PROGRAM

07–11 MAY 2025, TOLDI MOZI, BUDAPEST

May 8 (Thursday), 6:00 PM

The Surprise

Runtime: 102'
Directed by: Mike van Diem
Starring: Jeroen van Koningsbrugge, Georgina Verbaan, Jan Decleir

The Surprise (2015) is a timeless romantic comedy with a twist, in which lightheartedness and seriousness, love and death blend closely. The bored multimillionaire Jacob unexpectedly falls in love with the incisive but disappointed Anne. Suddenly, life is smiling on them. Only they have just signed a contract with a company that promises to take them to the other world in an unexpected way. Breaking the contract turns out to be not so easy.

May 7 (Wednesday), 8:00 PM

OPENING EVENT OF
THE DUTCH FILM DAYS

SNEAK PREVIEW: SZERETET@@SZERETET

Runtime: 82'
Directed by: Jeroen Kooijmans

Written by: Jeroen Kooijmans, Viktor van der Valk
Cinematography: Jeroen Kooijmans, Elspeth Diederix
Editing: Lot Rossmark, Coen Hagenaars

Followed by a moderated talk with: Jeroen Kooijmans
Moderator: Lili Mesterházy, film critic

This intimate documentary is an ode to art, which is Kooijmans’ purpose in life but also a source of despair. Above all, it is a love letter to his wife, artist Elspeth Diederix, his anchor and the light at the end of the tunnel. We follow their love from its earliest days, dancing by a river, to traveling the world with their three daughters. The film gives space to the doubts and struggles of love—and to the question of how these connect to the darker recesses of Kooijmans’ psyche. After 33 years, the span of the film, an answer finally emerges.

May 9 (Friday), 5:30 PM

Spetters

Runtime: 120'
Directed by: Paul Verhoeven
Written by: Gerard Soeteman, Jan Wolkers
Starring: Hans van Tongeren, Renée Soutendijk,
Toon Agterberg, Maarten Spanjer, Peter Tuinman

A controversial film by Paul Verhoeven about the ambition and opportunism of contemporary youth. Three friends pursue a career as motocrossers to escape their narrow-minded environment. Their lives there consist only of alcohol, drugs and outings to the disco. When the seductive Fientje descends on their town, the three friends’ lives will change drastically. The film was reviled by the older generation, but embraced by the youth and became one of the Netherlands’ most successful films. After its controversial release, Verhoeven moved to Hollywood, where he directed Basic Instinct and Robocop.

May 8 (Thursday), 8:00 PM

A Noble Intention

Runtime: 115'

Directed by: Joram Lürsen

Written by: Frank Ketelaar

Starring: Gijs Scholten van Aschat, Jacob Derwig,
Rifka Lodeizen, Juda Goslinga

Followed by a moderated talk with: Joram Lürsen
Moderator: Lili Mesterházy, film critic

A Noble Intention (2015) is a historical drama based on the novel by Thomas Rosenboom. In 1888 Amsterdam, a stubborn violin maker and his pharmacist cousin face hardship and tragedy as they oppose the powerful businessmen who plan to force him from his house and erect a luxurious new hotel in its place. The film was partly shot in Hungary.

May 10 (Saturday), 6:00 PM

Matterhorn

Runtime: 88'
Directed and written by: Diederik Ebbinge
Starring: René van ‘t Hof, Ton Kas

Matterhorn (2013) – After a chance encounter, a lonely widower teams up with a complete stranger to search for enlightenment and a new lease on life. Fred lives on his own in a small bible-belt village. For most of the day he stares out of his window onto the street, where nothing ever happens. Then one day he spots a stranger. Fred offers him a roof and board. Inside the house, the stranger looks at a picture on the wall of Fred and his deceased wife, in front of the Matterhorn Mountain. They embark on an adventurous journey toward the meaning of life.

May 9 (Friday), 8:00 PM

The Marriage Escape

Runtime: 103'
Directed by: Johan Nijenhuis
Written by: Herman Finkers
Starring: Herman Finkers, Johanna ter Steege, Leonie ter Braak

Followed by a moderated talk with: Johanna ter Steege
Moderator: Lili Mesterházy, film critic

Jan has been married to Gedda for 35 years, a controlling woman who oversees his every move. Before he can grab a glass from the table, she has already handed him one. His daughter faces a similar struggle with her jealous boyfriend. Seeking some space, Jan checks himself into a psychiatric ward.
The Marriage Escape (2020) is an adaptation of the Czech film Tiger Theory (2016), and it is the first cinema film predominantly spoken in the Tweants variety of Low Saxon.

May 11 (Sunday), 6:00 PM

Wild Amsterdam

Runtime: 85'
Directed by: Mark Verkerk, Merel Westrik

Wild Amsterdam (2018) is a wildlife feature film with a difference — it explores one of Europe’s most vibrant and dynamic cities through the eyes of its wilder inhabitants. In this eye-opening exploration of the wilder, often hidden side of Amsterdam, we discover that the bustling, historic capital of the Netherlands is home not only to colorful human beings but also to a rich and varied range of wildlife. Made by acclaimed wildlife filmmakers, Wild Amsterdam turns urban nature into a humorous and engaging experience for the whole family.

May 10 (Saturday), 8:00 PM

Instinct

Runtime: 108'
Directed and written by: Halina Reijn
Starring: Carice van Houten, Marwan Kenzari

While trapped between her troubled relationship with her mother and her infatuation with a sex offender, prison psychiatrist Nicoline’s desires take a dangerous turn.
This film was the directorial debut of Halina Reijn in 2019.

May 11 (Sunday), 8:00 PM

Schneider vs. Bax

Runtime: 96'
Directed by: Alex van Warmerdam

In Schneider vs. Bax (2015), a hitman, on his birthday, reluctantly takes on the easy task of killing a writer, only to find the job a lot more difficult than expected. Schneider gets an urgent call from Mertens, but he initially refuses: it’s his birthday, and he promised his wife Lucy to help with dinner. Mertens insists — the target is Ramon Bax, a writer living alone by a remote lake. “Easy job, you’ll be home by noon,” he says. Schneider agrees, but soon learns that this supposedly simple mission is far more complicated than expected.

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