The Movies that Matter Festival has announced its entire programme for its 15th edition, which will take place from March 24th to April 1st in The Hague and other cities throughout the Netherlands. Over 90 films will be presented, including 14 world premieres and 29 Dutch premieres. The festival’s opening film is Waves of War (dir. Daan van Citters), a documentary tracing the paths of two men’s grandfathers during the Indonesian Independence War. The festival will feature two international competitions, three thematic competitions, a Shorts Competition, and the Students’ Choice. This year, the festival will focus on Iran and its cinema, inviting three Iranian filmmakers as prominent guests. The Iranian programme includes of A Separation (Asghar Farhadi, 2011), Taxi Teheran (Jafar Panahi, 2015) en Persepolis (Vincent Paronnaud, Marjane Satrapi, 2007), as well as guests in attendance: Nafiss Nia, Maryam Ebrahimi and Ali Asgari. In addition, the festival will screen films in the Iranian Classics program, paying tribute to Iranian cinema.
The Movies that Matter Industry Days will take place during the festival, with masterclasses, industry talks, and training programs for filmmakers. The Rough Cut Service will also take place, with eight projects participating. The festival will conclude with the Cinema without Borders networking program. The festival’s Specials include a double feature of the shorts La Última Ascensiòn, and We Are All Equal in collaboration with Black Achievement Month and the Slavery Memorial Year in the Netherlands. The festival offers a platform for filmmakers to tell stories about human rights violations and inspire audiences to take action.
Find more information on the complete 2023 Movies that Matter programme – HERE
