Dutch & Belgian Cinema
Like New Zealand, Belgium and the Netherlands have small populations and consequently small film budgets that rely heavily on government funding. As a result film makers from these countries, like our own, have a reputation for innovative methods and a roll-your-sleeves-up attitude. When Dutch director Paul Verhoeven first moved to Hollywood he was stunned by the excess of the industry there; his second U.S. film, 'Robocop', contains many digs at the ultimate consumerist society that were not in the original script he was given. In 1992 three Belgian film students released their daring and controversial film, 'Man Bites Dog'; made on a shoe-string this film proves the point that it doesn't take great amounts of money to make great films - just plenty of imagination, dedication and a fair amount elbow grease.
Pictured: A scene from castrato Farinelli's colourful and eventful life
Saint (2010)
5.6/10
Director: Dick Mass
Starring: Huub Stapel, Egbert Weeber, Caro Lenssen
The Saint Nick in this Dutch horror outing isn't the toy-dispensing Santa Claus you know and love, but a bloodthirsty medieval bishop-turned-pirate wh... Read more
The House of Magic ( Blu-ray ) (2013)
6.3/10
Director: Ben Stassen, Jeremie Degruson
An utterly charming and marvellously realised effort across the board, this action-packed fantasy adventure comes from the Belgian animation studio re... Read more
Playground (2021)
7.3/10
Director: Laura Wandel
Starring: Karim Leklou, Laura Verlinden
When Nora witnesses Abel being bullied by other kids, she rushes to protect him. But Abel forces her to remain silent. Caught in a conflict of loyalty... Read more
Brimstone (Blu-ray) (2016)
7.1/10
Director: Martin Koolhoven
Starring: Guy Pearce, Dakota Fanning, Kit Harington, Emilia Jones, Carice Van Houten
'Brimstone' is an epic thriller set in the old west. A triumphant tale of powerful womanhood and resistance against a violent past that refuses to fad... Read more
Close (2022)
7.8/10
Director: Lukas Dhont
Starring: Emilie Dequenne, Lea Drucker
The intense friendship between two thirteen-year old boys Leo and Remi suddenly gets disrupted. Struggling to understand what has happened, Léo approa... Read more
JCVD (Blu-ray) (2008)
7.1/10
Director: Mabrouk El Mechri
Starring: Jean-Claude Van Damme, Francois Damiens, Zinedine Soualem
Jean-Claude Van Damme plays himself in this unique, existential heist thriller with a dark comic streak. Down and out, with only straight-to-DVD title... Read more
The Human Centipede (First Sequence) (Blu-ray) (2009)
4.4/10
Director: Tom Six
Starring: Akihiro Kitamura, Dieter Laser, Andreas Leupold, Ashley C Williams, Ashlynn Yenn...
Advertised as being 100% medically accurate, this outrageous horror film finds two stranded American tourists and a Japanese businessman held captive... Read more
La Promesse (1996)
7.9/10
Director: Luc Dardenne, Jean-Pierre Dardenne
Starring: Jeremie Renier, Olivier Gourmet
Hailed by critics as one of the top ten films of 1996, this unforgettable, lyrical drama tells of Igor, a teenage thief whose father is a master swind... Read more
Black Book (2006)
7.8/10
Director: Paul Verhoeven
Starring: Sebastian Koch, Carice Van Houten, Thom Hoffman, Derek De Lint
Director Paul Verhoeven covered everything in Hollywood from erotic thrillers to science fiction films, but the return to his native country (and lang... Read more
Any Way The Wind Blows (2003)
7.2/10
Director: Tom Barman
Starring: Diane De Belder, Frank Vercuyssen, Tom Barman
Belgian musician Tom Barman, founder of the rock band dEUS, has made a wild, ambitious debut that draws its influences from sources as varied as Woody... Read more