Mon 23 Mar
14:00 - 15:30 Register for free

Den Haag, Theater aan het Spui

Industry

Tickets as of 5 March

Industry: The Mission of the New Maker

For students and filmmakers at the beginning of their careers, we present The Mission of the New Maker: an inspiring afternoon designed to help you navigate the film landscape and tackle your most pressing questions.

Against the Machine: Inventive Storytelling
The 2026 edition explores Against the Machine: inventive storytelling in the face of censorship, shrinking budgets, AI, and other production challenges. How do you shape urgent stories when systems resist? How do you stayresourceful, critical and creative at the same time?

The afternoon kicks off with a career Deep Dive by Khalid Shamis (Imam and I, The Colonel’s Stray Dogs). A London born Libyan-Capetonian documentary director, producer and editor, with a filmmaking practice spanning over more than 25 years.  His work reflects deeply on authorship, memory, and the politics of editing.

Hosted by Sterre de Jong (Netherlands Film Festival), the panel brings together:

  • Sakir Khader – autodidact filmmaker and Palestinian documentary photographer based in the Netherlands
  • Corinne Meijer – immersive producer at Studio Biarritz
  • Vera Born – founder and impact producer at Impact Makers

Together, they explore hybrid forms, authorship, impact, alternative production models and the realities of working within -or against- existing systems.

Round Tables 
The panel is followed by interactive roundtable sessions, where participants rotate between focused conversations with representatives from Dutch organisations, funds and industry platforms. These sessions offer a uniqueopportunity to connect directly with the field, ask practical questions and gain insight into funding, festival strategy, impact, development and distribution.

Confirmed participating organisations include: Filmfonds, Beeld & Geluid, De Ontmoeting, SEE NL, Buddy Film Foundation (more to be announced).

If you represent an organisation, broadcaster or fund and would like to join the roundtables, please contact us at industry@moviesthatmatter.nl.

Programme 
14:00 – 15:30 | Deep Dive + Panel 
15:30 – 15:45 | Break 
15:45 – 17:00 | Round Tables 
17:15 – 18:00 | Drinks

The programme is free to attend, but reservations are required. Please order a free ticket online in advance and have it scanned at the venue.

Language: English

In collaboration with CoBO Fund, Netherlands Film Festival and SEE NL.