle of liquor, drugs, dancing and sex. She bathes in the sun on the beach, buys ecstasy in a club and goes to a party with a local boy. But the faster she runs, the more the feeling she tries to escape catches up with her.
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Director Zara Dwinger Length 15 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch, Portuguese, English Country Netherlands Producer Maarten van der Ven, Layla Meijman Production Studio Ruba
HOUSE OF SALT ORIGINAL TITLE: HOUSE OF SALT
A man ends up with a group of people who pretend he is simply not there. He does everything he can to become part of the group and learns what he must give up to do so. The film, full of symbolism and philosophical references, explores the themes of xenophobia and identity in human group behaviour. This is an immersive collaboration between fashion designer duo MARTAN, writer/director Willem Gerritsen and composer Raphael Vanoli (with the Asko Schรถnberg Ensemble), merging three art forms.
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Director Willem Gerritsen Length 14 min. Year 2019 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Levi Rijper, Willem Bos, Karlijn Paardekooper Production Czar Amsterdam
LANDSCAPE WITH TWO OAKS ORIGINAL TITLE: LANDSCHAP MET TWEE EIKEN
An introverted young man can’t let go of the past. The dialogueless film follows him, for example, to his work, where he fells and prunes trees, and during a conversation with his mother. Wherever he is, at home at the kitchen table or wandering around the Amsterdam red-light district looking lost, his sorrow keeps haunting him.
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Director Thomas Stokmans Length 13 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Annemiek van Gorp Production De Productie www.deproductie.nl
MARDI NIGHT ORIGINAL TITLE: ASNACHT
At the end of the last carnival night in Maastricht, forty-year-old Marcel finds himself in an almost empty night bus. When he sees a bus across the street that is filled with merrymakers, on the spur of the moment he decides te get on. During the ride that follows, Marcel acts as a peacemaker and a good listener. The next morning, Marcel is confronted again with the everyday reality, all make-up removed, that he desperately tried to postpone.
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Director Jeroen Mourmans Length 19 min. Year 2020 Language Limburgish (Limburgan), Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Remy Kooi, Sander Pleijsier Production Stichting Lourdan
SAD BEAUTY In a heavily polluted world, a young woman moves against a flow of indifferent passers-by, to make drawings in the natural history museum of the ever increasing number of extinct animal species. When a global pandemic strikes, her compassion with nature is no protection against a bacterial infection. Her situation deteriorates, and it seems as if nature sends her a message through her hallucinations. Is man doomed to claim his place among the skeletons of dinosaurs and primal man in the museum? And is there any comfort in the acceptance of this fate?
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Director Arjan Brentjes Length 10 min. Year 2020 Language English Country Netherlands Producer Arjan Brentjes Production Arjan Brentjes
SEAHORSE ORIGINAL TITLE: ZEEPAARD
When Dana gets pregnant, before long she decides she does not want to keep the baby. Still, on the day the abortion is planned it turns out she can’t give up so fast. She delays, hesitates, looks at the picture of the embryo again and observes how the other women in the clinic deal with it very diversely: the one selfassured, the other panicky. Dana wants to experience everything very conscientiously – it is the only way for her to get through the day.
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Director Natalie Bruijns Length 21 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Iris Lammertsma, Sanne Windig Production Witfilm www.witfilm.nl
SEE ME ORIGINAL TITLE: SEE ME
When nobody sees you – not even your own mother – you automatically start looking at things differently. In a little girl’s fantasy, the legs of an adult become wooden branches and a lap dog a monster. And it turns out the fish on that sandwich is actually still alive. Original animation film, entirely shot from the perspective of the young character, who is small enough to hide under mother’s skirts. But how do you get her attention - and that of the other partygoers?
