Our closing guest this season is GIJS NABER!

Gijs is one of Holland’s most talented actors. He plays very diverse roles in films such as THE HEINEKEN KIDNAPPING, MAJESTEIT, VREEMD BLOED, LOFT and LANG EN GELUKKIG. In 2014 his work was awarded with the Gouden Kalf and the Angela Award for Best Actor for his role in the film AANMODDERFAKKER.

In 2017 Gijs has the lead role in HET VERLANGEN, DE VAL and OH BABY. TULIPANI, LOVE HONOUR AND A BIKE premiered at Toronto International Film Festival and was the opening film at NFF. Gijs also played in the hit Tv series PENOZA.

Gijs just finished shooting REDBAD, Roel Reiné’s historic, action-packed epic about the rise of Christianity and the sagas and ancient legends surrounding King Redbad.

In 2018 MY FOOLISH HEART will be released, a film about the last day of legendary jazz trumpeter Chet Baker.

In our Official Selection:

LABOR
Nils Vleugels | Fiction | 13:43

Willem is on the verge of becoming a father: his girlfriend’s contractions have started. When the irreversibility of his baby’s arrival dawns on him, Willem is besieged by a feeling of uselessness and acute fear of fatherhood 

SKOGAFOSS
Niels Bourgonje | Fiction | 10:43

While on vacation with his girlfriend, Gijs receives a phone call from his mother, that reveals her troubled mental state and their complex relationship.

NOVEMBER WINNER: Screening and Announcement of our JURY TEAM favourite movie in NOVEMBER.

(this is compact session: the session stars at 20:00 and ends at 22:00 (at the very latest). There is no break, all the networking & 'business cards' swapping' will be after ;) ) 

Superstar father and son duo: FRANS & GÉZA WEISZ will join us to talk about their upcoming movie 'Het Leven Is Vurrukkulluk' to be released in January next year. This is the first time they have worked together, so we bet there are a lot of stories to share. We've also heard WILLEKE VAN AMMELROOY (who also plays in this movie) will pass by to make some questions to Frans and Géza ;)

In our Official Selection:

EVERYTHING IS ENDLESSLY (COMPLEX)
Maarten Valstar, Cas Mulder | Fiction | 14:04 ***** PREMIERE

Everything seems endless when you’re recovering from a relationship. He is lost and she moves on. But tables turn quite quickly when you’re lost in translation in modern-day communication.

PENSIONADO
Shariff Nasr | Fiction | 7:22

After 29 years on the assembly line, Peter is ready for retirement. 
A film about the art of saying goodbye.

Everything you've always wanted to ask a talent agent, you can ask this session to VANESSA HENNEMAN. Vanessa is the founder of Henneman Agency, one of the leading talent agency’s in The Netherlands, representing over 150 prominent actors, writers, directors and composers.  Vanessa Henneman also initiated a new company in collaboration with two other European agencies: The European Talent Network (ETN).

In our Official Selection:

NETFLIX & CHILL
Michael Middelkoop | Fiction | 06:46

After months of flirting and texting, a young man finally gets the message he's been waiting for: the girl of his dreams invites him over. Her parents are gone for the weekend and she's ready for a romantic night. Then as the night progresses, one guy hoping to get lucky finds out that there's more at stake than his virginity. 

#TAGGED
Martijn Winkler | Fiction | 12:10

A short film about the sweet intimacy and destructive power of social media - told from the point of view of a smartphone.

Film composer FONS MERKIES has worked with directors such as rockstar Danish director Thomas Vinterberg (The Commune), Paul Verhoeven, Paula van der Oest, Martin Koolhoven, Ben Sombogaart and so many others since his credits' list includes more than 140 titles! 

In our Official Selection:

EIN PROST
Noël Loozen | Experimental | 3:00 ***** PREMIERE

A musical celebration of transience.

THE DAY I KILLED GOD
Wessel van Wanrooij | Fiction | 3:36 ***** PREMIERE

After an ardent hunter accidentally shoots a man out of the sky, the frightening thought of having killed God occurs on his mind.

OCTOBER WINNER: Screening and Announcement of our JURY TEAM favourite movie in OCTOBER.

Like a fresh splash of... blood! The one and only Mr. Horror (aka JAN DOENSE) will join us and bring all his unique style to a terrific session with Horror movies. Mr. Horror also invited producers HERMAN SLAGTER and SAN FU MALTHA to talk about the brand new 'Genre Film Lobby Group', which aims to find financing for a slate of low-budget genre movies. They are also planning to launch a VOD portal where they will present only Dutch short horror and other genre movies.

In our Official Selection:

SALVATORE
Maarten Groen | Fiction | 11:40

The Italian Salvatore Luciano spends his last days in a Dutch retirement home. He has a laborious relationship with the caretaker Stefan, who scoffs and tramples him. But Salvatore's revenge is sweet. For one last time, he revisits his Mafia past.

SWEET TOOTH
Nico van den Brink | Fiction | 4:55

Elin's upstairs neighbours are getting on her nerves.

BARRY ATSMA is coming to Shortcutz! Yes, it's true! Barry is one of the most sought-after Dutch leading men. His curriculum includes titles such as 'Hector and the Search for Happiness', 'HHhH', 'Hitman’s Bodyguard', 'Knielen op een bed violen', 'Lucia de B.', 'Loft', 'Mannenharten I & II', 'Michiel de Ruyter', 'Ik omhels je met duizend armen', 'Kenau, and many many others more. 

In our Official Selection:

BETWEEN US AND I
Hortense Lauras | Documentary | 11:00

In the heights above Bethlehem, a 92-year-old nun reminisces about the moments she has been given in life. In the tumult of Amsterdam, a young woman is looking for a direction to give her life. Three generations, believes and values keep Marie-Paule and Maya apart. And yet, their paths will cross in a quest they share: a journey to silence and loneliness; a void that gives way to wonder.

