The 18th RIFF Reykjavík International Film Festival is just around the corner and the team is working hard these days to select films for the festival. There will be a large and high-quality program. This year, the emphasis will be on music in films in addition to all of our regulars, and our eyes will be especially focused on the Netherlands.
Last year, we started the innovation of also offering the festival program at home in the living room, and the reception was so good that we will repeat the game this year.
This will make it even easier for film lovers to get more of the festival's extensive program and combine the same cozy atmosphere at home in the living room with the only true cinema experience with popcorn and coke in the cinema. Not to mention, the opportunity to meet and chat with other film enthusiasts and even film buffs at the festival.
In the coming weeks leading up to the festival, we will be introducing the festival's program and now we are taking a look at Holland in Focus. The Netherlands has produced world-famous directors, but you can read more about Dutch film history below.
Netherlands in Focus
An extensive program has been selected consisting of 7 feature films that are doing well at festivals this year, by both new and promising directors as well as established world-renowned canons such as Paul Verhoeven (Basic Instinct and RoboCop). See the list below.
In addition, there will be a diverse and impressive program with a number of Dutch short films that have all attracted attention in recent years. There are a total of 12 short films that will be divided into two screening slots so that it will be possible to watch 6 films at once.
And since we're talking about the Netherlands and the Netherlands in focus, it's worth mentioning "The One Minute Show", which is from the Netherlands and will make an impression on the city this year.
THE ONE MINUTE SHORTS – ONE MINUTE PROGRAM.
…is a Dutch concept produced by The One Minutes Foundation. The One Minute Foundation produces and distributes one-minute videos from an artistic perspective, created by people all over the world. A new series of 60-second videos by a number of artists is released every two months, each series based on a specific theme. Three themes will be shown in September at RIFF and we will announce the themes and locations closer to the time.
About Dutch film history
Despite being a relatively small film industry in the world, the Dutch have left a deep mark on the history of the medium. The country has a long and rich documentary tradition that first took shape in the 1950s and 1960s, most notably the work of Joris Ivens and Bert Haansra.
The International Documentary Film Festival in Amsterdam (IFDA) is among the most important of its kind on the continent and, together with the International Film Festival in Rotterdam, plays an important role in the country's film culture.
The 1970s were a time of great Dutch filmmaking, but it also marked the rise of the country's most famous filmmaker, Paul Verhoeven. Verhoeven made five films in his homeland, the most famous of which was Turkish Delight (1973), before establishing himself as a director in Hollywood with films such as RoboCop (1987) and Basic Instinct (1992). In recent decades, he has worked mostly in the European film industry, including one of the most popular Dutch films of recent years, Zwartboek (2006), and most recently Elle (2016) and Benedetta (2021).
Other Dutch filmmakers who made the park famous abroad include the unique cinematographer Robby Müller (black-and-white films by Wim Wenders and Jim Jarmusch, among others), the cinematographer and director Jan De Bont (the thriller Speed) and the actor Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner).
Dutch Films at RIFF
Benedetta
The latest work from the unlikely mastermind Paul Verhoeven (RoboCop, Basic Instinct, Elle) caused quite a stir at Cannes. This erotic drama is set in the late 17th century, when plagues and The novice Benedetta Carlini joins a convent in Pescia, Tuscany. From a young age, the virgin appears to be endowed with many miraculous gifts, and her arrival has an immediate and revolutionary impact on society.. Trailer
Do Not Hesitate
A transport truck carrying a Dutch peacekeeping force breaks down in the middle of the desert. While the soldiers wait impatiently for a repair team, they encounter a young local man who refuses to leave them alone.. Trailer
Dead and Beautiful
In an Asian metropolis, a group of wealthy young people wake up with a strange kind of hangover. The night has changed their teeth and the reflection bites a good day. As a result, they wander around in search of nocturnal adventures in the shadows of the urban landscape. Jasper Wolf's beautiful cinematography lends the story a dreamlike tone. Trailer
Undrafjöll – Magic Mountains
Lex is a successful but restless writer. He convinces his ex-lover, Hanna, to come hiking with him for the last time. An act that is primarily meant to be symbolic turns out to be full of danger. The mountain guide Voytek suspects that something sinister is afoot. Wonder Mountains is the fifth feature film by the renowned Polish-Dutch filmmaker Urzula Antoniak. Trailer
Drama Girl
Leyla, a 26-year-old woman, is the main character of a film that reflects her life, while all other roles are played by actors. In this way, the boundaries between reality and fiction are blurred in a captivating blend of documentary and feature film. The Drama Girl received special critical acclaim at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR). Trailer
Feast
In 2007, the so-called Groningen HIV case became a hot topic in the Dutch media, involving three men who gave other men their HIV-positive blood. In Veisla, the perpetrators, their victims, and eyewitnesses participate in a dramatic reenactment of the events. This controversial film is divided into seven independent chapters, moving between narrative and surrealism in its subject matter. Trailer
Farewell Paradise – Farewell Paradise
In an autobiographical documentary, filmmaker Sonja Wyss recreates the turning point in her life when her family moved from the paradise of childhood in the Bahamas to the strict society and cold climate of Switzerland. The work shows the siblings' different perspectives on the events, which creates a particularly fragmented picture of what has happened. Trailer