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Director Patty Stenger, Yvonne Kroese Length 9 min. Year 2020 Language no dialogue Country Netherlands Producer Chris Stenger, Noortje Wilschut, Floor Onrust Production Family Affair Films www.familyaffairfilms.nl
SHADOW OF VIOLENCE ORIGINAL TITLE: SHADOW OF VIOLENCE
Crime and Punishment in Turkey. Former publisher Selman tracks down Bilal, a man who worked as a torturer for the military regime in the 1980s and killed Selman’s two sons. He currently leads a retired life in Cappadocia. The vengeful Selman kidnaps Bilal and keeps him at gunpoint in a cave, where he interrogates the man about his deeds. Both men are caught in their primitive instincts. In this game of light and dark, the borderline between offender and victim gets blurred.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Ibrahim Karatay Length 29 min. Year 2020 Language Turkish Country Netherlands, Turkey Producer Ibrahim Karatay, Paul Oscar Kanter Production Alchemic Film www.alchemicfilm.com
TOURIST TRAP ORIGINAL TITLE: ULTRAKORT - TOURIST TRAP
The little car Jeep is looking for a unique holiday location and seems to have found it: a heavenly island with unspoiled nature and beautiful tropical birds. But upon arriving Jeep finds out he is not the only adventurer. One after the other ferry brings in campers and caravans that manage to thoroughly ruin the initially idyllic trip. Human characters are lacking in this stop-motion animation, in which inanimate objects bring the tourist dilemma to life.Realised as part of the eleventh edition of Ultrakort, which releases short animation films in a large number of cinemas and movie theatres.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Vera van Wolferen Length 2 min. Year 2020 Language no dialogue Country Netherlands Producer Chris Stenger, Floor Onrust Production Family Affair Films www.familyaffairfilms.nl
WAR SAVE ME Portraits of homeless people are plentiful. But what does their inner world look like? This feature film grants us a raw, cinematic glimpse into P.’s twisted thoughts. His restless wanderings through the city and the hustle and bustle of the night shelter make him long for the clarity and purpose of war. Because in real life, boredom and tension always go hand in hand. No clichÊs or imperative storyline, but a gritty slice of lifeexposing inconvenient and invisible aspects of our society.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Jelmer Wristers Length 40 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch, English Country Netherlands, South Africa Producer Esther Rots Production Rots Filmwerk www.rotsfilmwerk.nl
WHEN LIGHT FADES Ten-year-old Tim suffers from severe depression. While other children are blithely playing, he walks around with a heavy heart. He does not join them, so he is all alone in the schoolyard. The more isolated he gets, the stronger his visions become of a possible escape.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Daan Groot Length 12 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Laurette Schillings Production Topkapi Films www.topkapifilms.nl
FEATURE FILMS
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
ANGEL ORIGINAL TITLE: ENGEL
Engel is a shy and clumsy girl who likes to be at home. It feels safe there, with her bright parents, her sweet cat Saturnus and her crazy uncle Tobias. One day, something odd happens. She trips and expects to take a bad fall, but suddenly she is floating inside a beautiful soap bubble. When it bursts, she finds a wishing clock next to her on the floor. Now, all of her wishes come true! Engel is suddenly immensely popular, but does this make her happy? Adapted from the children’s book Isa Hoes wrote along with her ten-year-old daughter Vlinder.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Dennis Bots Length 92 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch Country Netherlands Producer Daniëlle Raaphorst Production Incredible Film BV www.incrediblefilm.nl
BECOMING MONA ORIGINAL TITLE: KOM HIER DAT IK U KUS PREMIERE* ON REQUEST ONLY Mona is the eldest daughter in a family whose mother passes away at a young age. Kom hier dat ik u kus shows how Mona threads her way through life as a child, a twenty- and a thirty-something. While everyone bullies her, she tries to keep her footing in a world full of ego trippers and self-seekers. Until she realises this can’t go on. Tragicomic family drama, based on Griet Op de Beeck’s eponymous novel. * To access this screener, please contact filmlibrary@filmfestival.nl
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Sabine Lubbe Bakker, Niels van Koevorden Length 93 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch Country Netherlands, Belgium Producer Sabine Veenendaal, Jeroen Beker, Bruno Felix, Femke Wolting Production Submarine Film www.submarine.nl
