In recent years, the Netherlands and Belgium have become major drug trafficking hubs in Europe, with almost 80% of the continent's cocaine passing through Rotterdam or Antwerp. This has led to the rise of the “Mocro Mafia,” criminal networks of Dutch people of Moroccan origin. These gangs began by trafficking hashish from Morocco but now use the same routes for the more profitable cocaine trade, sourced from Latin American cartels. Consequently, the “Mocro Mafia” has become one of the world’s richest criminal organizations, generating an estimated fifty billion euros annually in Antwerp alone—10% of Belgium’s budget.
21st Century Âshikizm Art Movement (2022)
The sound of centuries-old Adhan in Turkey, the sound of centuries-old church bells and the polyphonic music of Europe echo in our memory. Our traditions and our future determine our present. In the present tense, the sounds of the war's sirens are mixed with the sound of Adhan and church bells. How can people hear themselves? How can humans exist?
Hergé: In the Shadow of Tintin (2016)
Georges Remi, known as Hergé, a complex and complicated artist, created Tintin, one of the most famous characters in the world. With exceptional access to the archives of Studios Hergé and Moulinsart, this documentary looks at Remi's life and the way he changed the art of comic.
Radical Disciple: The Story of Father Pfleger (2009)
The story of Catholic iconoclast Michael Pfleger who made it his mission to transform the drug ravaged south side Chicago community surrounding his parish. In so doing, Father Mike has run directly into conflict with the local Catholic hierarchy. The film explores issues of racism, the power of the media, and the tension between Pfleger's 'gospel of the streets' versus traditional Church theology.
Silence of the Tides (2020)
The passage of time is spellbinding in this cinematic tour de force about the Wadden Sea. A film that inhales and exhales along with the tides as it explores the fragile relationship between man and nature.
Aan ons den arbeid (2007)
Documentary that shows the changing attitude towards immigrant labor in The Netherlands. The documentary follows three immigrants that arrived in Holland 30 years ago to work in a bakery.
Endless Bullying: The Story of Maryana (2022)
Maryana came to the conclusion that she no longer wanted to live because the bullying became unbearable. Based on stories from her family, teachers, friends and classmates, we get an idea of who Maryana was and what kept her busy. All relatives have the same message: let's learn from this and ensure that this does not happen again in the future.
Il delitto Varani (2018)
A docu-film about the events related to the murder of a Roman boy of Macedonian origins, Luca Varani, 23, which took place on the morning of 4 March 2016. Manuel Foffo, a 29-year-old university student, from a wealthy family, confesses to his father Valter the atrocious crime committed during a sex and drug-based party that lasted three days and three nights and which involved another boy named Marco Prato, thirty years old, homosexual and well known in the Roman environment of organized parties. Manuel and Marco, totally addicted to alcohol and cocaine, allegedly lured Luca Varani into Manuel's apartment on a pretext to then drug him, torture him and finally kill him cruelly with hammers and stabs. Manuel Foffo will plead guilty and will be sentenced to thirty years in prison with the abbreviated procedure, while Marco Prato, who will claim to be innocent and only subjected (for love) to Manuel's will, will commit suicide the day before the start of the trial.
Mother Land (2022)
When filmmaker Mari Soppela took her children and husband to live for a year on a sacred mountain in her native Finland, she was fulfilling a lifelong dream to share the arctic wilderness of her childhood with her family. But when years later her children turn the camera onto her, she is forced to confront her motivation for filming their lives in this searching and searingly honest cinematic exploration of identity, belonging and motherhood. Filmed over the course of 27 years, Mother Land challenges us all to examine the landscapes we carry within us and the narratives we create to make sense of our lives.
In The Eyes Of A Beast (2011)
How do humans and animals see each other? Dominique Loreau captures astonishing exchanges of “views” between people and animals who coexist in the city, in farms, slaughterhouses, zoos, museums, or in a dance rehearsal room. In The Eyes Of A Beast questions the permeable boundary between man and animal.
The Rembrandt Century: How Art Became Big Business (2022)
In the 17th century, the Netherlands experienced an unprecedented artistic explosion: painters such as Rembrandt, Vermeer and Hals were so prolific that they were able to make a living from their talent alone; so much so that, within a prosperous society, thanks to wealth from overseas colonies and financial speculation, collecting works of art became a status symbol.
