After an amazing ‘career’ as a film, DIRTY GOD, the opening film of IFFR (International Film Festival Rotterdam), and being the first Dutch film ever to be selected to the main competition of Sundance. Sacha Polak’s first English feature is on the race for the European Film Awards and the Golden Calves (aka the Dutch Oscars)!! Anticipating this award season, we are honoured to welcome as our SPECIAL GUEST this session, powerhouse director SACHA POLAK.

MORE ABOUT SACHA

SACHA POLAK (1982) is an award winning director and writer HEMEL, 2011, her first feature length film, received raving reviews both in her home country the Netherlands and internationally. HEMEl got selected for the Berlinale, FORUM 2012, and won the International Federation of Film Critics Award (FIPRESCI Award).

Two years later she finished her first documentary, NEW BOOBS (2013), a personal document in which Sacha explores the choices she has to make as a carrier of the BRCA1 gene. Again, her work gets selected for several festivals.

Her second feature film ZURICH premiered at Berlinale 2015 and won another award: this time the International Confederation of Art Cinema Award (C.I.C.E.A award), which is the jury award for Best Film of in the FORUM competition.

Sacha's first English language feature DIRTY GOD (2019), which she directed and co-wrote, is the first Dutch film ever to have been selected for the Sundance main competition and it was the opening film of IFFR.

DIRTY GOD is about a young single mother, Jade (VICKY KNIGHT) who has to resume her life after a tragic accident. A portrait of a strong woman and her struggle between her outer beauty and her inner dignity.

In our OFFICIAL SELECTION, you can watch and meet the teams of:

NEST

Directed by Liza Koifman | 15:52 | Live-Action | PREMIERE

After her parents passed, Janna took over the family farm where she lives with her disabled brother. The daily care for her brother takes a toll on Janna. Watching her peers moving on in life and building relationships makes the situation even more unbearable. Will she ever be able to leave her nest?

THE OCCUPANT

Directed by Hugo Keijzer | 09:05 | Live-Action | PREMIERE

Unbeknownst to the public, a covert military operation has mastered the ability to lure alien objects, in an attempt to immobilise and capture them. When a new target takes the bait, drone operator sergeant Galkina is put in a difficult situation where she needs to decide what is real and what is not.