We're now on Letterboxd! Follow for programme updates, exciting articles, selections from our archive and more.

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.

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.

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.

Movies that Matter has been supporting film festivals all over the world with our Grant Programme. Every now and then we invite grantees to share their insights. For this edition Elias Maeda, Founding Director of the Sauti Zetu Film Festival in Tanzania, elaborates on the effects on his community he experienced after the festival and gives a little sneak peek into new plans.

In the third episode of the Movies that Matter podcast, journalist Shermin Chavoushi sits down with Devika Partiman, social activist and founder of Stem op een Vrouw (Vote for a Woman), for a powerful conversation on women’s emancipation, gender apartheid, and global solidarity. Together, they reflect on the documentary Writing Hawa (now showing in Dutch cinemas) and explore how its story connects to the broader fight for equality in the Netherlands and worldwide.

In the second episode of the new Movies that Matter podcast, we focus on the documentary Yintah, which highlights the struggle of the Wet’suwet’en First Nation to protect their ancestral land from the construction of natural gas pipelines. Moderator Servaz van Berkum speaks with director Jennifer Wickham and Shaylynn Sampson, a representative of the Wet’suwet’en land defenders, about the film and the story behind it.

July is Queer & Pride Month, and Amsterdam Pride is just around the corner: the perfect moment to remind us that everyone has the right to be themselves and love whomever they want, and that this is still not a given for everyone. But which film should you watch? We've compiled a list of eight films for the perfect pink summer evening.