CROSS THE BRIDGE
Marc Eikelenboom | Fiction | 2:00

A lonely Bridgekeeper sees a beautiful lady passing by every day at the same time. She got a big impact on his daily routine. 

Retribution is coming back! Superstar director MARTIN KOOLHOVEN, who just saw his movie BRIMSTONE achieve the historical winning of 6 Golden Calves (aka Dutch Oscar) including Best Film and Best Director, will return to Shortcutz! This will probably be one of Martin's last interviews over Brimstone and we also want to make sure we won't have to wait another 8 years to see another movie from him.

In our Official Selection:

A MAN FALLS FROM THE SKY
Kurt Platvoet & Jan Verdijk | Fiction | 8:45

Ton and Ineke Korrel enjoy their warm afternoon soup when a man crashes down from the sky, in their garden. 
Ton sees a dangerous species lying in his garden, Ineke wants to help. The situation escalates. The couple will soon find out who their other half really is. Hopefully, before it's too late.

I AM FAMOUS
Ismaël Lotz | Documentary | 15:00 ***** PREMIERE

Actor, comedian, and artist Tom Wilson became famous for his role as Biff Tannen in the Back to the Future trilogy. And after so many years he is still remembered by that fact.

Oscar-nominee PAULA VAN DER OEST will join us few days before the release of her upcoming movie KLEINE IJSTIJD. KLEINE IJSTIJD will have hit Dutch cinemas on October 19th and will have its international premiere at Chicago  Chicago International Film Festival.

In our Official Selection:

CREDO
Maurice de Bruijne| Fiction | 7:30

The old, lonely Otto has been praying and waiting for an answer his whole life. When a heavenly light flashes past his house, he uses what little energy he has left to follow it. 

SCRAMBLED
Bastiaan Schravendeel | Animation | 7:00

When 19-year old Esra misses her train and kills time playing a fast-paced, flashy game on her smartphone, a vintage Rubik’s Cube challenges her attention.

SEPTEMBER WINNER: Screening and Announcement of our JURY TEAM favourite movie in SEPTEMBER.

The student Oscar-winning team of 'Grijs is ook een Kleur' will TAKEOVER our session. Get ready to meet: MARIT WEERHEIJM (director), SAAR PONSIOEN (screenwriter), LOES KOMEN & EVA VERWEIJ (producers), MARTIJN MELIS  (cinematographer), ESRA GHILANE (production designer) and FATIH TURA (editor).

GRIJS IS OOK EEN KLEUR / WHEN GREY IS A COLOUR

Is life worth living if all your days are grey? The young Cato is confronted with her elder brother who comes back to live at home after a suicide attempt. Cato tries to get closer to her brother, but he doesn’t allow her to. When she doesn’t know what to do anymore, she unexpectedly meets a strange man with large, white fake wings.

In our Official Selection:

THE PAIN BODY
Gerson Oratmangoen | Fiction | 11:43

The Pain Body is a short narrative window where we follow the lives of three youngsters who seem to be connected to each other in some way, with a brutal head-kick incident as apotheosis. 

TURN IT AROUND
Niels Bourgonje | Fiction | 9:20

Bram is a very popular guy at school. He has a tight group of friends and enough pretty girls that fall for his good looks. There is only one problem: no one knows that Bram is actually gay. At a party, Bram is the man of the hour and draws the attention of many pretty girls. But he has no interest in them. He has fallen hopelessly in love with the pretty boy on the dance floor. Love at first sight. As the evening progresses and the tension rises between the two boys, Bram realizes that he has to make a choice. When a game of spin the bottle starts, he decides to twist the fate of the evening, and maybe his whole life.

*** This session is SOLD OUT

You do not have to be young to start your film career but these folks seem to have it all! They are driven, focused, creative, (super) young and they have their own cool voice. It's impossible not be fascinated by them because they all also are interesting as hell! Join us at Nederlands Film Festival and let's just soak all this 'freshness' in.

With the special guests:

FLOOR VAN DER MEULEN director (9 Days From My Window In Aleppo, Greetings From Aleppo)

ISABEL LAMBERTI director | screenwriter (Amor, Volando voy)

JONAS SMULDERS actor | screenwriter | director (Geen koningen in ons bloed, Broers)

MARIT WEERHEIJM director ( Grijs is ook een kleur, Vandaag)

SHADY EL-HAMUS director | screenwriter (Fairuz, Magnesium - writer)

+ Screening of the short films:

GREETINGS FROM ALEPPO directed by Floor van der Meulen & Thomas Vroege
PENSIONADO directed by Shariff Nasr, starring Sigrid ten Napel
AMOR directed by Isabel Lamberti
BESTAAN IS GAAN directed by Shady El-Hamus, written by Jonas Smulders

+ Super cool bonus:

HANNA VERBOOM will join us on stage to introduce a super cool new initiative from CINETREE to beginner filmmakers: Cinetree Creators. Cinetree will also giveaway 60 vouchers!! whoop whoop

Powerhouse HADEWYCH MINIS will join us on September 19th. Best known for movies like Phileine Zegt Sorry, Moordwijven, Zwart Water, Mannenharten, De Helleveeg and Borgman. The latter was nominated for a Palme d’Or. In 2016 Hadewych played in Toni Erdmann, this film was nominated for an Oscar and a Palme d’Or. She also played in the Netflix-series Tokyo Trial and in series like Zwarte Tulp and Hollands Hoop. 

In our Official Selection:

THE IDEAL SON IN LAW
Bodhi Le Belle | Fiction | 08:10 **** PREMIÈRE

The ideal son in law is a black comedy about a 30-year old drug addicted long term student. He is about to meet his girlfriend’s parents for the first time in her student household. But when his girlfriend gets sicker and sicker from a heavy drugs night, his introduction with the ‘in laws’ goes very different than planned. Stuck in his lies, his secrets are getting harder to hide. But his girlfriend appears not to be their daughter after all. His real in laws are yet to arrive…

ROUTINE
Fokke Mars | Animation | 04:35 **** PREMIÈRE

A man that is stuck in his routine tries to escape by dreaming of a world where Giants live as tall as skyscrapers, where trees are upside down and the laws of physics don't apply.

