NFF Conference 2024 - Strengthening Dutch film with cooperation and trust

The biggest surprise at the Netherlands Film Festival Conference was (for me at least) mixed media artist Luna Maurer with Emoticons Don't Have Wrinkles. Nominated for best Digital Culture Production, but this aside.

A performance with special camera helmet and emoticon-makeup through which she pleads with pleasure and passion to introduce friction and discomfort. This as a resistance against the user-friendliness of the techno-world that packs us in on all sides. Friction and collision that does not lead to enmity, but rather makes us feel that we live together. Friction as a source of creativity. And that's what we do it for, after all.

A perfect start to the afternoon session Without friction no shine. After taking off the helmet, Maurer joined Michael Middelkoop (director of Trauma Porn Club) and Morgan Knibbe (Those Who Feel the Fire Burning). A conversation about making urgent films that can cause discomfort. In particular, Knibbe sees film as a form of activism. He is now working on a documentary about the Olympics that shows the less pretty sides.

The Olsberg report

With that, Without friction no shine is still a part with modest challenge, after a morning session that I felt was more solid than stimulating. Even though Kevin Osepa (Golden Calf 2022 for his short film La última ascensión) had kicked things off with a nice personal keynote. With the appeal: let go of that Dutch sobriety for a moment.

On the NFF website, the announcement for the day was still quite combative. 'Where does the industry stand a year after the publication of the Olsberg report? What are the key first steps we can take after the Film Debate in December 2023? What can the industry do to unite from positive power?'

As a reminder, I will sum up super briefly what caused a stir last year. First of all, these were the results of the study carried out by research firm Olsberg SPI, which confirmed that Dutch film makes little impression abroad. Although we produce many more films than, say, Denmark, we hardly see Dutch titles in the main competition of the big four festivals. Unlike the Danes.

More or less consecutively, in December, the av sector addressed the quality and reach of Dutch feature films. I note some keywords from the action points and recommendations: more space, time and resources to develop a film; cooperation and trust; better marketing, good relations with festivals; stricter Film Fund, more money for fewer titles; be authentic.

Fair pay and fair practice

Yet at the first session of the current NFF conference, it was mainly Dutch sobriety that showed itself. A presentation of the work done, relatively invisible to many outsiders, by the Ketentafel Film en AV productions over the past two years. And so had already started when Olsberg came out with that report. A working group of some 20 representatives from the film sector tasked with developing practical tools for improving working conditions in film and AV productions. Say: fair pay and fair practice. Which is broader than classic collective bargaining. The fact that budgets have to be increased as a result is just in time. Under the previous government, the Film Fund received an extra 6 million for this purpose.

The concepts of cooperation, transparency and trust, highlighted at this conference, were important at the Chain Table. An initial practice manual is now available, but the work is not yet finished.

Good that this is being addressed, also because the Netherlands appeared to be clearly lagging behind the rest of Europe in this respect. But is fair pay enough to produce original and challenging films?

The hunt for Meral Ö

It was therefore nice, almost as a contrast, to see a case-study of The Hunt for Meral Ö afterward. The already acclaimed feature film following the allowance scandal, and now nominated for a Golden Calf. And, rather exceptionally for such a film, thanks to the efforts of distributor Paradiso, can be seen in 81 film houses and cinemas. Producer Derk-Jan Warren (Kepler Film), director Stijn Bouma and Edgar Daarnhouwer (distributor Paradiso) looked back on the making of the film. This had less to do with fair pay than with the fact that years ago Bouma felt he absolutely had to make a film about it. And that the producer, whom he had known for some time, urged him to start filming immediately, even though it was not yet financially settled. That became the documentary Alone Against the State. And then came The Hunt for Meral Ö.

In doing so, Bouma said he mostly goes by his intuition. "I don't look for self-expression, but stories that touch me," he said. A great example that shows that trust and cooperation, in this case between producer and filmmaker, are important. This was also reflected in the Producing change session, where we were able to meet Sébastien Onomo. A French producer of documentaries, animation and feature films and especially aims at current topics that have impact. Like the poignant Belgian-French-Congolese drama Augure.

Heart cries

But, noting that I did not attend all of the conference, this year anyway relatively little that you can see as a direct follow-up to the heartfelt cries around the Olsberg report. There is, of course, no need to. Primarily because, as Derk-Jan Warren points out when I ask him about it, we shouldn't be blinded by it. There is more than just the Cannes, Berlin, Venice and Sundance competitions. We feature a lot at other festivals, and our documentaries, animations and youth films are well known internationally. Indeed, Fox and Hare Save the Forest has been sold to more than 50 countries. Krazy House generated a lot of reactions at Sundance (not in competition), and Alpha was best film of the Giornati degli autori section in Venice. Just a few examples.

Secondly, it is of course a matter of long term, that process that should make Dutch film gain new charisma and impact.

Not insignificant are the priorities in the Film Fund's 2025-2028 policy plan. Including an emphasis on quality, i.e. supporting fewer films with more money. Giving creators' creative process more peace and space. Increasing visibility at home and abroad and room for experimentation.

No doubt we are going to see something of this.