D2D Media

After family business Wintercircus Royal went bankrupt, Tonie does his best to make a fresh start. He wants to do better than his father, retired circus director Joop. But Joop can't quite let go of either the circus or his son. Caught in a love-hate relationship, father and son work towards opening night. This debut is an intimate documentary portrait of a son searching for his father's validation, while having already outgrown him.

In the Zeeland coastal village of Cadzand, tourism provides year-round employment and vibrancy. At the same time, permanent residents are disappearing, and housing is becoming unaffordable. Clubs are shrinking, amenities are under pressure, and the fire department is facing a shortage of volunteers. The coast is being filled with expensive apartment complexes for tourists, while young people are struggling to find affordable housing. Economic growth is clashing with social cohesion and nature. How do residents of a Zeeland coastal village combat the financial pressures when their village is overrun by tourists and white facades with red roofs dominate nature reserves?

Griendtsveen, a picturesque village in the Peel on the border between Limburg and Brabant, is in danger of losing its primary school De Driehoek. The school, which has been the beating heart of the village for years, is about to close its doors. Documentary maker Ellis Smulders follows the teachers and parents who are determined to keep their school, if necessary by forming the school board themselves. Will they succeed in preserving the core of the close-knit village community, and thus the soul of the village?