Thu, May 13 - Sun, May 23  2021

The Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival presents seven films from The Netherlands May 13-23!

MSP Film Society presents the 40th Minneapolis St. Paul International Film Festival – or MSPIFF40 between May 13-23, 2021.

MSPIFF is Minnesota’s only international film festival and among the largest and longest-running film festivals in the country.

MSPIFF40 will showcase 100+ feature length and 50+ short bold and exciting new films by emerging and veteran filmmakers representing more than 100 cultures from around the globe. Seven Dutch films (or co-productions) are represented during the 2021 edition of the festival, including films for families as well as animated shorts and award-winning features!

MSPIFF40 will be a hybrid festival. Films, filmmaker conversations and panels will be presented primarily in the virtual world, complemented by several exciting outdoor events and screenings to ease us back into a more ‘normal’ world.

Films from The NETHERLANDS

THE CLUB OF UGLY CHILDREN (De Club van Lelijke Kinderen)

2020 audience award winner at the New York International Children’s Film Festival

When President Isimo declares “Keep it clean!” he doesn’t mean the city streets, he means ridding the schools of children who don’t fit into narrowly defined ideals of beauty. Paul, one of the “ugly” boys, escapes in Jonathan Elbers’ engaging and entertaining dystopian thriller. Program: Nextwave Global Features. Directed by Jonathan Elbers. The Netherlands. 2019. Dutch w/English subtitles. 90 min. Fiction Feature

SAD BEAUTY

In a heavily polluted world, a young woman mourns the disappearance of animal species. When she falls ill due to a bacterial infection, nature appears to send her a message in her hallucinations. Program: Shorts. Directed by Arjan Brentjes. The Netherlands. 2020. English. 10 min. Animated Short.

BERLIN ALEXANDERPLATZ

An African immigrant struggles to make a new life for himself in the big city in director-co-writer Burhan Qurbani’s audacious, neon-lit reinterpretation of Alfred Doblin’s classic 1929 novel. Forget the 1980 R.W. Fassbinder version; this multi-prizewinning film has its finger on the pulse of our time. Program: World Cinema. Directed by Burhan Qurbani. Germany, The Netherlands, France, Canada. 2020. Soninke, Portuguese, German, English w/English subtitles. 183 min. Fiction Feature.

DEVIL’S PIE — D’ANGELO

Devil’s Pie—D’Angelo follows Grammy Award-winning singer D’Angelo, one of the most successful R&B acts in recent years, but whose struggle with numerous demons–not to mention a public eager to sexualize and hound him–made him walk away from the business for 14 long years. Program: New American Visions. Directed by Carine Bijlsma. USA, United Kingdom, The Netherlands. 2019. English. 83 min. Documentary Feature.

MY DAD IS A SAUSAGE (Mijn vader is een saucisse)

When 12-year-old Zoe’s dad suddenly burns out on his bank job and inexplicably decides to become an actor, she is the only one to encourage him. Essentially a buddy movie with a mid-life father and introverted daughter in the leading roles, this charming dramedy shows the importance of following your dreams. Program: Nextwave Global Features. Directed by Anouk Fortunier. Belgium, Netherlands, Germany. 2021. Dutch w/English subtitles. 83 min. Fiction Feature.

PILAR

A dangerous intruder gives Pilar the chance to discover the wild animal within and the means to escape the post-apocalyptic village she lives in. Program: Shorts. Directed by Yngwie Boley, J.J. Epping, Diana van Houten. The Netherlands, Belgium. 2020. No dialogue. 9 min. Animated Short.

WINDOW BOY WOULD ALSO LIKE TO HAVE A SUBMARINE

(Chico ventana también quisiera tener un submarino)

From acclaimed Uruguayan poet and filmmaker Alex Piperno, comes this quiet, sly and meditative surrealist film about loneliness. In two seemingly disparate tales, a sailor on a cruise ship discovers a portal that takes him to a woman’s apartment in Montevideo, and a shack in rural Philippines contains an evil portent. Program: Cine Latino. Directed by Alex Piperno. Argentina, Brazil, Philippines, The Netherlands, Uruguay. 2020. Spanish, Tuwali w/English subtitles. 84 min. Fiction Feature.

Tickets and Pricing

Household Ticket Prices: $15 General Public; $10 Film Society Members

The full 2021 MSPIFF line-up and schedule is available at mspfilm.org.

General Public Household tickets are now on-sale by following this link to the tickets page!

Watch the films online or on the MSP FILM Apple TV App or Roku Channel.

About the MSPIFF

MSPIFF is presented by the MSP Film Society, a dynamic 501(c)(3) non-profit dedicated to fostering a knowledgeable and vibrant appreciation of the art of film and its power to inform and transform individuals and communities.