Award Winning Dutch Films in New York 2017

This month has been a great success for four Dutch films! During the Socially Relevant Film Festival in New York three Dutch films won awards and at the New York International Children’s Film Festival one Dutch film received a prize. 

The following films received an award at the Socially Relevant Film Festival.

The Brave Documentary Award goes to:

The Toxic Circle

In this documentary we see Campania, the area around Naples, known as the biggest illegal landfill for chemical waste in Europe. This is where the Camorra dumps industrial waste from all over Europe and from outside the continent. The purpose of the feature is to show the dramatic consequences of the worldwide illegal traffic of chemical waste You may know director Wilfried Koomen from ‘The Voice of Egypt’. 

The Grand Prize for Best Narrative Feature Award goes to:

Prophecy

When an ancient Buddhist scripture is discovered, a senior Buddhist monk embarks on a long journey in search of a young boy who is prophesied to be a reincarnated lama destined to propagate Buddhadharma for the benefit of all sentient beings. After Rigzen Lingpa is recognized as the one who will fulfil the prophecy, he spends his life mastering the teachings of the Buddha. When he is a young lama presiding over a monastery in eastern Bhutan, a young girl from Thimphu returns home to her ailing mother. When she takes her mother to receive blessings from the lama, they experience a powerful connection.

The Grand Prize for Best Documentary Feature Award goes to:

The Chocolate Case

The film follows the incredible journey of three Dutch journalists, who tried to persuade large corporations to end the use of child labour in the chocolate industry, but when rebuffed, decide to take matters into their own hands by creating the world’s first slave-free chocolate bar. 

The following film received an award at the New York International Children’s Film Festival.

2017 Grand Prize Short goes to:

Heads Together

A surreal story about three friends who exchange heads by accident and are forced to adapt to each other’s life. This leads to funny but also enriching situations. Will they be able to keep it secret? And will they ever get their own head back? This Dutch children’s film is directed by Job, Joris & Marieke.