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The sixties and seventies

The arrival of the film academy dramatically changes the Dutch film landscape. Parallel to this is the rise of the "Vrije Circuit", with its own screening venues for small, independent and experimental films.

Dutch film history: the sixties and seventies

Left to right: Samuel Meyering, Rem Koolhaas, Frans Bromet, René Daalder en Jan de Bont.

Samuel Meyering, Rem Koolhaas, Frans Bromet, René Daalder, Jan de Bont.
(c) Frans Bromet

Dutch Film Academy

In its first few months, the academy offered only two subjects: ‘Film trade’ and ‘screenplay writing and script technique’.

Set photo of Als twee druppels water (NL, Fons Rademakers, 1963)

Good or Bad: WWII in Dutch Feature Films

In De overval (1962), the roles are still clear: resistance fighters, collaborators, Germans - they conform to the existing clichés. But in subsequent films that changes.

Kees Brusse and Rob de Vries in De overval (NL, Paul Rotha, 1962).

Kees Brusse: Underacting Does It

Brusse’s acting was ‘small’ and modest. It was at odds with the bombastic tradition prevalent at the time in which pompous actors loftily and loudly declaimed their lines.

Still from Retour d'enfance (NL, Mattijn Seip, 1970).

Still from Retour d'enfance (NL, Mattijn Seip, 1970).

What is Experimental Film?

Experimental films have always formed the vanguard that goes on to determine the mainstream.

Still from A Sunday on the Island of the Grande Jatte (NL, Frans Weisz, 1965)

De korte fictiefilm in de jaren zestig

In the 1946 state budget, for the first time, a sum was set aside for short films.

Editorial meeting of Skrien.

Skoop and Skrien: A New Wind

Two new film magazines appeared on the market in the 1960s: Skoop in 1963 and Skrien in 1968. Both were founded by students of the Dutch Film Academy.

Wim Verstappen (left) and Pim de la Parra on set; Drop out (NL, Wim Verstappen, 1969)

Pim & Wim: Scorpio Films

Verstappen and De la Parra both probably felt themselves to be outsiders; both of them had moved to the Netherlands just prior to attending the academy.

Poster for Blue movie (NL/DE, Wim Verstappen, 1971).

Turks fruit en het succes van de Nederlandse speelfilm

In 1971, Paul Verhoeven's debut film Wat zien ik? was released and Pim and Wim signed on for Blue Movie. These films marked the breakthrough of Dutch film in cinemas.

Poster for the Dag van de korte film ('Day of the short film'), held on October 5, 1975.

Poster for the Dag van de korte film ('Day of the short film'), held on October 5, 1975.

Day of the Short Film - The Hague, October 5, 1975

This 'Short Film Day' was organised on the initiative of the Government Information Service (RVD), which operated a large film library of short films.

Set photo from Een ochtend van zes weken (NL, Nikolai van der Heyde, 1966)

Unfulfilled Promises

By the mid-1960s a fresh wind was blowing through the Dutch film world, and its future looked promising.

Matthijs van Heijningen, filmstill from Op de fiets naar Hollywood (NL, Robbe De Hert, Willem Thijssen, 1993).

Matthijs van Heijningen

Matthijs van Heijningen is without a doubt one of the most influential feature film producers in the Netherlands.

Photo from Mariken van Nieumeghen (NL, Jos Stelling, 1974).

Mariken van Nieumeghen (NL, Jos Stelling, 1974).

Jos Stelling

With his film Mariken van Nieumeghen, filmmaker Jos Stelling raised Dutch guerrilla film to a new level.

Still from Oom Ferdinand en de toverdrank (NL, Karst van der Meulen, 1974)

Children’s Films in the 1970s and 1980s: Kids Grow Up

In the early 1970s, children’s films started to change. The world was no longer portrayed as an idyll or a fantasy world, but a place in which everyday reality played a major role.

Poster for arthouse cinema ‘t Hoogt (1973-2018), July 2003.

Poster for arthouse cinema ‘t Hoogt (1973-2018), July 2003.

’t Hoogt

The first arthouse cinema in the Netherlands was ‘t Hoogt in Utrecht.

Still from There's a Garden in my Head (1987), Jacques Verbeek & Karin Wiertz.
Still from There's a Garden in my Head (1987), Jacques Verbeek & Karin Wiertz.

Jacques Verbeek and Karin Wiertz: animated artwork

The filmmaker duo Jacques Verbeek and Karin Wiertz, active in the 1970s and 1980s, became known for their ingenious animated films.