The second edition of NLWave, the Utrecht-based two-day showcase of new Dutch film content, came to a close October 2 following the presentation of 35 early‑stage projects and works in progress. Fifteen of these were documentaries, some of which seem destined for selection at festivals before the end of 2026, into early 2027. The event attracted 60 industry toppers from the sales, distribution and festival sectors.
“Last year’s guest list focused more on fiction – we adjusted that,” say the Netherlands Film Fund’s Iwana Chronis, who took over as the organisation’s Head earlier this year, and Ilse Ronteltap (Head of International Affairs). “We welcomed more doc sales agents and festivals, such as Hot Docs, CAT&Docs, Rise and Shine and Visions du Réel, which we were very happy about. The timing at the end of the Netherlands Film Festival worked well, and fit better with the international festival calendar.”
They were also very happy with the overall quality of new projects, both fiction and documentary, and the high level of promise offered by the works-in-progress.
Talking to Business Doc Europe before doors opened on the 2026 event, the Netherlands Film Fund’s Simone van den Broek offered an overview of funding rationale. “We really look for projects that have the most international potential,” she said.
“It’s not like every project has to be an international co-pro, but we try to stimulate people to work more internationally in co-productions,” she added of her approach. “We believe that projects become stronger with co-production because you have not just your own national view, but you also get the eyes and perspectives from outside on your film. And co-production offers more autonomy to filmmakers and producers, and makes them financially stronger.”
The 2026 documentary showcase comprised a who’s who of top Dutch creative and business talent, and presented a wealth of fascinating stories that span the globe.
Radical Dutch director Renzo Martens’ The Dawn of the Post Plantation, produced by Scenery, profiles three members of the Congolese Plantation Workers Art League (CATPC) who set out on an extraordinary mission to reclaim what was taken from their people: their land, their history and their future.
Meanwhile, In Tom Fassaert and Thabi Mooi’s In Your Shadow, produced by Een van de jongens, when Thabi takes her estranged father on a journey to reconstruct his hidden past as an ANC freedom fighter, she discovers that there is more to his lifelong silence than just his trauma.
In a different vein, Willemiek Kluijfhout’s The Woman Who Made Van Gogh Famous profiles Jo van Gogh-Bonger who, as a recent widow with a young child, ensured not only the legacy of her late brother-in-law Vincent, but her own place in the male-dominated art world. The film is produced by 100% Film.
Kabul, Year Zero, a new pitch at NLWave 2026, is the third part of Aboozar Amini’s Kabul trilogy, and follows hot on the heels his award-winning Kabul Between Prayers, which world-premiered at Venice 2025. In Sakir Khader’s Idlib, when Sarout dies, it is not only the death of a famous revolutionary, it is also the moment that his nephew Mohamed is thrust into adulthood.
Meanwhile in The Return by Aliona van der Horst (Boris Ryzhy, 2008, and Turn Your Body to the Sun, 2021), an exiled Ukrainian couple’s 45-year marriage comes under pressure when war turns their words into a battleground, forcing them to choose between loyalty, identity and each other.
There were even elements both of horror and magical realism in the mix. Blending documentary, fiction, animation and the aesthetics of horror, David-Jan Bronsgeest’s Paradise Morbid travels through heroin addict Frank van der Meer’s memories, and reconstructs the defining moments of his past. Meanwhile in Turner Prize nominee Rory Pilgrim’s pink & green, two orbs rise from the earth on an island off the coast of southern England to instil a greater sense of hope and optimism in the blighted lives of some its inhabitants.
One of the pitching producers was Jia Zhao of Silk Road Film Salon, who was there with the documentary Kabul, Year Zero, and the fiction work-in-progress Tahmina.
“NL Wave has been a very helpful occasion for our two projects, which are both currently in the editing phase. It gave us the opportunity to connect with sales agents and important festivals in a relaxed and intimate setting,” she told BDE. “It was also very nice to gain insight into the interesting projects currently in production by fellow Dutch producers, and to have meaningful exchanges of thoughts, experiences and information with them.”
DOK Munich Artistic Director Adele Kohout, whose festival takes place every year in May, was attending for the first time. “NLWave offered an exceptionally rich and thoughtfully curated programme, with a very high standard of projects,” she told Business Doc Europe. “I was particularly impressed by the diversity of distinctive artistic voices and styles, the involvement of established filmmakers as well as newer voices and the strong focus on highly relevant and timely subjects.”
“Beyond the individual projects, what made the two days especially valuable was the opportunity for intensive exchange,” she adds of the ‘Date the Dutch’ curated speed-date sessions. “The compact format created a real sense of focus and made it possible to connect ideas, people and projects in a very natural way, opening up new synergies and conversations that can be carried forward well beyond the programme itself. Looking ahead, I would also be very interested to see projects at an even earlier stage of development to gain insights into what is just beginning to emerge. Overall, I would say NLWave was an extremely valuable programme. They were very rewarding days in Utrecht.”
Another newcomer to Utrecht was Anne Delseth, incoming Artistic Director of Visions du Réel, who was equally impressed by the experience. NLWave constituted her first professional outing anywhere in her new role.
“It was particularly valuable for me,” she tells Business Doc Europe. “Beyond discovering the projects, I really appreciated the opportunity to meet and connect with so many people from different parts of the documentary field. The guest list was impressive, and the scale and atmosphere of the event made informal encounters remarkably easy — whether with filmmakers and producers, world sales, or colleagues from other festivals.”
“The documentary projects themselves were diverse, a few of which could potentially resonate with Visions du Réel. And because they were presented at very different stages of development, it was equally useful to look at them from the perspective of our Industry programme, as well as for the festival.”
“My only frustration might have been the eight-minute speed-dating meetings: I would happily have had fifteen minutes for many of them — which is probably a good sign of how much interest and conversation NLWave generated. And, of course, the incredibly warm welcome made the whole experience even better.”
The 2027 edition of NLWave is again likely to coincide with the closing days of the Netherlands Film Festival. Major preparations will commence from Spring of next year. Prior to all that, the Netherlands will be hosting two major events during which Dutch documentary will very much be in the ascendant: IDFA, running November 12-22, and IFFR (International Film Festival Rotterdam), which next year runs 28 January to February 7.
