focus on Dutch language films

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1-900 Producer-director Theo van Gogh's uncommonly frank exploration of sexual alienation probes the emotional possibilities of erotic phone lines. A pair of lonely-hearts "find" each other via a 900 number. Through this technology, they commence once-a-week dates that run the gamut from comic and sexy to restless and ominous. Though…    more      Congo: White King, Red Rubber, Black Death This startling, dramatic documentary from director Peter Bates--which caused considerable controversy in Belgium on its original release--focuses on the rule of that country's King Leopold II, who turned the Belgian colony of the Congo into a forced labor camp of shocking brutality between 1885 and 1908…    more      Diva Dolorosa In this mesmerizing collage of silent Italian melodrama, found-footage filmmaker Peter Delpeut (Lyrical Nitrate) affectionately captures the spirit of the World War One-era cinema diva. In all-but-lost gems such as La donna nuda (1914), and Tigre reale (1916), superstars such as Lyda Borelli and Pina Menichelli portrayed heroines teetering…    more      Grimm A genre-bending update of the Hansel and Gretel story, GRIMM is a Dutch film directed by Alex van Warmerdam. Young adults Jacob and Marie are abandoned in the woods by their father, with only a note in Jacob's pocket to guide them: advice from their mother to travel to Spain and see their wealthy uncle. When they reach the warm and sunny…    more      Hop Shot in striking black and white with a digital 24p Panasonic video camera, HOP marks the feature film directorial debut of Dominique Standaert. Set in Brussels, the film follows an African teenager named Justin and his father as they struggle to overcome racism in their predominantly white surroundings and the hassles of being illegal…    more      Johan van der Keuken - The Complete Collection, Vol. 1 The work of boundary-pushing director Johan van der Keuken is ably represented in THE COMPLETE COLLECTION, VOL. 1, a three-disc box set. By blending documentary-style reportage with fictional techniques, van der Keuken achieves startling effects. Among the subjects featured in the nine films included are international banking, a study…    more