Our stage will host a galaxy of top stars. We will receive a TAKEOVER from one of our favourite TV series HOLLANDS HOOP. DANA NECHUSHTAN (director), FRANKY RIBBENS (writer), MARCEL HENSEMA (playing Fokke), KIM VAN KOOTEN (playing Machteld), BERT POT (cinematographer), MINKA MOOREN (production designer), JP LUIJSTERBURG (editor), RICHT MARTENS (assistant director) and KIM OOMEN (executive producer) will takeover Shortcutz to share all their secrets of their incredible team spirit and of course, some hot stuff from the upcoming season 2.

In our Official Selection:

RUNI
Frank Diemel | Documentary | 7:25 **** PREMIÈRE

Runi brings us to places that are important to him, although a lot has changed. Runi is charming and tells openly about his life, where reality and dreams sometimes meet. 
‘Runi’ is a short poetic documentary about losing what you love and keeping on after that.

DINNER TALES OF AN ASSASSIN
Sean Louw & Wessel van Wanrooij | Fiction | 02:58

A 67-year-old assassin comes home after work. "How was his day?", you might ask. So does his wife.

We will kickstart this season with the stunning actress THEKLA REUTEN. Known (among many other projects) for her roles in films such as In Bruges with Colin Farrell, The American alongside George Clooney and Hotel Lux opposite Bully Herbig. Thekla also made a remarkable portrayal of ‘Lotte’ in the film De Tweeling (Twin Sisters), which was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Academy Awards. Thekla has recently finished filming alongside Jennifer Lawrence, Joel Edgerton and Jeremy Irons on Red Sparrow, to be released on March 2018. 

In our Official Selection:

SHORT BUT SWEET
Junaid Chundrigar | Animation | 2:15

A young hero has to embark on an epic quest to save a princess from an evil villain, all within an absurd short amount of time.

FEMME
Emma Branderhorst | Fiction | 11:22

The Ysbreeker family: mother Jolien (45), father Frank (47) daughter Roos (16) son Teun (14) enjoy their annual holiday on a camping. Teun, a young boy at the onset of his puberty, notices that his mind is changing: his view of women is changing and he can't control his hormones. The camping is the perfect place to explore this. Roos is a young woman in the middle of her puberty and she is more interested in her first camping love than her family. Teun notices that his sister is turning into a woman. How does he react to this? What will he do with his feelings? Does it have any influence on the brother-sister relationship?

In August 2015 BERO BEYER was appointed as general and artistic director of the International Film Festival Rotterdam. Before Bero Beyer worked as an independent producer based in the Netherlands. Through his company Augustus Film (created in 2000) he has produced a number of award-winning films, like RANA’S WEDDING, which premiered in the Semaine de la Critique (Cannes 2002) and the first Palestinian Oscar-nominated feature film PARADISE NOW (2005). In 2008 Bero co-produced the Un Certain Regard selection and Palestinian Oscar submission SALT OF THIS SEA by director Annemarie Jacir, which was sold internationally by Pyramide. From From January 2013 until July 2015 Bero has served a three-year term as Film Consultant for the Dutch Film Fund, with priority field of Arthouse Films and International Co-productions. As such he advised on the script and project development and production of feature films by established directors applying for selective funding from the Netherlands Film Fund’s Screen NL scheme and Minority Co-production programs.

IFFR
International Film Festival Rotterdam focuses on independent and remarkable cinema.
Priding itself on being a supportive platform where both audiences and industry are invited to look ahead. Combining within its organization a festival, a fund (Hubert Bals Fund) and a co-production market (CineMart), IFFR offers a launching pad and supportive platform for innovative and talented filmmakers. 

In our Official Selection:

TOMMYTEEN18
Vincent Fitz-Jim | Fiction | 15:00

Bridging the void between childhood and maturity, 15-year-old Tommy loses himself in his search for male sex. A gay dating app seems to offer the solution.

OFFSIDE
Rick Bazuin | Fiction | 10:00

A young soccer player Danny notices after the death of his mother that his father Wim made some mistakes with paying the bills. there are a lot of unopened envelops and often he forget his classes. Danny's going to investigate what's wrong.

Since 2006, MARDOU JACOBS is the director of NBF, the oldest professional association in the media field in the Netherlands.

Mardou Jacobs, has also been working as independent line producer, producer, for national and international features, tv-series, producer of commercials and corporate films.
She has worked with directors such as: Paul Verhoeven, Paula van der Oest, Dick Maas, Rudolf van den Berg, Frans Weisz, Theo van Gogh among many others.

NBF
The NBF is the Dutch Association of Film and TV professionals and is founded in 1952. It counts around 650 members and it is the oldest professional association in the media field in the Netherlands. The main concern of the NBF is stimulating the social and cultural interests of the Dutch movie- and television production and the professionals concerned.  Another important focus of the association is to stimulate the contact between the members, government and the Dutch society in general. Other important goals of the NBF are the protection of interests of individual professionals and the film and television area in general and providing several services and information about the branch of industry. 

In our Official Selection:

GHOST
Abigail Prade | Fiction | 11:00

Dutch-Chinese goth Li-An (15) is struggling to find her own identity while growing up between two different cultures. During the Christmas holiday, Li-An has to work in her parents’ restaurant, even though she’d rather hang out with her friends. Her parents who immigrated to the Netherlands from China are more traditional and don’t understand their daughter’s love for loud heavy metal music and taste in clothing. Li-An is seen by her family members as a “ghost”, both in the way she presents herself and in the way she interacts (or doesn’t interact) with people. In these circumstances, Li-an awaits the uncertain task of forging her own path in the world

AERTS
Jacob Ossef | Documentary | 04:05

Retired kickboxer, Peter Aerts, still trains with unsurpassed commitment and passion. He simply can not let go of his past. His yearning to re-enter the ring is inescapable and with the everlasting support of his family, he always believes in the impossible. 

