The Night Tunnel
Two kids from opposite sides of the world dig to the North Pole and find a magical way home.
Country: Netherlands
Quota
When every global citizen is required to have their CO2 emissions tracked, it makes little impact…that is, until they discover the consequences of reaching their designated quota.
The Interpreter
Nine-year-old Tatiana is fine with her role as an interpreter for Mami. She can even use it to her advantage….
The Refusers
A mattress laments. An old paper dances.
Jippie No More!
Jippie’s sister is getting married, and the whole family is helping with the celebration. The good dishes are out, decorations are set, and Jippie is ready for the performance of a lifetime. Unfortunately, Jippie’s parents insist he sit this one out and leave the attention for the bride. No matter—there’s plenty to do on Grandpa’s rural estate. Plus, love is in the air, and it’s not just the bride and groom who are feeling it. When Lily arrives to help train Grandpa’s horse, it’s butterflies immediately for Jippie. And what better way to win her over than a song-and-dance show-stopper? If only Lily could stop staring at Jippie’s little sister long enough to look his way…Jippie No More! captures the chaos of one big family, where each member is so deeply entrenched in their own beliefs. But a genuine warmth and admiration for each other ensures that there’s no issue they can’t overcome.
This program is supported by the Dutch Culture USA’s Future 400 program of the Consulate General of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in New York.
Swimming with Wings
New to The Netherlands, a young Israeli girl learns how to swim with clothes on.
Monsters
Roaa, Zainab, and Noe Noe all fled to the Netherlands for different reasons, but each girl has created an imaginary monster of her own.
Lioness
Rosi’s life is great: she spends her days dominating the soccer pitch in lush, sun-drenched Suriname. So she’s understandably crushed when her family moves to the Netherlands, leaving the life she knows behind. But her soccer skills might be what saves her from loneliness when she’s befriended by Jitte, a fellow footballer at her new school. On the school’s soccer team, Rosi proves her mettle, quickly making new friends and thriving. Just as Rosi’s feelings of isolation disappear, her obvious talent sparks the envy of her teammates, especially when Jitte is benched to give her more playing time. Then, a family tragedy has Rosi questioning her commitment to soccer altogether. With the interscholastic championships on the horizon and her relationship with her best friend unreconciled, Rosi will have to dig deep to find the confidence and courage to bring out her inner champion.
Kung Fu Lion
Fourteen-year-old Jimmy is the star kung fu student at his school. Naturally, he’s a shoo-in for head of the lion in this year’s lion dance. So, naturally, he is shocked when his sifu, or teacher, announces that talented newcomer Li Jié wil helm the new crew. In his quest to prove himself as worthy of the lead, Jimmy must defeat neighborhood bullies, convince the sifu of his qualities, and, most importantly, overcome his own ego. Now he’s faced with the ultimate battle of might vs. right. Can he curb his temper and learn to work together with his new nemesis? Kung Fu Lion provides a cross-cultural look at the challenges of growing up, which are a little easier with the wisdom of the martial arts.
Luce and the Rock
When a giant boulder lands in the middle of Luce’s small geometric village, it’s up to him to find a solution, even though he’s scared of the dark.
Outside
Ten-year-old Fynn learns that being cool isn’t about finding the perfect spot to hang in the neighborhood, but something entirely different.
Spotless
With her mom struggling to make ends meet, teenage Ruby doesn’t want to bother her when her period comes around. So she’s forced to find a solution for a basic need all by herself.
Fur
A girl attempts to understand and comfort her sister after gray fur covers her body, making her feel miles away even as they sit right next to each other.
Balcony Cacophony
Topiary tensions run high in this all too familiar battle between neighbors over who gets to control the most precious part of a shared living space: the sound.
Totem
Eleven-year-old Ama loves the water, and not only because she’s surrounded by the Rotterdam waterfront. She’s also a passionate swimmer, spending every spare minute in the pool training for the upcoming championships with her best friend, Thijs. Though she’s the daughter of Senegalese asylum-seekers, Ama feels Dutch, through and through. So it’s all the more unthinkable when her family members are unexpectedly detained, leaving Ama to find a solution. Harnessing the focus she learned in swim training and armed with the wisdom of her mother’s tales of their homeland, she must forge a path of her own. Fortunately, a gigantic spirit animal rooted in Senegalese tradition might just be of service.
Okthanksbye
Jamie is only just starting to get settled at her new boarding school for the deaf when she learns that her dear grandmother, the only other non-hearing member of her family, has landed in the hospital. When her family tells her there’s not enough time to pick her up in the Netherlands before heading to the hospital in Paris, Jamie is left feeling helpless. Imane, Jamie’s very new friend and classmate, sees her upset and suggests they secretly make the journey on their own. Together they face a scary clown, an abandoned mansion, a gibberish band, and much more on their trek from school through the French countryside. This charming film gracefully explores the way the two girls—one with a cochlear implant and one without—navigate friendship, the deaf community, and the hearing world. Joining the ranks of films like CODA and Sound of Metal, Okthanksbye takes care to represent the deaf community with graciousness and accuracy. But unlike those films, Okthanksbye is an unabashedly fun coming-of-age road movie. Co-produced by BNNVARA.
