Once Upon Amsterdam

The Price of Shelter

Private-sector rented accommodation for the Surinamese and Antillean Dutch who increasingly moved to Amsterdam from these former colonies in the early seventies was woefully inadequate. In 1982, André Reeder graduated from The Netherlands Film Academy (NFTVA) with Onderneming onderdak (The Price of Shelter) – a documentary about this appalling situation.

The Revolution Will Not Be Televised

2003 · ★ 7.8

Hugo Chavez was a colourful, unpredictable folk hero who was beloved by his nation’s working class. He was elected president of Venezuela in 1998, and proved to be a tough, quixotic opponent to the power structure that wanted to depose him. When he was forcibly removed from office on 11 April 2002, two independent filmmakers were inside the presidential palace.

Megalopolis I

1963

First film by Pim de la Parra, about a young Surinamese man in Amsterdam who delivers a “monologue interior” about his dissatisfaction with society and his position as an outsider.

Amour impossible

1984

Transsexuals? Transvestites? Skinheads? Anarchy? Street life, hustling and drag are explored with sophistication, emotional resonance and that certain extra something that'll make you want to change the impossible to the incredible.

Bicycle

1965 · ★ 6

Rhythmic composition of moving photographs of cyclists in Amsterdam, ‘set’ to Vivaldi’s The Four Seasons.

On n'est pas des racailles

2025 · ★ 8

No synopsis available.

Bed Peace

1969 · ★ 7.5

John and Yoko in the presidential suite at the Hilton Amsterdam, which they had decorated with hand-drawn signs above their bed reading "Bed Peace." They invited the global press into their room to discuss peace for 12 hours every day.

Nigella’s Amsterdam Christmas

2023 · ★ 9

Nigella returns for a very special Christmas treat when she travels to Amsterdam to enjoy the festive season in the Venice of the North.

I'm Afraid It's a No

2017 · ★ 6

Eighteen-year-old Sofie is looking for a room in Amsterdam. So she has to interview for them. Time and again she has to convince the residents of student houses that she is the most suitable candidate for the vacant room. The competition is fierce, the residents are ruthless. Who is accepted by the group, who is rejected? How far will the candidates go? And what does that process of judging and being judged do to Sofie?

The Confrontation

2016

In 1917, French artist Marcel Duchamp declared everyday objects as art. A provocative act that sparked a heated, still topical discussion around the question: what is art? Since then, that question has been asked time and time again. To the artist and to the viewer. If everything is possible and everything is allowed, how do you remember what art is? Director Ditteke Mensink spent two years at De Ateliers: the breeding ground for top talent in the visual arts. Her stay ended in a harsh confrontation with herself, the young artists and modern visual arts.

The World of Kim and Bob

2016

Kim and Bob have been inseparable since childhood. Does puberty end their friendship?

Chris Berens

2014

Artist Chris Berens finds his inspiration in his own magical inner world. The animals and creatures that play a major role in his imagination also populate the landscapes he creates with his special painting technique. It results in scenes that are both enchanting and ominous.