Movies That Matter 2022

Belgian producer Kristian van der Heyden spoke to a panel of a panel of NGOs, distributors and outreach changemakers during the Movies That Matter Take On Impact pitch session. In the project Slave Island two filmmakers, the Belgian Jimmy Hendrickx and Indonesian filmmaker Jeremy Kewuan, explore the hidden paradise of Sumba island, only to discover the atrocities of present-day slavery.

Deep into indigenous territory within the Brazilian rainforest a local activist and his team are fighting back with a video camera as a weapon. Their provocative and often heart-breaking story is impressively recorded by documentary director and cinematographer Alex Pritz who joins them to stress the urgency of the dilemma facing both land and people.

A simple but deeply insightful and, at times, challenging documentary, Marjolein Busstra’s We Don’t Talk (Wij praten niet) follows an in-depth series of conversations between therapists and teenagers as they tackle a complex web of sexual violence and exploitation.

In his feature doc No Place for You in Our Town (screening in Visions du Réel Latitudes and presenting at Movies That Matter, following its world premiere at CPH:DOX), Bulgarian director Nikolay Stefanov returns to his home town of Pernik to look at the lives of some of football club FC Minyor’s most die-hard supporters, who are part of a once-prospering, now struggling, mining community.

The Movies That Matter Industry programme gets into full swing April 7 after easing of restrictions on face to face engagement in The Netherlands, and following its initial online roll-out during lockdown. Industry manager Emma Romeijn tells Business Doc Europe what to expect over the coming days. “The red thread throughout our industry program is the idea of impact,” she underlines. 

From April 7-15 April, the Movies that Matter Festival will host its inaugural Industry Days, presenting a line-up of talks, panels and masterclasses addressing urgent and relevant issues from around the world. “Our main focus will be on creating impact as Movies that Matter believes that film and stories have the power to bring about change,” says Industry Producer Emma Romeijn.

Telling the story of the 2020 assassination attempt on Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny, Daniel Roher’s doc opens the Movies that Matter Festival Friday 8 April. Earlier this year, 'Navalny' won the Audience Award: U.S. Documentary and the Festival Favorite Award at Sundance. Movies that Matter 2022 will run April 8 - 16 April in the Dutch city of The Hague, online and in cities across the country.

The Hague-based human rights festival (running April 8-16 in cinemas across The Netherlands and online) will, within its presentation of 80+ docs and features, showcase urgent films from and about Afghanistan. “We want to give filmmakers who have to work under particularly difficult circumstances the attention and support they need,” says Artistic Director Margje de Koning.