SPECIAL: 48 HOUR FILM PROJECT AMSTERDAM AWARDS

After a weekend of intense filmmaking, the filmmakers of the 48 Hour Film Project Amsterdam will celebrate their newest films with a special celebration event. Who will win the best film, best actress, the best actor? All winners of the 48 Hour Amsterdam will be announced at a special Shortcutz Amsterdam event. And of course, we will watch some of those winning films.

After graduating from the Toneelacademie Maastricht, HUUB STAPEL debuted in 1981 in ‘Harold en Maude' with Mary Dresselhuys.
Shortly after he played the lead role in the feature film ‘De Lift’ (directed by Dick Maas). This film became a Dutch film classic and at the time it attracted many visitors to the cinema.
Many roles followed in the box office such as ‘Flodder’, ‘Amsterdamned’, ‘Van God Los’, ‘Smoorverliefd’, ‘Sint, Johan’, ‘De Goede Dood’, ‘Walhalla’ and ‘Hemel op Aarde’. 
He also played Mayor Ed van Thijn in the television drama 'Retour Den Haag' and as Hendrik in the award-winning television series 'De Partizanen'. For this role, Huub received the Golden Calf for Best Actor at the Nederlands Film Festival. 
He also played in dozens of television and cinema films in Germany. On television, he played in the popular TV series ‘Moeder Ik Wil Bij de Revue’, ‘Goedenavond dames en heren’, ‘Zwarte Tulp 1 & 2’ and ‘Flikken Rotterdam’.
As a car enthusiast, Huub hosted on TV the programs ‘Stapel op auto's’ and ‘Stapel op de USA’.
Since 2003 Stapel is again on stage after an eleven years break. At the Nationale Toneel, Huub played in the ‘Democraten’ as the charismatic Willy Brandt. In addition, he played in ‘Mephisto’ alongside Will van Kralingen in ‘Kentering van een Huwelijk’. For his roles in the theater plays ‘Eten met vrienden’ and ‘De Kus’, Huub was nominated for the prestigious Louis d'Or. He also played in ‘De Goede Dood, a play about euthanasia; ‘Sint Helena’ (as Napoleon), ‘God van de Slachting’ the successful solo performance ‘Mannen komen van Mars, Vrouwen van Venus’ and then MV2.
In 2016 he played in the ‘Intouchables’, following the movie. 
At the moment he is touring the Netherlands with his play Pink Pop from theToneelgroep Maastricht.

In Our Official Selection:

PITCH
Mirna Everhard, Ineke van der Hurk | Fiction | 10:00

Anneke (55) and Marian (59), a helpful couple with an idealistic approach to life, are faced with the decision whether or not to give up their beloved holiday home, situated on a camping site they have visited for more than 20 years, for the use of refugees. Contrary to her own expectations, Anneke finds this decision very difficult. Her doubts lead to a confrontation with both herself and Marian. Is she really the person she always thought she was? And how does she deal with these feelings she herself considers inappropriate?

BRIDGE
Niels Bourgonje | Fiction | 04:16

Jos approaches a bridge after a relaxing drive, where on the other side of the bridge another driver approaches named Ad. Ad gives the right of way. But Jos insists that Ad goes first. Who will cross the bridge first?

MAY WINNER: Screening and Announcement of our JURY TEAM favourite movie in MAY.

BRAM SCHOUW graduated with honors at the Utrecht School of the Arts. His graduation film MARRIAGE was the official opening film for Curta Cinema Rio de Janeiro 2005.
In 2007 he co-directed the play BACKSPACE for theater festival Cinéma et Justice, organized by the French Embassy and Amnesty International. 
His second short film IMPASSE had its world premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival 2008 as part of the feature film Stories On Human Rights with short films from directors such as Hany Abu-Assad, Marina Abramovic and Abderrahmane Sissako. The project got selected for renowned film festivals in New York, Sarajevo and Paris. 
After directing the TV movie NINA SATANA and episodes of highly acclaimed television series such as OVERSPEL and VAN GOD LOS, Bram Schouw won a Golden Calf (aka Dutch Oscar) with the short film SEVILLA. The film premiered in Clermont-Ferrand and got selected for more than 100 international film festivals, winning multiple awards and it was announced AS worldwide top-10 films by Vimeo in 2014.
Together with the exact same team, Bram just completed his first feature film: BROERS (BROTHERS). This movie will hit Dutch cinemas two days after his session at Shortcutz. #GoodVibesGuaranteed
Besides fiction, Bram won many awards for his commercial projects including the prestigious Award for Best Hiv/Aids Commercial by the European Commission, Bronze and Silver Lions at Cannes and Best Director award at the ADCN 2015. 

In our Official Selection

TWO DOLLARS

Emmanuel Tenenbaum | Fiction | 09:59
After a week of leave, Sylvie is back at the Quebec company where she has been an exemplary employee for more than 15 years. She is then requested to attend a bizarre meeting. 

UNSEEN

Justin Krul | Experimental | 01:10

A young ballet dancer is struggling with her choices about her future as a dancer. 