See You in the Obituary (1995)
Made in the form of an extended news report and narrated by journalist Dina Čolić-Anđelković, the film presents a snapshot of the chaotic Belgrade criminal underworld in the early 1990s which sprung up against the backdrop of Yugoslav wars. The film is composed of fragments from interviews with individuals directly involved with criminal activities either through perpetrating them or through trying to stop them.
Le Petit Vingtième : le siècle de Tintin (1995)
From the beginning, Hergé's work, Tintin's creator, was conditioned by the ideology of his publisher, the weekly child supplement of a Belgian Catholic newspaper. An exciting analysis of the political meaning of the adventures of Tintin.
Tinkebell - Who Killed the Blue Bird? (2024)
Artist Katinka Simonse, alias Tinkebell, is a controversial, very mediagenic phenomenon. In her universe there is no distinction between life, art and activism; Tinkebell is her own work of art. Everything she encounters on her life path can become part of her story. Filmmaker Judith de Leeuw was given access to all images about Tinkebell, including her entire private archive. She thus constructed an archive film about how as a human being, living on the ruins of the past, you can be a character in your own story. What is the price you can afford if you continue to believe at any cost?
Flandrien (2023)
Filmed on location, Flandrien tells the story of the Flanders region of Belgium. Rich in history, full of flavor and adventure, Flanders abounds with captivating visuals. Cycling is central to the lifestyle and culture of the area. From the onset, the question arises: What is a Flandrien? The journey strips away the layers to discover and understanding where, why, and within whom the Flandrien spirit lives. Along the way, the treasures, triumphs, and tragedies of Flanders are revealed. Flandrien shares insights from some of the cycling greats of Belgium and around the world who devoted their lives to a sport so ingrained in the culture it is inextricable.
Mula (2021)
Francisco, Isabel, Fco. Javier and David are captured in different parts of the world when they worked as "mules" to overcome the crisis. They tell their stories from the deal that turned them into traffickers to their release from prison.
Het Doet Zo Zeer (2017)
What’s it like to age with early-phase vascular dementia? And how about your loved ones? Successful author Heleen van Royen has taken on caring for her elderly mother and films their frequent meetings. Increasingly, Mrs Breed’s life consists of confusion and unbearable stabbing pains that she tames with a mantra. She regularly refuses help, good advice and a Zimmer frame, although she is also thankful for her committed daughter’s support.
Cocaine: History Between the Lines (2011)
Cocaine has always gotten a bad rap, and for a reason. It is a drug used by the rich and the poor legally and illegally, Mexican cartels fought over it with Colombia once associated with the brutal cocaine wars, and a source of tension between the American and Mexican borders on the people who are illicitly bringing in cocaine from one side of the border to another and will do anything to do it. So it can be surprising at times to the viewer throughout the course of the documentary special, that it was never always like this.
El mercado de la inocencia (2018)
Over the last two decades, Medellin has gone from being globally known as a drug traffic and extreme violence destination to becoming a thriving cosmopolitan city. Progress and peace have resulted in an exponential increase of tourism, but have also caused unexpected collateral damage: the rise in sex tourism in this Colombian city. Many of the illegal networks run by foreigners in the United States and Europe, offer Medellin guided tours that include underage prostitutes in their packages available for online purchase.
Duutsers (2023)
How was the Second World War experienced in Rouveen, Overijssel? This Orthodox Christian village near Staphorst was self-sufficient during the war. And largely isolated from the outside world. The last eyewitnesses of the war, the children of that time, are now all very old. In the Duutsers, residents of the Overijssel village of Rouveen talk movingly openly about their war memories to fellow villager and filmmaker Geertjan Lassche. Their stories are interspersed with historical video fragments and photos from the past. This is how an honest child's view of growing up in a rural village unfolds. How did the war come to the village? Who is that stranger in the village in front of them, that German? And in what those of other strangers? When does unrest arise, and unrest in fear of hatred? What about the Jewish labor camps in the village and how did they view the Canadian liberators?