The Promise - Daan Veldhuizen

Take a look at a selection of the Dutch productions to be expected at Movies that Matter down below. You can discover more of the (Dutch) program through this link.

Competing in two competitions at the festival (International Documentary Competition & Justice Frame Competitiion is The Promise (prod. Witfilm) by Daan Veldhuizen. Using uniquely restored 35mm archival footage, the film shines a light on the promise by the Netherlands for independence of the indigenous population of their ex-colony in West Papua, which has turned into a genocide the world remains silent about. 

Eight Dutch films are selected for the Dutch Focus Competition, here are a couple of the highlights:

The Coriolis Effect (prod. ZINdoc) by Petr Lom. Set in Cape Verde, known as the place where hurricanes are born, The Coriolis Effect is a cinematic meditation on all that lives, in a world spinning out of control.             

Mister L. (prod. Room for film) by Thomas Stokmans. After a solo Asian traveller loses his belongings and gets mistaken for an asylum seeker, he connects with the refugees in the asylum centre and figures out what he truly needs in life.

Lastly, three shorts are in competition:

Barlebas* (prod. DOXY FIXY) by Malu Janssen, a period drama set in 1595 about the persecution of witches in the south of the Netherlands.

Beyond Silence (prod. PRPL) by Marnie Blok, about two women, two generations and the same trauma. Where one decides to remain silent after a confrontation, the other finds the courage to break the silence.

Pig (prod. Vitruvian Man Films) by Rutger Veenstra in which Nanne’s son Arnout who has committed a sex offense returns home to the farm after serving his sentence. Will Nanne be able to rediscover compassion for his son?

There is a lot more to discover at Movies that Matter, find out more here!

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*Film is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund