This year, within the framework of its 15th edition (running 16 -23 December), the Les Arcs Film Festival has decided to shine a spotlight on movie production in the Netherlands, which is a lesser known region when it comes to filmmaking, eclipsed as it is by the immense cinematographic master Paul Verhoeven.

In terms of the festival programme, Holland has enjoyed an abundant presence with its candidate for 2024’s Best International Film Oscar, Sweet Dreams [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Ena Sendijarević
scheda film] by Ena Sendijarević - a Bosnian director based in Amsterdam - leading the charge in competition. The movie previously scooped an acting award in Locarno as well as a host of national prizes (six Golden Calves at the Netherlands Film Festival). We’ve also seen Milk [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Stefanie Kolk
scheda film] by Stefanie Kolk (a debut feature film discovered in Venice’s Giornate degli Autori) in the Hauteur section, and a Focus line-up showcasing eight of the best Dutch films of the past 20 years, two of which were presented in Berlin earlier this year (Kiddo [+leggi anche:
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intervista: Zara Dwinger
scheda film] by Zara Dwinger and Silver Haze [+leggi anche:
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scheda film] by Guido van Driel, and Sandra Beerends’ documentary They Call Me Babu [+leggi anche:
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scheda film]), not to mention the nine short films in the offing (including A Day in the Life of a Female by Ilke Paddenburg, in competition).

On the industry side, a considerable number of professionals from the Netherlands have made the journey to the Savoyard resort. Three Dutch projects, for example, have featured among the 18 projects selected for the Co-Production Village (read our news): The Possessed by Ena Sendijarević (produced by Wouter Jansen on behalf of Aventura), Angels by Emma Westenberg (steered by Gijs Kerbosch and Ingmar Conjarts on behalf of Halal) and Don’t Let Us Drown by Emiel Sandkte (produced by Eva Verweij and Loes Koomen for Room For Film).

The Netherlands have also enlivened the Work in Progress section (read our news), where Bobbie Koek presented Paradise (produced by Janneke Doolaard and Annemarie Siemons on behalf of FIXY, together with Belgium’s A Private View), while Emma Branderhorst has taken part in the Talent Village with her project This Will Not End Well (produced by Derk-Jan Warrink on behalf of Keplerfilm), alongside her composer compatriot Jac Von Exter. The Music Village, meanwhile, has enjoyed the presence of composer Ella van der Woude (Moloch and Silver Haze) and her counterpart Matthijs Kieboom (Wolf). Last but not least, Monday saw music supervisor Laura Bell (who worked on Sweet Dreams) and producer Erik Glijnis (Lemming Film) sharing their experiences within the conference "How do we manage music as film producers?".

This wave of Dutch talent across Les Arcs is organised in partnership with the Netherlands Film Fund, SEE NL and Buma Music in Motion, and was kicked off during the festival’s opening ceremony by the electronic band CUT_ (Belle Doron and Sebastiaan Dutilh).