In 1987  JOHN APPEL graduated at the Nederlandse Film and Televisie Academy with his documentary Radio Daniëlle, a portrait of a local pirate radio station. This film, awarded Best Student Film, shows Appel’s interest in ‘daily life drama’.
In 1993 he made his first documentary for cinema Johnny Meijer – Body and Soul, about the last and lonely days of the Amsterdam accordion virtuoso. This film expresses Appel’s tendency to envelop ‘Amsterdam blues’.
His film André Hazes – She believes in me, awarded with the Joris Ivens Award for Best Feature Length Documentary (IDFA ’99), is the greatest documentary hit in Dutch cinema over the last 60 years.
In 2003 he made his film The last victory, about the famous horse race in Siena, the Palio. This film won two Golden Kalves at the Dutch Film Festival and many international awards. The film was nominated Best European Documentary at the European Film Awards 2004.
In 2009 he made his personal film The Player, about his father’s addiction to gambling. This film was awarded with the IDFA Award ’09 for Best Dutch Documentary and the Filmfund Stimulus Award 2010 for the most successful documentary of the year. 
His latest film Wrong time, wrong place (2012) is a film about chance and fate, based on the tragic events in Norway of 22 July 2011. This film was the Opening film of IDFA 2012 and won several international awards.
In the Middle-East he mentored young filmmakers in the Greenhouse Development Program. Some great films started from this program, including Oscar-nominated 5 Broken Cameras.

In our Official Selection:

AMUSE

Jonne Covers & Ivo van Aart | Experimental | 06:30
A large restaurant, full of people who are having a good time. They’re chatting and paying attention to each other. At least, that’s what it seems…

WE LOVE

Dieuwke De Mooij | Fiction | 08:06 * PREMIERE *
A contemporary married couple gets stuck in an elevator where no one comes to their aid. A metaphor for how stuck they are in their relationship. A nonlinear sensory experience that takes you on an emotional journey as they are trying to escape.

Shortcutz started this year with the takeover sessions. We want to show you how a great team working, with all the people involved trying to excel themselves to make a project, can achieve great(er) things! The sooner you learn the magic of team leading and collaboration the sooner you are on the right way to something remarkable. 

A'DAM - E.V.A.  * TAKEOVER *
with Norbert ter Hall (director/creative producer), Shahine El Hamus (actor), Marja Paeper (post-production supervisor), Robert Alberdingk Thijm (writer/creative producer), Urmie Plein (actress), Rutger Remkes (actor), Rick Paul van Mulligen (actor), Marina Blok (producer  NTR), Jasper Boeke (composer), Susan Radder (actress), Han van der Werff (line producer), Maik Rözer (2nd assistant Director), Gerben Breur (1st assistant Director) and many more!

Life in the city. Every day our lives cross those of hundreds, maybe even thousands of other people we don’t know: chance passers-by, fellow local residents, shopkeepers, perfect strangers, a voice at the other end of the telephone, young, old, close or at a distance. Our existence constantly touches that of others. 
Sometimes we share a decisive moment. Sometimes we are unintentional witnesses of a turning point in someone’s existence. Very often, nothing special is going on; we just happen to be together, at the same moment and in the same place, and then permanently disappear from each other’s lives. 
How would it be if we could see beyond that one shared moment? If we would follow those chance passers-by? If we became familiar
with their fortunes and saw how the course of their lives was influenced by us, and vice versa? 

That’s what A'DAM - E.V.A. (English title AMSTERDAM PARADISE) is about. This 24-part series shows in how many visible and invisible ways we are connected to each other. Dozens of stories criss-cross each other in this mosaic narrative and, like an X-ray, show us a cross-section of the city.

In our Official Selection:

OSU

Judith Veenendaal | Fiction | 03:52
OSU is a short film inspired by the true story of how Muay Thai champion Kevin Ross overcame addiction and fought to chase his dreams.

THE THING IS

Harvey Kadijk, Smita Gayadin | Documentary | 05:25
THE THING IS is a documentary short film that portrays different types of people, through poetry by Smita James and portrait images shot by Harvey Kadijk the message "We are all human" is proclaimed. A message that still needs to be strengthened in today's society.

SUSAN VISSER graduated from the acting school in Amsterdam in 1991 and she has been working ever since. Her first major role was in the comedy series 'In de Vlaamsche Pot'. Besides her film and TV work, she also often plays in several theater productions. 
She has worked in movies such as Amazones, Richting West, Taped, Het Spel van de Wolf, Gooische Vrouwen and in TV series such as Gooische Vrouwen, Het Gordijnpaleis van Olie Hartmoed, Smeris and many more.

Guest Project:

Find out more about the exciting project: THE BUDDY FILM PROJECT. We are going to welcome on our stage actress DEWI REIJS and Syrian director ZIAD BARAZI.

In our Official Selection:

2017: A PRESS CONFERENCE

Jordi Wijnalda | Fiction | 06:55
As we see our human values threatened by populist demagogues, the barring of free speech and media, and the abuse of democracy and power, we felt the need to organize a press conference to express our concerns and anxieties to the one entity we all believe might solve everything: 2017.

RETINA

Justin Heyl | Experimental | 10:02
Almost 90 years ago Luis Buñuel and Salvador Dali made the short surrealist avant-garde film Un Chien Andalou (1929). Inspired by their associative editing, their lucid narration and dream-like style of filmmaking, this story springs from one of its most iconic and compelling scenes.

OLIVIA LONSDALE made her debut in the funny and moving feature film Prins (2015) by director Sam de Jong. Sam also directed her in the music video 'Drank & Drugs' by rappers Lil’ Kleine en Ronnie Flex. This music video was seen more than 27 millions times and granted her much exposure.
Olivia Lonsdale played one of the lead characters in Geen Koningen In Ons Bloed by Mees Peijnenburg, an episode of the tv-series One Night Stand. This movie was awarded a Golden Calf (aka Dutch Oscar) for best tv-drama in 2015.
She currently can be seen in the leading role of two feature films: Monk by director Ties Schenk and Silk Road by the international Emmy-winner director Mark de Cloe. 

