Every year the city of Utrecht is recognized as the Dutch film hart during the ten-days Netherlands Film festival. This year it was already the 24th time that it took place, so it is time to share it with other countries as well.
So, what is happening in Holland? The country that sometimes wins an Oscar for best foreign film, like KaraktERe from Mike van Diem (1997) and is involved in various co-productions like Dogville (Lars von Trier, 2003). It is a small country, but every year there is a big film festival that breathes Dutch cinema for the Dutch public and also for foreigners who join the Holland Film Meeting. All the Dutch directors, actors and other crewmembers display their films hoping to win the Golden Calve.
Last 22nd of September the red carpet was layed out for Eddy Terstall and his new film Simon, which is also send to the Oscars for best foreign film this year. Till the 1st of October the city was filled with cinema lovers and fans to get the full story on the Dutch cinema.
The festival is an intimate one in a sense that all the actors, directors and crewmembers are present and within reach during the screenings. Also at the many side-programs, like the talk shows that take place every evening or the various workshops, the ‘Dutch’ famous mingle with the public. The festival offers a wide-ranging programme featuring numerous premieres of mostly Dutch films with an extensive main programme and some retrospectives. There were more than sixty documentaries, short films, feature films and TV drama productions shown in ten days.

For Holland this festival gives a good representation of the film climate. There are known directors, but it is also a platform for new talent, like a big student programme called ‘A Fresh Look’. The retrospectives concerned Dutch directors like Jean van de Velde, who was the Guest of the Year. He made the films De Kleine Blonde Dood (1993), All Stars (1997) and Lek (2000). Also Paul Verhoeven was ‘In the Picture’ with his films Spetters (1980), The Fourth Man (1983), Robocop (1987), Basic Instinct (1992) and Showgirls (1995).

There was also a film market at the festival called the Holland Film Meeting. The annual programme consists of two selections: the Benelux Screenings and the Netherlands Production Platform (NPP). The Screenings concern a selection of the new films from the Benelux with subtitles. The NPP is a platform that takes place for three days in a five star Hotel in the center of the city. Twenty one projects were pitched from different countries, 11 from Holland and 10 from foreign countries. One and a half day of public pitching and one and a half day of individual meetings was the programme. Because Holland holds the chairmanship of the European Community this year and because of the accession of a number of new member states from Eastern and Central Europe the concentration was on these states. The EAVE institution had a forum on the subject West meets East, and also a showcase of recent films from the new EU member states. There also was a European audiovisual conference that took place in three days, concerning new goals for the Media programme of 2007.
This year the Netherlands Film Festival was a special one, besides the many screenings of new films, new talents, the interesting retrospectives and the Holland Film Meeting the festival had a European touch. The special concentration on the Eastern and Central European countries was new, but crucial in the development of a bigger and better European Cinema.

As a small country the European developments are of great importance and you will probably hear more about it in the light of the European Cinema.
 

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