BULADÓ
- PREMIERE
Kenza (11) lives on a wrecker’s yard in the interior of Curacao with her father Ouira and grandpa Weljo. The two men are poles apart: Ouira is a stone-sober policeman, Weljo, on the other hand, identifies with the native people and the spirituality of the island. The strong-willed Kenza tries to find her own way between these extremes, who clash more and more often. For this magic-realistic family drama, director Eché Janga, who wrote the screenplay with Esther Duysker, found his inspiration in a local saga.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Eché Janga Length 87 min. Year 2020 Language Papiamento, Dutch Country Curaçao, Netherlands Producer Derk-Jan Warrink, Koji Nelissen Production Keplerfilm www.keplerfilm.com
HIDDEN IN THE SPOTLIGHT ORIGINAL TITLE: BUITEN IS HET FEEST - PREMIERE
Following her elder sister’s unforeseen death, singer-songwriter Sonne (25) to her family’s astonishment furiously throws herself into the protection of her niece Lotte (12). Nobody understands what drives her and why she even cancels her tour. But when her fight with Lotte’s lawful father leads to a lawsuit, her shame-riddled past full of abuse inevitably comes to light. It turns out music was Sonne’s opiate to grief; her cheerful façade a shield to hide behind. Inspired by Karin Bloemen’s life, adapted from Arthur Japin’s novel.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Jelle Nesna Length 95 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch Country Netherlands, Belgium Producer Reinier L. M. Selen Production Rinkel Film www.rinkelfilm.com
KALA AZAR ORIGINAL TITLE: KALA AZAR
Somewhere in a desolate area in southern Europe, a young couple collects deceased pets and runover animals, to accompany them on their last journey to the animal crematorium. Each animal is lovingly treated, because the two companions want to do something in return in this animal- unfriendly world. But then they run over an animal themselves. Will this incident herald the end of their job and their relationship? Feature debut of visual artist Janis Rafa. Her drama is named after the infectious disease causing high fatality among dogs in southern Europe.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Janis Rafa Length 92 min. Year 2020 Language Greek Country Netherlands, Greece Producer Digna Sinke Production SNG Film www.sngfilm.nl
LAST DAYS OF SPRING
- PREMIERE
ORIGINAL TITLE: LA ÚLTIMA PRIMAVERA
Fictional frame story about the fortunes of the existing Spanish family Gabarre Mendoza. The family lives in ‘La Cañada Real’, a slum on the edge of Madrid that is about to be demolished. The already underprivileged dwellers are forced to abandon their self-built houses, because the land they live on has been sold. Every member of the Gabarre Mendoza family individually struggles with the imminent transition in their lives. Not only both parents wrestle with serious concerns; their three children also have to cope with the big change.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Isabel Lamberti Length 77 min. Year 2020 Language Spanish Country Netherlands, Spain Producer Steven Rubinstein Malamud, Marc Bary Production IJswater Films www.ijswater.nl
PENOZA, THE FINAL CHAPTER At the end of the TV series Penoza, it looked like drug queen Carmen van Walraven had drowned. But in the feature film sequel it turns out the Black Widow is alive and kicking - and has gone into hiding in Canada. After an incident where she kills someone in self-defence, she is arrested and extradited to the Netherlands. Here, she gets on the wrong side of a Mexican drug cartel, to mention one plotline. To save her family, Carmen will finally have to put her past behind her.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Diederik van Rooijen Length 116 min. Year 2019 Language Dutch, English, Spanish Country Netherlands, Canada, Spain Producer Kaja Wolffers, Sabine Brian, Ronald Versteeg Production NL Film en TV www.nlfilm.tv
PORCELAIN ORIGINAL TITLE: PORSELEIN:
Businessman Paul has created an anchor of stability full of material wealth for his family. His wife Anna is a leading expert in the restoration of porcelain. Then, their eightyear-old son Thomas falls ill and their carefully constructed life is suddenly volatile. The faรงade they hold up mercilessly crumbles, like brittle porcelain that can no longer be glued back together. Dark fairytale, dealing with three universal fears that are deeply embedded in our society: the fear of being a bad parent, of the loss of control and of death.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Jenneke Boeijink Length 96 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch, English, Italian Country Netherlands, Italy, Belgium Producer Thomas den Drijver, Sander Verdonk, Julius Ponten Production New Amsterdam Film Company www.newams.com
