Still: ALPHA. © Douwe Hennink

Dutch feature film ALPHA.** by writer/director Jan-Willem van Ewijk is selected for Venice parallel section Giornate degli Autori. It will celebrate its premiere in the competition and is one of the ten contenders from all over the world vying for the Giornate degli Autori Award. The film is produced by Amsterdam-based BALDR Film in co-production with Lomotion (CH), Staragara (SL), VPRO (NL), SRF / SRG SSR (CH) and blue Entertainment (CH).

ALPHA. is Jan Willem’s fourth feature film. In this existential adventure, Rein, a young snowboard teacher who works in the Alps, receives a visit from his father Gijs from the Netherlands. The roles of Rein and Gijs are played by actors Reinout and Gijs Scholten van Aschat, who are also father and son in real life.

The Official Selection of the Venice International Film Festival and the Venice Gap-Financing Market also feature several Netherlands (co-)productions. An overview of the Dutch presence follows below:

VENEZIA 81 COMPETITION
Youth (Homecoming) by Wang Bing, minority co-produced by Volya Films (NL), is part of Venice's Competition. Sales: Pyramide International.

Dutch writer-director Halina Reijn (Instinct, Bodies, Bodies, Bodies) will present her second American feature film Babygirl in Venice 81 Competition as well.

VENICE 81 OUT OF COMPETITION – NON-FICTION
Encyclopaedic documentary Bestiari, Erbari, Lapidari by Massimo D’Anolfi and Martina Parenti, minority co-produced by Eye Filmmuseum (NL), will be shown Out of Competition.

VENICE IMMERSIVE COMPETITION
The Art of Change, VR film by Simone Fougnier and Vincent Rooijers (a co-production between Italy, the Netherlands and USA) is a Venice Immersive Competition contendor this year.

Members of the Venice Immersive International Jury include Dutch filmmakers Celine Daemen (Jury President) and Adriaan Lokman. Celine’s VR opera Eurydice, a descent into infinity premiered in the Venice Immersive selection in competition in 2022 and last year her VR opera Songs for a Passerby won the Venice Immersive Grand Prize. Also last year Adriaan Lokman’s Flow was awarded the Special Immersive Jury prize.

VENICE IMMERSIVE OUT OF COMPETITION
The 7th Guest, VR game by Paul van der Meer, Vertigo Games.

PROJECTS SELECTED FOR VENICE GAP-FINANCING MARKET
In Alaska by Jaap van Heusden and Vinnie Karetak, production: IJswater Films.

Dutch minority co-productions
Amoeba by Siyou Tan, prod: Akanga Film Asia (SI), NL co-prod: Volya Films
The Station by Sara Ishaq, prod: Screen project (YE) , NL co-prod: Kepler Film
Twins by Eva Neymann, prod: Toy Cinema (UKR), NL Co-prod: Blackbird Productions

Immersive projects
The Ancestors by Steye Hallema, prod: The Smartphone Orchestra (NL)
27275 Million Births and Deaths by Zam Zadeh, prod: Cassette for Timescapes (BE), NL co-prod: Studio Biarritz (NL)

For more information on Venice International Film Festival, click here.

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*Film is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund
**Film is supported by the Production Incentive