Dennis Rudge

The undocumented refugee Sabr (35) works in the Dutch illegal male prostitution. Short, gritty drama about the tragic cycle of abuse, dominance and power. Following his feature debut Paradise Drifters, Mees Peijnenburg presents a short, gritty and significantly less hopeful portrait, in his by now idiosyncratic, poetic-realistic style. The 35-year-old undocumented refugee Saba is caught within illegal male prostitution. His date with a john turns out different than expected, when several men are present at the meeting address. Should he pass over the money and run the risk they will call the police? Sort drama about the tragic cycle of abuse, dominance and power.

Marie, once a successful comic artist, lives among the prostitutes in Amsterdam's Red Light District where a gruesome event at her neighbors forces her to take action.

5.7/10
8.8%

He has almost closed his first deal by telephone. And then there is the oral contract. "Wow, that’s a mouthful!", the targeted victim on the other end says when Sharif has to utter his full surname. With these persistent prejudices, Sharif will never make it in the world of fast money. So he assumes the identity of Tom Adelaar, in return for his own personality. In this dynamic film about money, power and wealth, the question is what is worth more: your bank balance or your roots.

7.1/10

Enigmatic Dutch crime lord Mirko is always a step ahead of the national police team. When Mirko's gang are forced to kill Russian mob baron Jegor's cousin Oleg, the cops hope their time has come. Both sides resort to dirty tricks, testing loyalties and using the antagonists' daughters and independent pimp Aziz for blackmail, which makes several bloody victims.

6.7/10

Jeanet, an insecure middle-aged woman, discovers one day that rabbit ears are growing out of her head. Shocked and confused, she rushes to the doctor to get rid of her ailment. But the doctor turns out to be a poor listener. Jeanets relatives seem to have attention for her. Jeanet thinks she is on her own until she knocks on her husband's door.

6.9/10

Waldemar Nods, a young man from Suriname, meets the older Dutch woman Rika van der Lans and they fall in love. In pre-WWII Netherlands they could not be more different. The one black, the other white, 17 years between them and on top of that Rika already has four children with another man. They love each other, but then Rika appears to be pregnant.

6.4/10

Johnny Bingo is the story of a man, no hero, no villain, just an ordinary man, who tries to fight his way out of the suffocating world of Bingo, where addiction, lust, loneliness and even love turn out to be formidable adversaries.

6.9/10

A young man finds a sexy tilting pen with a living girl inside. They fall in love, but is their love strong enough to conquer the temptations of the outside world?

6.6/10

When Camiel, a gay dentist, and Simon, a carefree café owner, collide in a traffic accident their lives become intrinsically entangled. When they bump into each other 14 years later, Simon is severely ill. Camiel experiences at close range how Simon and those around him come to terms with his illness. The strength and humour that Simon shows during this time leave a lasting impression on Camiel.

7.9/10
6.7%

From different time perspectives, Sloophamer tells the story of 55-year-old Dirk, who one Friday afternoon returns to his house in the pleasant street where he leads a happy life. He is proud of the house he has converted into a snug little palace with his own hands. But then, suddenly, a wrecker's ball knocks a gaping hole into the outside wall. Dirk's wife quickly explains that the house is going to be demolished, but the bull-headed Dirk refuses to vacate the place. Still, the overseer of the demolition team wants to finish the job before the weekend. To 'smoke out' the couple, he makes their situation increasingly dire. Water, gas and electricity are cut off and the anti-riot squad is even on standby. While Dirk is cheered as a hero by sympathisers, the overseer decides to go upstairs and terminate the predicament. There, he finds a different man than he had imagined. It slowly becomes clear that Dirk is out of touch with reality.

7.7/10

The Iranian refugee Amir finds two golden retrievers while jogging on the beach. They have slipped their leash in the hands of Marijke, a middle-aged woman who takes out her daughter Emma's dogs every day and does her housekeeping. Marijke is not capable of keeping her selfish daughter in line and has no authority over the dogs. Amir wants to help her. When Emma hears she has subcontracted the dogs to a refugee, mother and daughter come into conflict. Emma looks for a replacement, but is eventually forced to ask Amir. When they meet, they get on at once, until his residence permit runs out.

6/10