Dutch film festival a treat for movie buffs

The Jakarta Post ,  Jakarta   |  Fri, 05/31/2002 12:00 AM  |  Life

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

June should be a very good month for movie buffs here as two foreign film festivals will be highlighted in the capital.

In addition to the French Film Festival from June 1 to June 9, The Netherlands Embassy will also present the Dutch Film Festival on the same date.

Come see for yourself starting Saturday to get a peek at some Dutch movies.

There will be a selection of 10 recent feature films, three documentaries and 10 best animation films to be shown at the auditorium of Erasmus Huis on Jl. H.R. Rasuna Said Kav. S-3, Kuningan, South Jakarta.

Included in the selection are Oscar winners Anna & Bella and Father & Daughter, Berlin Film Festival winners I Move So I Am and Left Luggage.

Directors Jeroen Krabb and Ate de Jong, animation filmmaker Gerrit van Dijk and actress Ricky Koole are also expected to attend the festival.

Below are short descriptions of the movies scheduled to be shown at the festival.

* De Ontdekking van de Hemel (The Discovery of Heaven). Drama, directed by Jeroen Krabb. God is fed up with mankind and orders the retrieval of the Ten Commandments.

* De Grot (The Cave). Drama, directed by Martin Koolhoven. A classic tale of friendship, where one of two friends is amoral but fascinates the other.

* Kruimeltje (Little Crumb). Children's film, directed by Maria Peters. Based on a classic Dutch children's book of the same title, the story is set in 1921, and is about a 10 year-old orphan nicknamed Kruimeltje.

* Rent A Friend. Drama, directed by Eddy Terstall. A painter is continuously scolded by his writer girlfriend for being a slacker. He then opens a company which specializes in renting out friends.

* Wilde Mossels (Wild Mussels). Tragicomedy, directed by Erik de Bruyn. Trying to break free from their routine, boring lives, a couple finds it in the small mussel fishing community.

* De Stand van de zon (The Eye of The Day). Documentary, directed by Leonard Retel Helmrich. Set in Jakarta in 1998, this film shows how Indonesian people, especially those in the lower income bracket, survive.

* Jacky. Drama, directed by Fow Pyng Hu and Brat Ljatifi. A semi-autobiographical film about a Chinese boy in the Netherlands, struggling between two cultures.

* Crazy. Documentary, directed by Heddy Honigmann. Several Dutch UN soldiers reminisce about their experiences in different battlefields.

* Ajax - Daar Hoorden Zij Engelen Zingen (Ajax - Hark The Herald Angels Sing). Documentary, directed by Roel van Dalen. Shot during the 1999-2000 season, it gives a clear view of the business side of the contemporary football (soccer) industry.

* Met Grote Blijdschap (With Great Joy). Drama, directed by Lodewijk Crijns. A man found his brother who has been missing for 15 years, only to find a secret that the brother has been keeping.

* Mariken. Children's movie, directed by Andr van Duren. An adventure of a little girl who lives a secluded life in the woods.

* Lek (Leak). Drama, directed by Jean van de Velde. A good cop with stagnant career got a chance to improve by setting up his criminal friend. But the investigation leads to the bad cops in the office.

* Left Luggage. Drama, directed by Jeroen Krabb. An unusual love story between a young woman and a five year-old boy.

* 3 Missers (3 Misses). Animation. At the same time in three different places, three groups try to rescue three people who are about to get into accidents.

* Anna & Bella. Animation. Two elderly sisters recall old times through a photograph album and red wine.

* Terug Naar Inkwell (Back to the Inkwell). Animation. A character from the early days of the American cartoon creates his own modern figure, but he soon loses control over his creation.

* De Druppel (The Drop). Animation. A hard life of a man shown through his drop of blood.

* Beroemde Schilderijen (Famous Paintings). Using various techniques, it tells about famous paintings by artists like Piet Mondrian, Goya and Salvador Dali.

* Vader end Dochter (Father and Daughter). Animation. A deep longing for a father figure grips a woman even after she grows old.

* Een Geschiedenis van Nederland (A History of The Netherlands). An animated film which presents a series of events and personalities that illustrate the characteristics of the nation.

* I Move, So I Am. Animation. An interpretation of Descartes' saying ""I think, so I am"", by an artist.

* Sientje. Animation. An adventure of a little girl who turns into an outburst of anger following a disagreement with her parents. Nothing seems safe in her small bedroom until she makes peace with her mother.

For more information, check out www.erasmushuis.or.id or call the Erasmus Huis at (021) 5241069.

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