Cinema Meets Action in The Hague
Movies that Matter highlights stories defying silence and censorship
The 2025 Movies that Matter Festival, running from 21 to 29 March in The Hague, returns with an extraordinary showcase of cinema dedicated to social justice and human rights. Featuring 98 films, including ten world premieres, this year's program opens powerfully with Daan Veldhuizen’s The Promise, spotlighting the struggle of exiled Papuans.
Alongside its compelling film lineup, the festival’s Industry Days offer filmmakers and industry professionals from Ukraine, South Africa, Nepal, Morocco, and Kenya invaluable opportunities to explore film’s potential for social impact.
Follow Editor-in-Chief Truls Lie on Telegram and Industry Editor Steve Rickinson on Twitter. Join our Facebook Group, Modern Times Review, for an uncensored conversation on all things «Modern Times». And don’t forget to follow us on Facebook, Instagram, X, and Bluesky.
News
What to expect from Movies that Matter Industry Days 2025
Movies That Matter Festival announces full 2025 programme
Interview
«People are struggling to process everything that is happening»
Margje de Koning on the festival’s broader role, its commitment to fostering open conversation, why smaller films can have a big impact, and more.
Films
Mr Nobody Against Putin
Director: David Borenstein, Pavel Talankin
How a small-town teaching assistant became an unlikely whistleblower on the grim reality of wartime propaganda.
The Bibi Files
Director: Alexis Bloom
Alexis Bloom's gripping exposé of the web of lies apparently woven by Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to avoid corruption charges shows how one man's fear of jail has led to war and instability in the Middle East.
The Propagandist
Director: Luuk Bouwman
The rise and fall of a filmmaker who reshaped Dutch cinema by serving Nazi propaganda during World War II.
Yalla Parkour
Director: Areeb Zouaiter
Creating an identity among the ruins of Gaza.
Now Available