Best Birthday Ever
Little Charlie is a small rabbit who lives with his loving family and pets in a house at the edge of town. Like many five-year-olds, he goes to a kindergarten and plays with his friends in the neighborhood, basking in the delight of his parents’ complete attention. But all of that changes with the arrival of his baby sister, Clara. When the chance for adventure with his best friend, Monica, arises, Little Charlie—eager to make his own mark and maybe a little jealous—hops to it.
Oink
Fabulously bespectacled 9-year-old Babs seemingly has the perfect life, with parents who see to it that she has a lovely home and only the healthiest vegetarian meals on her plate. And she and her best friend tool around their idyllic Dutch neighborhood on their bikes without a care. But, what Babs really, really wants, she can’t have: a dog to call her own. So when Babs’ grandfather, an American with a curious rootin’-tootin’ cowboy accent, suddenly appears on the scene, he just may make her dream come true. And he almost does, in the form of Oink, a lovable if constantly, er, digesting, pig, whom he gifts to Babs, much to her mother’s dismay. There’s only one problem, or two… One: Oink stays only on the condition he passes a rigorous puppy training program. Two: Babs’ grandfather secretly maintains a nefarious connection to the Sausage King competition organized by The Society for Meat Products from Fresh Pigs. Full of cheeky humor, porcines behaving badly and people even worse, all in uncannily realistic and genius stop-motion animation, this charmer will have you snorting and cheering for the right to be piggy ‘n pink!
SWOP
Based on the beloved, Emmy and NYICFF award-winning short Heads Together, this new series follows three wacky friends Sef, Wesley, and Marjory. One day, they discover an abandoned washing machine with mysterious powers: it lets you swap heads with someone else! This presents the three BFFs with a range of amazing possibilities…and side-splitting challenges. As they take turns trying on each other’s heads, they literally see the world through new eyes. Will their new perspectives help them discover a whole new world of possibilities, or get them into a mess? Well, the sayings tell us there are many sides to every story and two heads are better than one. Run, don’t walk (but please hold onto your head) to the slapstick silliness of SWOP.
Where is Anne Frank
One night Kitty, the most famous imaginary friend in history, suddenly materializes as a fully fledged girl from the ink-filled pages of Anne Frank’s diary. She doesn’t understand where her old friend has gone (or why, for that matter, their former home has become a tourist attraction). Kitty leaves behind her 1940s dress and dons jeans and sneakers, all the better to set out to solve the mystery. Aided by a resourceful pickpocket and befriending a group of young refugees seeking safe homes and community like anyone else, Kitty criss-crosses through time and takes us from the streets of contemporary, colorful Amsterdam through to gray war-era Germany and back. While Anne’s now ever-present name has been reverently affixed to bridges and schools and hospitals, Kitty fears her friend’s true legacy is being forgotten. An urgent and poignant detective story and anthem for social justice from award-winning filmmaker Ari Folman (Waltz with Bashir), Where Is Anne Frank is imbued with fantastical animated sequences (‘40s era Clark Gable on horseback!) and a modern punk sensibility (complete with glorious Karen O soundtrack) and is an essential history for audiences of all ages.
Ink
Being a neat freak is easy when you’ve got eight arms and live underwater, but try keeping up with this octopus teacher’s hilarious lesson!
Under the Skin
A team of swimmers hold their breath training for a synchronized swimming meet while navigating the twists and turns of competitive friendships.
Jackie & Oopjen
Twelve-year-old Jackie has made Amsterdam’s world famous Rijksmuseum her second home since her mother is always busy at her job there. As Jackie wanders the museum after hours, Oopjen Coppit, the woman depicted in Rembrandt’s famous 1634 painting, suddenly steps out of the canvas and into the middle of the gallery. Used to keeping her cool and problem solving, Jackie instantly decides to take Oopjen under her wing and help her search for her missing sister. Oopjen, a woman from the Golden Age, finds the 21st century to be a big adventure while Jackie finally finds a true friend.
Buladó
Headstrong Kenza lives with her father Ouira and grandfather Weljo on a beautifully situated plot of land that doubles as a car wrecking yard on the coast of Curaçao. Father and son are opposites: Ouira is a no-nonsense police officer with an eye toward the future, while Weljo finds meaning in the past through the spirituality of his African ancestors and the island’s native inhabitants. Meanwhile, 11-year-old Kenza seeks to find her own place, and identity. Her search takes flight as she gravitates toward the mystical traditions of her grandfather.
Note: This film deals with themes of death and loss
Note: This film deals with themes of death and loss
Kids for Kids
En Route
When nine-year-old Inay and her little brother have to join their father on a special trip through the city, she innocently tries everything to cause a delay.
Orbit
Spinning drawings guide us along the flow of energy through our planet and let us ponder our place in the natural cycle.
The Club of Ugly Children
This action-packed thriller unfolds in a world led by a new president whose motto, “Keep it Clean,” means rounding up kids who don’t meet his view of ideal citizens. Paul, his big sister, and their band of friends aren’t going to simply stand by. They mobilize with energy and ingenuity in this pulse-racing tale that will have you cheering from the edge of your seat!
*Some mature language
We are Boys
In this sun-bleached ode to boys’ life, two best friends spend the waning days of summer pestering their neighbors, sailing their boat, catching frogs, and savoring the final, fleeting moments of their time together before one goes off to high school.
I Am a Girl!
Joppe is just like any average 13-year-old girl: she wears make-up, gets crushes, and loves gossiping with her friends.