Magazine
Watch Films that Make Noise this Year at PAARD
Together with The Hague pop venue PAARD, we are launching Films that Make Noise. A series of topical protest films in which the link between music and social change plays a prominent role. 13 January, 2026
“For me, my activism is through my work.” – Zippy Kimundu on filmmaking under risk and Movies that Matter’s Activist Lens Programme
We sat down with Zippy Kimundu during IDFA 2025 to discuss her documentary Our Land, Our Freedom, her experience with Movies that Matter’s Activist Lens Programme, and her future projects.
These films show what women’s resistance in Iran looks like
Al jarenlang laten Iraanse filmmakers zien hoe cinema kan functioneren onder censuur en druk. In hun films staan vragen over vrijheid, identiteit en rechtvaardigheid centraal, vaak verteld via persoonlijke, gelaagde verhalen. In recente Iraanse cinema krijgt ook het vrouwenverzet een steeds zichtbaardere plek. Om dit te verdiepen, maakten we een selectie van films die het vrouwenverzet in Iran invoelbaar maken, in aansluiting op de tentoonstelling Woman, Life, Freedom van het Verzetsmuseum, die ook te zien is tijdens het Movies that Matter Festival 2026 (20–28 maart).
Celebrating Human Rights Day with Dutch Embassies Worldwide
On 10 December, Human Rights Day, Movies that Matter puts human rights in the spotlight with the Embassy Film Menu.
Find Movies that Matter on Letterboxd
We're now on Letterboxd! Follow for programme updates, exciting articles, selections from our archive and more.
Tips from Our Grantees: Build Your Festival Dream Team
What’s the one piece of advice you’d share with someone organising a human rights film festival? We posed this question to our past grantees: experienced organisers who’ve navigated the challenges, triumphs, and unexpected moments that come with creating spaces for powerful human rights stories.
Discover their top tips for building your dream team in the first post of this new series!
5 Film Tips in the Lead-up to the Elections
The Dutch general elections are just around the corner. Ahead of the vote, we asked five changemakers from various political and cultural organisations to share the films and series that have sparked or sharpened their political awareness - and that they think everyone should watch.
Podcast #5: Abortion Dream Team
In the fifth episode of the Movies that Matter podcast, programme maker Julia Muller talks to activist Justyna Wydrzyńska from Abortion Dream Team, which supports women by providing information about safe home abortion options, and to director Karolina Domagalska about her impressive film and motivations. The conversation took place immediately after the screening during the Movies that Matter Festival.
Podcast #4: Verhullen
In the fourth episode of the Movies that Matter Podcast, we are at Flora Filmtheater in The Hague and we discuss the documentary Verhullen, an intimate film about healing, mental health, the power of vulnerability, and artistry, set against the backdrop of The Hague's nightlife.