In our Official Selection:

TABOOK

Dario Van Vree | Animation | 02:44
While browsing the bookstore 19-year-old Gwen is unexpectedly drawn to a volume of kinky erotica, earning her disapproving glares from the other customers. Will Gwen follow her deepest desires or will she let her embarrassment restrain her?

TWO

Eddie Bimmel | Fiction | 14:26
The film is set in the near future and is about the clone of a tyrannical twenties named Jimmy. The clone is too tired to clean up the mess for Jimmy and to be treated as a slave. And then the question is how safe is a clone.

APRIL WINNER: Screening and Announcement of our jury team favourite movie in April.

ESTER GOULD (1975, Peterculter) is a Scottish-born documentary filmmaker who lives and works in Amsterdam. She studied Film and Journalism in Amsterdam and New York and began her career as a researcher and scriptwriter for acclaimed director Heddy Honigmann. Since 2005 she has been directing her own documentaries and series.
A Strange Love Affair with Ego (2015) - her second feature-length film released in Dutch cinemas - won the IDFA Award for Best Dutch Documentary and the Dutch film critics’ KNF Prize 2016. Strike a Pose (2016; in co-direction with Reijer Zwaan) won an audience award at the Berlinale, was screened in cinemas in the Netherlands, USA and UK and has been shown by film festivals (such as Tribeca Film Festival, IFFR among many others) and broadcasters worldwide.
In 2016, Variety named her one of ten European ‘Female Filmmakers to Watch’.
Her last project - the six-part doc series Debt Society in co-direction with Sarah Sylbing – was a national TV hit, led to public debate and has been nominated for a BANFF Award and an International Emmy. Recently they were announced Dutch ‘Journalists of the Year’. Debt Society also won the award for Best Series (Dutch Directors Guild) and Best Documentary Program (TV Beelden).

In this session, we will also welcome by live chat one of Madonna's backup dancers from 'Strike a Pose'.

#EsterGould #StrikeAPose #Madonna #ExpressYourself #VarietyEuropeanFemaleFilmmakerToWatch

In our Official Selection:

WE WAR       

Sophie van de Pol, Dieuwke de Mooij | 04:23 | Fiction * PREMIERE *      
Sarah, a spirited young lady who works as a spy for the Dutch Resistance during World War II, scarcely manages to escape from a prison camp. When she arrives home, she is forced to choose between duty and love.

VIGOR

Philip Besamusca | 15:00 | Fiction       
Bram (10 years) steals a small boat, puts wheels under it and travels towards the sea. The man that helps him reach an old shipwreck turns out to be more than a casual passerby and saying farewell proves difficult for both.

GOLDEN OLDIES

Daan Velsink, Joost Lieuwma | 03:00 | Animation           
In a typical fifties diner, a gangly teenager tries to rock'n'roll with the prettiest girl on the dance floor but is opposed by an importunate cool dude and a stammering jukebox. 

JOOST VAN GINKEL (1971) is a writer and director who made his debut with his short 'Sand' (2008) which got selected for the Venice Film festival and was the dutch entry for the Academy Awards. Sand won 15 international awards.
His first feature '170Hz' (2011), a surrealistic love story in sign language, was selected for the prestigious film festival in Busan and won the Golden Calf for the audience award in The Netherlands.
Van Ginkel’s second feature 'The Paradise Suite' (2015), had its première at Toronto International Film Festival, was the official Dutch entry for the Academy Awards and won 3 Golden Calves (aka the Dutch Oscars) for Best Film, Best Screenplay (Joost van Ginkel) and Best Actor (Isaka Sawadogo).

#JoostVanGinkel #TheParadiseSuite #GoldenCalfWinner #FilmmakingTips #Sand #170Hz

In our Official Selection:

CHE!

Elsbeth Fraanje | 13:48 | Documentary           

CHE! is a quirky youth documentary about twelve-year-old Che who has a vivid imagination and loves the eerie and creepy stuff. His parents are divorced, but he doesn't really mind. It's actually quite convenient to get a double allowance. While Che is looking forward to Halloween, he finds out it can be rather a nuisance if you live far from old friends and have to arrange a meeting with your dad.   

SECOND DATE    

Elwin Rijken | 08:06 | Fiction           
A divorced woman spends an evening with her new fling on a second date. Together they start to reveal their deepest secrets.

RUN FREE

Raynor Arkenbout | 08:00 | Fiction           
Escaping his execution at the hands of Nazi Soldiers, a rebellious Dutch teenager writes a brutally honest love letter to the girl who changed his life.

In our OPEN MIC:

director Kristjan Knigge will let us know about his new project EXPOSURE, a film that explores the relative value of memory and perception on the events in our lives by looking at the break-up a relationship between two women from their different points of view. 

SESSION CANCELLED | Due to an unexpected and uncontrollable situation with our special guest we have to cancel tonight’s session. We used to be Yorick’s fans, now we are groupies! We cannot thank him enough for all the consideration and respect he has for us (and you). Trust us, he tried everything before this but movie stars are people too. This romance between Shortcutz and Yorick is not over, we will continue to stalk him and try to have him in our sessions (if Hollywood allows it).
This is the 1st time in 141 sessions we have ever cancelled a session on the day ofevent but we consider it to be unfair to the movies in our competition to have a session without a guest. So, RUN FREE by Raynor Arkenbout will be screened on APRIL 18th and GOLDEN OLDIES by Daan Velsink & Joost Lieuwma will be screened on APRIL 25th. Unfortunately, Chris Oosterom will not be able to share his favourite things to do in this edition of Imagine Film Festival but let’s face it 10 minutes would hardly be enough because their programme is really awesome. Chris: see tomorrow at the opening!
Do not worry; we will continue every Tuesday at dekring. Next week our special guest is this year’s super golden calf winner Joost van Ginkel (The Paradise Suite) and on the 25th we will welcome Ester Gould, considered by Variety one of ten European Female Filmmakers to Watch, co-director of the controversial documentary Strike a Pose about Madonna’s most (in)famous troupe of dancers who changed forever the way we look to AIDS or homosexuality. We will also have by live-chat one of Madonna’s dancers. So stay calm, there’s plenty of cool stuff coming up.

