Still: Heresy - Didier Konings

Set in a medieval Dutch village, Heresy (produced by Make Way Film in collaboration with the VPRO) tells the story of a young woman caught between her faith, fanatic townsfolk and the dark forces lurking in the surrounding woods. Atmospheric, unsettling and deeply rooted in folklore, the film has established itself as one of the most striking European horror titles of recent years.

International acclaim

Since its world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR) in January 2024, Heresy has built an impressive international track record. The film went on to screen at leading genre festivals including Fantastic Fest (USA), Sitges Film Festival (Spain) and Screamfest Horror Film Festival (USA).

In total, Heresy (also known internationally as Witte Wieven) celebrated over 30 festival selections worldwide, earning 21 nominations and winning 15 awards. Highlights include:

• 4x Best (International) Feature Film
  
• 3x Best Actress for Anneke Sluiters
  
• Best Director, Best Cinematography and Best International Feature at KORK
  
• Best Screenplay at Horror Fest International
• Best Feature Film at Wench Film Festival
• Best Director and Best Actress at Cinefantasy

• Best International Feature at ESIFF

The film also received critical praise internationally, including recognition in RogerEbert.com’s Top 10 Best Horror Films of 2024 and a strong review from ScreenAnarchy.

Expanding international reach

In addition to its upcoming Shudder release, Heresy is currently available on multiple VOD platforms in France, Spain, Portugal and Italy, with Germany to follow soon. A French DVD release is scheduled for late January.

Following a successful online run — where the film was available free of charge for nearly 15 months — Heresy also enjoyed a special theatrical release at KINO Rotterdam. Initially planned as a limited screening series, strong audience demand led to a three-week run on the big screen — a remarkable and celebratory theatrical encore for an independently produced genre film.

Behind the scenes and what’s next

A compelling behind-the-scenes documentary has also been produced, offering insight into the creation of Heresy and its distinctive visual world.

Meanwhile, Konings and his team are currently developing a new folk horror feature, Aulken*, made in the same spirit and with much of the same creative team behind Heresy. The new project has already received script development support from the Nederlands Filmfonds, further underlining the growing international recognition of this bold Dutch horror voice.

With its arrival on Shudder in March 2026, Heresy continues its remarkable journey — bringing Dutch folk horror to audiences around the world.

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*film supported by the Netherlands Film Fund