Nils Verkooijen

During tender years, a companion can guide you through awkward moments when the heart rules the head, or be a partner in crime in the face of danger. Follow these young men through the highs and lows of early learning, when all around us is new, and peer pressure is at its most pervasive. The 6 short films are: It Was Dark [Il faisait noir] (2015); Suspendu (2015); Keep Going (2016); Headbutt (2017); Out of the Blue [Ud af det blå] (2016); Mars Colony (2020).

When two boys steal a television presenters camera, she exaggerates the events to get her money back from her insurance.

A fatally-timed invasion of privacy forces two male roommates to an all-too-intimate heart-to-heart.

An adaptation of Doblin's text to 2015 Berlin to tell the story of 30-year-old refugee Francis, the sole survivor of a boat which crossed the Mediterranean illegally. Without citizenship papers, Francis is drawn into the underbelly of the city.

6.9/10
2%

The story of a Dutch-Moroccan boy who has to survive at an elite music academy in posh Amsterdam South, while his brother is in prison.

6.7/10

Alcoholic and low budget stuntman Ron Goossens has to get The Netherlands' most successful actrice between the sheets in order to save his own marriage. Will he succeed? A new outrageous comedy from the writers/directors of New Kids Turbo, New Kids Nitro and Bros Before Hos.

6.1/10

The story of a loving man and father who falls under the influence of an extremely orthodox Protestant sect. He sacrifices everything and everyone to this faith, including his business and the respect of his younger son. However, he never loses the love of his wife.

5.8/10

When the young republic of The Netherlands is attacked by England, France and Germany and faces its own civil war no less, only one man, Michael de Ruyter, can lead the county's strongest weapon, the Dutch fleet.

7/10

Maarten is just a normal 16 year old boy. After school he likes to hang out in the park with his friends, listen to music, game with his best friend Stefan and go to the dance school as often as possible. His favourite dance partner is Roxanne. No one, especially Roxanne, can know that Maarten is chronically ill. He has a serious metabolic disease and is not likely to grow old. Despite of his disease and worried parents, Maarten wants to live life to the fullest. When his body betrays him more often than not, he starts to realise that he may have to give up dancing.

5.9/10

Tuur and Lambert are best friends. But the war is closing in and is about to change their lives forever. Tuurs dad joined the resistance and even his big brother seems so be part of it. Lamberts family on the other hand choose to obey the Germans. Then a new girls from the city shows up, befriending the boys but telling her secret to only one of them. A choice that separates the boys and ultimately gets her in trouble.

7.1/10

Sanne (Hanna Obbeek) loves stories about ghosts and other mysterious things. Her father Lucas, is a famous ghost hunter. During a holiday Lucas is asked to chase ghosts of the former cruise ship 'Rotterdam'. Sanne is very happy to hear she and her little brother Thomas can come along. On the ship she meets ghost Bobby (Nils Verkooijen), a boy of her age, who has been wandering the ship since the sixties. Sanne decides to help Bobby.

5.7/10

A David's classmate, Jochem, is harassed by three bullies, but nobody does anything at school, not even David, who feels guilty for not pointing out the culprits.

7.1/10

In this road movie, mediator Bram drives his elderly father, Kees, to a German village - assured that he wants to pay a visit to an old friend. Once they arrive, Bram discovers the true goal of the trip.

7.4/10

Adaptation of one of Benelux most famous children's novels. Tough prime school girl Akkie loves soccer and can be a real bully. Love is the only thing she's scared of. When Akkie is diagnosed with Leukemia, she has to fight for her life. On the verge of going to high school, Akkie has to allow love to enter her life, and thus gain courage to accept the inevitable.

7.5/10

Eleven-year-old Eva is upset by the many rows between her parents and decides to run away. She wants to hide at her best friends Jackie and Thomas’ house, but circumstances bring her to her mysterious neighbour’s garden. She finds a secret letter there, which tells her the man is a king pin in a criminal organisation. And he is not exactly happy with Eva’s unannounced visit. To convince her of the importance of secrecy, he reveals that Eva’s dad is also involved in his illegal affairs. Eva hesitates: is her father who he claims to be? From that moment on, the enterprising girl does her utmost to exonerate her father from being involved. A period dawns in which Eva discovers that grownups also lead their own lives. She wants to ask questions, but at the same time she is afraid of the answers.

6.3/10

During his holiday, ten-year-old Joshua saunters around by the IJsselmeer and meets the tough boy Mick, who is a little older. The latter only wants to become friends if Joshua climbs the forbidden lighthouse. But Joshua lacks the courage. When a third boy arrives, they fool him into believing that Joshua did stand the test. So now it is the newcomer's turn. But then something terrible happens and Joshua does not dare tell his parents.

7.5/10

'Revenge is a dish best served cold', the saying goes. In this morbid tragedy, in which everything revolves around the interior and exterior of man, not a word is said. A little boy gets a slice of sausage from that sweet blonde butcher's wife, whom he, in his exploratory innocence, disgraces in front of the callous clientele. The Roald Dahl-like aftermath is extremely delectable. 'May she live on in all of us.'

4.1/10

There is only one thing Winky wants: a horse, a real horse to ride. But horses are expensive. Fortunately it is the season of Sinterklaas; Winky just asks Sinterklaas for a horse. Than everything will work out alright. Or will it?

7/10

A young boy and his young sister are playing on a rubbish dump, acting out their parents' divorce. For this they use their father's things which their mother brought to the dumping ground out of anger. The girl only wants to use their fathers things, but the boy finds something that he finds much more interesting.

6.6/10