YORICK VAN WAGENINGEN spent his early career appearing in Dutch films and TV series but since 2005 he has been working mostly in Hollywood. Wageningen broke into acting in 1989 with a recurring role on the Dutch primetime soap opera 'Spijkerhoek' and spent years balancing TV appearances with stage roles. In 2000 Wageningen caught a major break when he reprised his role as a drug-addicted gambler on the run from his past in the feature film 'Total Loss'. Wageningen's performance caught director Steven Spielberg's attention and he asked him to come to Hollywood to appear in 'Minority Report'. Due to problems with his visa, he was unable to work on that movie in the United States, the role ended up being played by Colin Farrell.
After earning notice for his role as a mysterious CIA agent in the humanitarian drama 'Beyond Borders', Wageningen landed a breakout role as battle-scarred criminal The Guv in the sci-fi action film 'The Chronicles of Riddick' and portrayed a calculating English captain in Terrence Malick's 'The New World'. He returned to The Netherlands in 2008 for his role as a resistance fighter in Martin Koolhoven's award-winning World War II drama 'Winter in Wartime', and has since been cast as a sadistic parole officer in David Fincher's blockbuster 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. In 2015, Yorick played Sadak in Michael Mann's 'Blackhat' alongside Chris Hemsworth and Viola Davis.
This year Yorick played Klaas in Dennis Bot's 'Storm: Letters van Vuur'.

#YorickVanWageningen #MovieStar #Hollywood #NaturalBornTroublemaker

In our Official Selection:

GOLDEN OLDIES

Daan Velsink, Joost Lieuwma | 03:00 | Animation           
In a typical fifties diner, a gangly teenager tries to rock'n'roll with the prettiest girl on the dance floor but is opposed by an importunate cool dude and a stammering jukebox. 

RUN FREE

Raynor Arkenbout | 08:00 | Fiction           
Escaping his execution at the hands of Nazi Soldiers, a rebellious Dutch teenager writes a brutally honest love letter to the girl who changed his life.

Guest Project:

IMAGINE FILM FESTIVAL

Imagine's director Chris Oosterom will let us know more about all the 'juicy stuff' to see and do in this edition. Imagine Film Festival runs from 12 until 22nd of April at EYE Filmmuseum.

JEAN VAN DE VELDE
Born in 1957 in Bukavu (the former Belgian Congo), Jean van de Velde grew up in the tropics, went to secondary school in the Netherlands and graduated from the school in 1974 in Utrecht, after which he studied at the Dutch Film Academy in Amsterdam.
In 1985, Jean van de Velde founded his own company and wrote and directed a large number of successful features including the award-winning LEAK and ALL STARS, the feature film and TV series (winner of the International Emmy Award 2000) both being remade in many countries, among which the U.K., Spain, Italy, Germany and Belgium.
Jean van de Velde has been on the board of several film organizations, including the Dutch Film Fund and the Dutch Film Festival. From July 2000 to January 2003 Jean van de Velde worked as Intendant for the Dutch Film Fund and in this capacity, he was responsible for developing and guiding over 20 commercial features. Currently, he is chairman of the Dutch Screenwriters Guild.
In 2004 he was honoured at the Dutch Film Festival as ‘Guest of the Year’ with a retrospective. 
Jean van de Velde's latest movie BRAM FISCHER will hit Dutch cinemas on April 13th. 

#JeanVanDeVelde #SneakPeek #BramFischer #NelsonMandela #Apartheid#PremieringSoon

In our Official Selection:

UNDERDOG

Marc Eikelenboom | 07:28 | Fiction // Direct entry in competition through our partnership with 48HFP. Winner Rotterdam
The ambitions of an unbeatable action hero are thwarted by an unlikely duo.

AUFSEHERIN

Wilbert van Veldhuizen | 05:30 | Documentary / Animation  
It's the mid-second world war. Hebe is a member of the Dutch resistance. When she gets captured by the Nazis she pretends to be someone else and they seem to fall for it. But how long will it take them to figure out that she is not who she says she is... and what will happen to her if they do? 

Guest Project: 

48 Hour Film Project
This edition of 48 Hour Film Project Amsterdam is extra special for Shortcutz, Richard Schut will tell you everything about it.

Announcement and Screening of our Jury team’s favourite movie:
WINNER MARCH

JOB, JORIS & MARIEKE is a Dutch Academy Award-nominated animation studio founded in 2007 by Job Roggeveen, Joris Oprins, and Marieke Blaauw. They work on commercials, educational projects, music videos and short films. The music for all their work is composed by Happy Camper, an award-winning music project by Job. In return, the studio creates all the music videos for Happy Camper.
In 2015 their short film 'A Single Life' was nominated for an Academy Award for best animated short. Also in 2015, their latest film (Otto) had its premiere at the TIFF festival in Canada.
Their short film MUTE won several international awards, amongst which the Grand Prix and Audience award at the Holland Animation Film Festival.
Their most known work is the music clip 'Ik Neem Je Mee' for rapper Gers Pardoel. With 21 million views it was the best viewed Dutch music video ever on Youtube.
In 2012 the children's series The Tumblies was released. Job, Joris & Marieke worked on the concept and character design.
Their new film Heads Together premiered at the last Cinekid and we are thrilled to show it at Shortcutz! #NewJobJoris&MariekesMovie

In our Official Selection:

WHAT TIME IS IT?

Karine Versluis | 06:00 | Documentary           
What Time Is It? Visualizes several questions about memory and identity. It touches the borders of fiction and reality. The film asks questions about who we are. What makes us who we are if we cannot share our memories anymore with the ones with whom we experienced them? 

