Selfmade Films

Like his Swiss half-sister Jasmin, Dutch filmmaker Alex Pitstra is the child of a European mother and a Tunisian playboy father. The majority of their lives their father was absent, but after more than twenty years Alex invites Jasmin to travel to Tunisia with him. They want to reconnect with their Tunisian roots and find out how their father and his family relate to the 'bezness' phenomenon of North-African men roaming beaches and hotels, trying to seduce western women.

An elegiac documentary following virtuosic clarinettist and composer Kinan Azmeh, a Damascus-born musician living in exile, as he attempts to find meaning and purpose after the outbreak of war in Syria. A profound exploration of the role art can play in forging identity and community.

In Justiça, Maria Ramos puts a camera where many Brazilians have never been – a criminal courtroom in Rio de Janeiro, following the daily routine of several characters. There are those that work there every day (public attorneys, judges, and prosecutors) and those that are merely passing through (the accused).

Writer Anil Ramdas left the Netherlands in bewilderment with his self-chosen death in 2012. Even his closest friends didn't see his abrupt end coming. How did it come to this? This documentary explores his life, work and ideas.

Twenty years after Allard brought back the relationship with his mother to a minimum, the police calls him. They found her in a completely dishevelled house where she can no longer take care of herself. He decides not to abandon her in this state and takes responsibility for her care. Eventually, she ends up in a closed psychiatric ward. In this documentary, she blames her son for everything and wants him to behave like a good son.

'El sonido del bandoneon' is a documentary film about the instrument that is most associated with passion: the bandoneon. The film is a search for the soul and special sound of this magical instrument that is so inextricably linked to Argentina and its most famous musical expression, the tango.The story of the bandoneon now seems to be headed for a dramatic ending. The old bandoneons from the beginning of the 20th century break down or are bought by collectors, and new bandoneons are made only in very small quantities. These new bandoneons lack the quality and special sound of the German originals and are expensive. So there are fewer bandoneons around, the once so popular instrument is played by fewer musicians, ad the bandoneon is in very real danger of disappearing altogether.

Peter Delpeut, regular dramaturge of dance troupe LeineRoebana, this time enters the studio as a filmmaker. The result: a cinematographic choreography of close-ups and expressions in the intimacy of the rehearsal room.

Party agency The Amazing Agency is a new phenomenon in Amsterdam nightlife. This mysterious group turns every average party into an amazing party. Key figure of this group of gender bending people is Robbie Baauw. Robbie dreams of a world where everyone can be who he/she want to be. He is extremely passionate about his work and the people around him. He works very hard to make the Agency a big success, but sometimes forgets to take care of himself. When his medical situation is getting worse, he’s forced to balance between his life in Amsterdam and the small town he grew up in. A place wherepeople feel weird when behaving normally. Will Robbie manage to combine these two very different worlds?

Tobias used to be a successful cellist. Following heart failure in 1997, his life took a dramatic turn. He was pronounced clinically dead and brought back to life with jolts of electricity. He was in a coma for several weeks and, when he woke up, he turned out to be physically and mentally handicapped. In this way, at the age of 39, Tobias found himself in a wheelchair and was no longer able to talk as a result of his brain damage. From that moment on, playing the cello was a thing of the past.