ROMY’S SALON ORIGINAL TITLE: KAPSALON ROMY
Ten-year-old Romy dislikes the fact she has to go to her child-sitting grandma Stine every day, who works as a hairdresser and suffers from Alzheimer’s disease. When she confides in her granddaughter and tells her about her growing forgetfulness and fogginess, Romy realises grandma is not only caring for her, but also vice versa. Awarded at the Norwegian International Children’s Film Festival as Best European Youth Film in 2019. Adapted from Tamara Bos’ eponymous children’s book.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Mischa Kamp Length 91 min. Year 2019 Language Dutch, German, Danish Country Netherlands, Germany Producer Burny Bos Production BosBros www.bosbros.com
SHIT HAPPENS ORIGINAL TITLE: DE LIEFHEBBERS
The Liefhebbers seem to be a loving family. Jan and Lea raised their four children based on the conviction they had to arm them against the blows that life deals; keep going, never give up, be strong. The result is that Jonathan, Sam, Kasper and Maria seem to be doing fairly well in their personal lives. But when the family is confronted with the fact that Jan is seriously ill, it turns out that true contact has not been selfevident for quite some time.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Anna van der Heide Length 97 min. Year 2019 Language Dutch Country Netherlands, Belgium Producer Frans van Gestel, Arnold Heslenfeld, Laurette Schillings Production Topkapi Films www.topkapifilms.nl
TAILGATE ORIGINAL TITLE: BUMPERKLEEF
A nice and spine-chilling programme. How can a movie that is almost entirely set in a car be suspenseful? The slasher movie Bumperkleef is the proof. A family driving in a car is terrorised by another road user with an extremely short fuse. In the shortVakkenvullers - Zusje, a cute girl reveals herself as the scourge of the supermarket. Will the stock clerks survive? The Q&A will address the question what it is that makes a film thrilling or creepy.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Lodewijk Crijns Length 85 min. Year 2019 Language Dutch Country Netherlands, Belgium Producer Laurette Schillings, Frans van Gestel, Arnold Heslenfeld Production Topkapi Films www.topkapifilms.nl
MARIONETTE
- PREMIERE
The American child psychiatrist Marianne Winter moves to Scotland to start a new life. One of her new patients in the treatment centre is ten- year-old Manny. He is a close-lipped and enigmatic child who makes drawings of traumatic events and claims he can direct his practitioner’s future. When his obscure drawings do seem to become reality, Marianne starts an obsessive search, in this Englishspoken psychological thriller. As a result, her life threatens to be completely derailed.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Elbert van Strien Length 111 min. Year 2020 Language English Country Netherlands, Luxembourg Producer Claudia Brandt, Elbert van Strien, Burny Bos Production Accento Films , BosBros www.accentofilms.nl www.bosbros.com
THE WARDEN ORIGINAL TITLE: DE VOGELWACHTER - PREMIERE
An old man has been living all alone on an island full of birds in the middle of the ocean for half a century. He is very content there, as a birdwatcher without any people around him. One day, he receives a message telling him his post will be terminated. His happy life in the wild threatens to end abruptly. But the dismissed birdwatcher refuses to leave and defies this decision in a way uniquely his own. Tragicomic feature film with a leading role for Freek de Jonge, and beautiful wildlife shots of all sorts of birds.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Threes Anna Length 90 min. Year 2020 Language Dutch, English Country Netherlands Producer Hanneke Niens, Hans de Wolf Production KeyFilm www.keyfilm.nl
WIREN Film based on true events about the deaf Surinamese boy Wiren, whose ambitions take him from his small hometown to the capital of Paramaribo, where he goes to the Kennedy boarding school. Later, when university refuses him admittance, he realises deaf people do not have the same opportunities as hearing ones. He decides to seek justice by suing the government, to force them to adhere to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.
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DIGITAL FILM LIBRARY 2020
Director Ivan Tai-Apin Length 118 min. Year 2018 Language Dutch, English, Surinaams, Sarnami Country Suriname Producer Ivan Tai-Apin Production It Goes Productions