I WAS ONLY 14

Froukje van Wengerden | 12:19 | Documentary           
While an 86-year-old woman looks back on a life-changing event just after her fourteenth birthday, we look into the eyes of girls who are fourteen years old now, full of stories of their own and with their open glance forward.

RON GOOSSENS: LOW BUDGET STUNTMAN  * TAKEOVER *  
We cannot stop laughing with them but these guys are making serious business. Writers and directors Steffen Haars and Flip van der Kuil have made the most successful Dutch comedies for a young audience in recent years. Their three previous films, New Kids Turbo, New Kids Nitro and Bros Before Hos grossed more than fifteen million euro’s at the Dutch box-office with almost two million visitors. Their movie New Kids Turbo even became number one at the German box-office. Ron Goossens: Low Budget Stuntman is the next step in their career: the movie is as funny as their previous films, but also has stronger character development and a bigger focus on drama. Since its release in January this year, Ron Goossens, Low Budget Stuntman has already reached more than 150.000 visitors. 
Directors STEFFEN HAARS and FLIP VAN DER KUIL and Ron Goossens' stars TIM HAARS and HENRY VAN LOON (and who knows more) will take over the second part of our session, whatever it takes.... #Takeover   #GetReady

In our Official Selection:

LIFELESS

Fokke Mars, Bas Jansen, Max van der Ree | 02:44 | Experimental           
A new kind of organism has been born. It is not made up of flesh and blood, but of circuits and wires. Witness the life of this organism unfold as it grows and thrives until it must inevitably conclude. 

EXIT

Wiebe van den Ende | 08:19 | Fiction
In a deserted forest two colleagues are debating changes in their organization. Putting their long lasting friendship to the test.

We've met STEVEN WOUTERLOOD as competitor filmmaker in Shortcutz Amsterdam with the short film 'The Girl Across the Street' and it has been a delight to follow his career.
Steven Wouterlood (1984) is a director of films and tv series. He directed several short children movies including 'Alles Mag' ('Anything Goes') and 'Koningsdag' ('King's Day'). Both films won multiple awards around the world. 'Alles Mag' granted Steven a prestigious International Emmy Award in 2015.
In 2016 Steven directed 'Alleen op de Wereld' (Remi, Nobody’s Boy), a tv series based on the famous book of Hector Malot. This series has been recently nominated for two TV-Beelden', Best Children Programma and for Steven: Best Director in a TV Series.  
Recently Steven finished his first VR movie, called Superstar VR, together with VPRO and production companies BIND and Purple Pill. At the moment Steven is working on his first feature film.
[VR SPECIAL] We will have a spot with some VR glasses available to watch 'Superstar VR'. PS: arrive early :)  

In our Official Selection:

TEMPO  

Arjan Brentjes | 01:00 | Animation
A man tries to relax on a bench in the park, but he’s constantly bothered by the latest innovations. As his life slows down, technology speeds up. The whole story is wrapped up in exactly one minute.

THE KILLING OF HOPE  

Karl Heortweard | 09:23 | Fiction           
This is the short story about a broken young man who would like to say a couple of things from the top of his apartment building.

Living-legend WILLEKE VAN AMMELROOY is the opening guest of Shortcutz Amsterdam. 

Willeke has been seen for decades as one of the biggest movie stars in the Netherlands. She has starred in more than 70 movies, including some 'classics' such as: 'De Lift', 'Ciske de Rat', 'Wan Pipel'. Her feature debut was in Mira (1971) by the hand of Oscar-winner Fons Rademakers, this movie was nominated for a Palme d'Or at Cannes Film Festival. She played Antonia in the Oscar-winning feminist film 'Antonia's Line', this role also granted her the golden calf for best actress. In 2000 she won a golden calf again for her role in 'Lijmen het been'. In 2006 she played Sandra Bullock's mother in The Lake House starring also Keanu Reeves.

In 2012 she won the Golden Calf Culture Prize (aka the Dutch Honorary Oscar) for her contribution to Dutch cinema. 
Willeke also stepped in directing, and she directed several short films, commercials and the feature film 'THE Butterfly lifts the CAT'.

In our Official Selection:

GIRAFFE
Janne Schmidt | 06:41 | Fiction // Direct entry in competition through our partnership with 48HFP. Winner Leeuwarden
When Elsa is hired by a call center company, after a remarkable job interview, she starts immediately. However, after a short introduction, a certain problem occurs. Elsa and her team cannot satisfy the unusual request from the caller and the sales volume starts to decrease rapidly. After many attempts, she thinks she might have the solution.

PARADE
Digna van der Put | 04:14 | Animation  
Six fanfare flute players explore the landscape of the uniform. A journey that does not go unscathed.

Shortcutz Amsterdam's winner for Mr. Zee Best Film, Mr. Zee Best Director, Mr. Zee Best Actress: NYMPHET will be screened @ the opening session of Shortcutz Aruba

Shortcutz Amsterdam's winner for Mr. Zee Best Documentary, Audience Award, Mr. Zee Best Editing: JIMMY ON THE RUN will be screened @ Shortcutz Porto

Shortcutz Amsterdam's runner-up movie in March: PARADE by Digna van der Put will be screened @ Shortcutz Faro. 

Shortcutz Amsterdam's winner for Mr. Zee Best Film, Mr. Zee Best Director, Mr. Zee Best Actress: NYMPHET will be screened @ Shortcutz Porto

Shortcutz Amsterdam's winner for Mr. Zee Best Film, Mr. Zee Best Director, Mr. Zee Best Actress: NYMPHET will be screened as guest short film with the presence of producer Declan Lynch, director Laura Hermanides and screenwriter Shauni De Gussem @ Shortcutz Lisboa

Our winner Mr. Zee Best Animation: TICKING AWAY by Michael Sewnarain will be screened as guest short film @ Shortcutz Viseu