Directing
Amsterdam, 1970s. A wealthy grammar school student Klaas and his friend start trafficking hash and become entangled in the brutal criminal scene.
Dutch filmmakers gathered to make this compilation movie, consisting of 17 segments, as a reaction to the status quo in The Netherlands after the assassination of filmmaker Theo van Gogh on november 2, 2004.
Constant Wegman (Benja Bruijning), a 14 year old boy, raised by his grandmother (Carry Tefsen) in Zeedijk, Amsterdam. She is the owner of a cafe-hotel “De Rode Laars” (“The Red Boots”). The dreaming Constant runs away from this world of drunkards, gamblers, fighters by writing poems. His grandmother wants him to take control of the cafe. Then Constant secretly subscribes to a national poem writing competition: a new Vondel is born!
The film follows two colourful labour brokers, young Toon and old Toon. They speak candidly about their dubious practices and come across as surprisingly likeable. Yes, they profit from exploiting workers — but those workers are often more than willing to go along with the system. Ultimately, De koppelbazen asks who is truly responsible for these questionable practices.
Documentary by Gerrard Verhage about five (ex-)communists and the influence their political convictions have had on their lives
1950: a fatherless family lives in a frighteningly large house somewhere in Amsterdam-Zuid. The family consists of mother Zijdeveld, her 35-year-old son Charles, and her daughter Regina, who is two years younger. Then there is Jozef, the cousin who lives with them and has ambitions to become a writer. The relationship between mother Zijdeveld and Charles is not only special, but also very oppressive and artificial. Trapped in a world of books and literary quotations, mother Zijdeveld does not allow anyone to come between her and Charles. But then Charles announces that he wants to marry Mary, the pharmacist's widow who is suspected of murder...
Edward Schneider is asked to sing the St Matthew Passion in Amsterdam's Concertgebouw. This is a great opportunity for him to avenge the eternal mockery to which he is subjected. However what no one sees is that the is having trouble with himself. He is not able to come to terms with the music of Bach and sing it credibly. Then there is Schneider's prostitute, Miriam. While she despises her client, she is also financially dependent on him. Miriam is also at a turning point in her life through her battles with her daughter, who does not have much respect for her mother's profession.
A short feature film about the last days in the life of the Groningen printer and typographer Hendrik Nicolaas Werkman, who was arrested by the German Sicherheitsdienst in the spring of 1945 and executed. His work is prominently featured in the film, which uses flashbacks to portray Werkman's personal and artistic life.
