Welcome to the homepage of the Movies that Matter Festival.

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On Tour in April: The Promise

The festival's opening film is screening in 17 theatres across the Netherlands this month.

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Award Winners

See the eight award winners of the Movies that Matter Festival 2025.

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On Tour in May: Flophouse America

Intimate portrait of resilience, hope and the harsh realities of the housing crisis in the US.

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Competitions

All the competition programmes

The Movies that Matter Festival has several competitions in which international juries hand out awards to the winning film or director.

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Specials

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HUMAN Day

On Saturday 29 March, HUMAN presents a programme around two specially curated documentaries: The Propagandist and Home Game, including double discussion with both filmmakers between screenings. Visit these two films together for just €22. De Propagandist Through family films, propaganda footage, and audio interviews, the story unfolds of filmmaker Jan Teunissen (1898-1975), head of the...

Closing Party

During the closing night, we look back at the highlights of the Movies that Matter Festival 2025 and celebrate the festival’s grand finale! Audience Award The Movies that Matter Audience Award, supported by ASN Bank, is presented to the filmmaker of the official selection film (excluding specials, shorts, premieres, and classics) with the highest average...

Themes

Navigate through the programme with our thematic selections.

Deep Dive

Deep Dive

Our Deep Dive selection highlights the eve of war and the geopolitical power struggles that come with it, with two classics and two new films.

Festival Favourites

Festival Favourites

Festival Favourites features audience favourites that have proven their quality at international festivals.

Shorts

Shorts

During the festival, thematic blocks of shorts are screened daily in zaal 6 of Filmhuis Den Haag. Discover this year’s shorts blocks here!

Take on Freedom

Take on Freedom

In Take on Freedom, you will see films about the indomitable desire for freedom – and the work it takes to achieve it.

Take on Future

Take on Future

The transition into a sustainable future is a slow one. What is needed to speed it up? And what dilemmas does this entail? That is what the films in Take on Future are all about.

Take on Love

Take on Love

Take on Love is a multi-faceted themed programme about the power, vulnerability and complexity of relationships, the right to be yourself and love who you want.

Take on Power

Take on Power

In Take on Power we show films about uneven power relations. And about people taking on forces and structures that seem bigger than themselves.

Latest updates

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More than a festival

Education

On Tour

International

Industry

At the Movies that Matter Industry Days, we offer a diverse programme of workshops, panel discussions, impact plan pitches, and masterclasses focused on film and human rights.

Support Movies that Matter

Do you want to contribute to our work? Awesome! Check the ways you can support Movies that Matter.

We would like to thank our partners

Learn more about the partners that make the Movies that Matter Festival possible.

Newsletter

Do you want to stay up to date with all Movies that Matter news, promotions and special screenings? Sign up for our newsletter (in Dutch).

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Partners

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