Consulate General of the NETHERLANDS, Mumbai
The Madras Film Society
&
Indo Cine Appreciation Foundation
Present
NETHERLANDS FILM FESTIVAL
SYNOPSIS
JOHAN - 2005 - 90′ - 13.10.2008/Mon/6.15pm - Director : Nicole van Kilsdonk
Johan is about a family of 10 football brothers, all named after famous English footballers. Then number 11 is born and she called him, Johan. However, there is a problem : Johan does not like football, he loves singing and music. And he loves his girl next door Evy, but also his brother Johnny has feelings for her. While the brothers each make a career in the best clubs in the Netherlands, Johan chase after his dream: to be a singer.
NORTHERN LIGHT/ Langer licht /2006/85′ - 14.10.2008/ Tue/ 6.15pm - Dir : David Lammers - Awards:1 win & 3 nominations
Lucien runs a boxing training centre and lives for the training of his young pupils. Mitchel, Lucien’s 15-year-old son, is much quieter than his father and finds it less of a problem to appear vulnerable, much to his father’s annoyance. Mitchel confronts his father during a barbecue with friends and family on the occasion of a birthday. Lucien physically attacks Mitchel becomes introverted. Meanwhile Mitchel is doing better. By facing up to what he has done, Lucien takes the first steps towards the future.
HAPPY FAMILY / Beetje verliefd, ‘n /2006/85 14.10.2008 /Tue/7.45pm - Dir : Martin Koolhoven - Awards:1 win
Widower Thijs seeks a new partner through a small ad. To win the vivacious Jackie he learns to rock ‘n’ roll. His grandson Omar falls madly in love with Meral, but he can only win her if he manages to beat her brother in wrestling. Thijs comes to his aid and teaches him to fight. Omar’s mother and aunt, Vonne and Aafke, watch their efforts with disdain. Will Omar and his grandfather manage to find happiness in love?
GANGSTA BLUES/ Bolletjes blues! /2006/90′ 15.10.2008/Wed/ 6.15pm - Directors : Brigit Hillenius, Karin Junger Awards:1 win & 3 nominations
In this musical, Spike is a young black man from Suriname who lives in the Bijlmermeer. He is a student drop out. In order to earn money to impress his white girlfriend Rosalie he joins a gang led by Delano and commits various robberies. Another gang operates a cocaine smuggling route from Suriname to the Netherlands. As a mule, Spike is arrested on departure at the airport (Zanderij) near Paramaribo, and incarcerated at Santo Boma prison. Rosalie volunteers as a mule, in order to be able to visit Spike.
SPORTMAN OF THE CENTURY / Sportman van de Eeuw/ 2006/ 100′ - Director:Mischa Alexander - 15.10.2008/Wed/ 7.45pm
To elevate himself out of poverty, and to win the heart of his true love, there is only one thing a farmer’s son can do - sit on a pole for days on end. Sitting on a pole in a canal or a lake may seem like a lunatic sport, but for Taeke it becomes a lifelong struggle to end poverty He has been on the verge of fame, several times, about to become a legend, to break the pole-sitting endurance record. But every time, just as his legendary status is as good as assured, he comes down to help the girl he loves. Sportsman of the Century is a tragic-comedy, an epic love story that spans the seventy years from 1930 to the end of the millenium. The film is set in Frysland, populated by stubborn people, who speak their own idiosyncratic language. With one inhabitant who, by sitting on a pole, becomes Sportsman of the Century.
THE SIXTH OF MAY/ 06/05 / 2004/ 115′/ 16.10.2008/Thur / 6.30pm - Director :Theo van Gogh - Awards:3 wins & 1 nomination
A fictional version of the events that led to the assassination of the Dutch politician Pim Fortuyn on May 6, 2002. The movie is based upon the book “The sixth of May” by Tomas Ross. The Director, Theo van Gogh was stabbed to death two years later by Mohammed B. 6 May 2002. Outside the Media Park in Hiversum, photographer Jim de Booy is taking pictures of a soap starlet. Jim has parked his motorbike beside an old Volkswagon. A small man taps the front of the VW and disappears into a neighbouring building site.
Jim carries on snapping, unaware of the men in the background. After his session ends, Jim puts away his camera and starts his bike. But at that moment, the VW collides with the bike and races off leaving an angry Jim taking pictures of the disappearing VW. He then hears six gunshots. Grabbing his camera, he runs to the building site, where he is stopped by a line of policeman. Those few minutes are the start of five hectic days in which Jim and his photographs will play a vital role in the intricate conspiracy surrounding the murder of Pim Fortuyn, endangering not only Jim’s career but also his life