After its highly successful launch in 2025, NLWave, the showcase for upcoming documentaries, feature films and animation from the Netherlands, returns to Utrecht for its second edition on 1 and 2 October 2026. At last year’s inaugural edition, eight feature documentary projects either at early stage or as works-in-progress, were presented. Additionally, three recently completed feature docs were screened.
Created by the Netherlands Film Fund in collaboration with SEE NL, NLWave champions “fresh and bold” Dutch storytelling for an international industry audience. “Festival programmers, sales agents and other global professionals are invited to discover a vibrant mix of genres, from documentary to cutting‑edge animation. The platform aims to elevate both emerging voices and established filmmakers, offering a curated look at the country’s most promising works in development or production,” organisers underline.
Two docs screened at NL Wave in 2025 were quickly selected for leading festivals. These were Paikar by Dawood Hilmandi, which world-premiered in IDFA Luminous, and Tom Fassaert’s Between Brothers which was picked for IFFR Limelight.
Dutch (non-doc) selections at this year’s Berlinale also include two films that were selected for NL Wave in 2025: Muriel d’Ansembourg’s debut feature Truly Naked and A Family by Mees Peijnenburg – both of which are celebrating their world premieres in Berlin.
“With its 2026 edition now confirmed, NLWave continues to build momentum as a key platform for showcasing the creative breadth and international potential of Dutch cinema,” organisers underline. “This is a showcase platform designed to introduce these titles to international professionals at an early stage, and at the same time creating opportunities for direct interaction between the industry professionals and the filmmakers.”
