Felipe Bustos Sierra | 2018 | UK/Chile | 96’ | EN subtitles
NL Deze Internationale Dag van de Arbeid brengt Filmhuis Cavia met trots ¡Nae Pasaran! terug — de bekroonde, publieksfavoriete documentaire over moed, solidariteit en verzet!
Veertig jaar na hun vreedzame daad van solidariteit ontdekken Schotse fabrieksarbeiders de ongelooflijke impact van hun actie. ¡Nae Pasaran! is een onderzoek dat het verleden met het heden verbindt door een mysterie van veertig jaar oud op te lossen. Vier kleurrijke, gepensioneerde Schotse arbeiders, samen met de filmmaker, brengen stukje bij beetje het verhaal bijeen van hun vergeten gebaar van solidariteit met Chili in de jaren 70. Terwijl de omvang van hun impact aan het licht komt, vinden velen in Chili eindelijk rust in de onthullingen, terwijl de Schotten een lang ontzegde erkenning ontvangen.
EN This International Workers’ Day, Filmhuis Cavia proudly brings back ¡Nae Pasaran! — the award-winning, crowd-favorite documentary about courage, solidarity, and defiance!
Forty years after their peaceful act of solidarity, Scottish factory workers discover the incredible impact of their action. ¡Nae Pasaran! is an investigation, reconnecting the past to the present by solving a 40-year-old mystery. Four colourful retired Scottish workers, along with the filmmaker, gather piece by piece the story of their forgotten gesture of solidarity for Chile in the 1970s. As the depth of their impact is revealed, many in Chile find closure in the revelations, while the Scots receive a recognition long denied.
Vrijdag 2 mei, 20:30
ART
Urban Fictions, Fragile Realities
Experimental takes on two exceptional cities in Russia + Q&As
NL Hoe nemen we een stad waar wanneer haar beeld gevormd wordt door geheimhouding, instorting of vage herinnering? Urban Fictions, Fragile Realities brengt twee kunstzinnig gemaakte films samen die bijzondere steden in Rusland verkennen – plekken waar officiële verhalen haperen en persoonlijke herinnering, landschap en mythe het overnemen. Hoewel de films zich afspelen in echte steden – Berezniki en Zjeleznogorsk – vermijden ze de klassieke documentairevorm. In plaats daarvan bewegen ze tussen feit en verbeelding, oppervlak en diepte, geluid en stilte. Geen van beide makers is Russisch, maar beiden benaderen hun onderwerp met aandacht en nuance. De camera wordt niet ingezet om uit te leggen, maar om te reflecteren.
Na iedere film zal er een Q&A plaatsvinden met de regisseur.
EN How do we perceive a city when its image is shaped by secrecy, collapse, or distant memory? Urban Fictions, Fragile Realities brings together two artfully composed films that explore exceptional cities in Russia—places where official narratives falter and personal memory, landscape, and myth take over. Though grounded in very real places—Berezniki and Zheleznogorsk—both films resist simple documentary form. Instead, they drift between fact and imagination, surface and depth, sound and silence. Neither filmmaker is Russian, but each brings a deep attentiveness to the spaces and voices they encounter, using the camera not as a tool of explanation, but of reflection.
After each film, there will be a Q&A with the director.
NL Berezniki, gelegen in de Oeral, wordt langzaam opgeslokt door de grond vanwege de decennialange zoutwinning. Both Ears to the Ground luistert aandachtig naar de stemmen van bewoners die leven met de dreiging van zinkgaten. Deze gaten – zowel letterlijk als symbolisch – openen vragen over vertrouwen, geloof en de onzichtbare krachten die ons bestaan vormgeven.
EN Set in Berezniki, a city in Russia’s Ural region undermined by decades of salt mining, Both Ears to the Ground listens closely to the lives of residents navigating the literal collapse of their environment. Sinkholes—both physical and metaphorical—serve as openings into deeper questions of trust, faith, and the unseen forces that shape daily life.
The Radiant Screen
Ine Lamers | 2025 | NL | 47 ’ | EN subtitles
NL Zjeleznogorsk, ooit een gesloten Sovjetstad voor plutoniumproductie, blijft een schimmige plek – gevormd door geheimhouding en isolement. In The Radiant Screen onderzoekt Ine Lamers met archiefbeelden, interviews en een indringende beeldtaal de blijvende sporen van een stad die nooit bedoeld was om gezien te worden.
EN Zheleznogorsk, once a closed Soviet city built for plutonium production, remains ghostlike—shaped by its history of secrecy and isolation. In The Radiant Screen, Ine Lamers combines archival research, interviews, and a haunting visual language to explore the lingering presence of a city never meant to be seen.
Zaterdag 3 mei, 20:30
CONTEMPORARY
Fantasy A Gets a Mattress
David Norman Lewis, Noah Zoltan Sofian | 2023 | USA | 79’ | no subtitles
NL Wij van Filmhuis Cavia houden van het vreemde, het ongewone en het experimentele, dus Fantasy A Gets a Mattress leek meteen gemaakt voor ons! We zijn er trots op dat we dit juweeltje van moderne Amerikaanse indie-cinema voor het eerst in Nederland in de bioscoop kunnen vertonen.
Fantasy A Gets a Mattress is in zoveel opzichten uniek – het verhaal dat wordt verteld is dat van Fantasy A, een levensechte zelfbeschreven autistische rapper uit Seattle, die besluit dat hij, om zijn droom te verwezenlijken om het groot te maken in de hiphop, eerst een goede nachtrust moet krijgen. Tijdens zijn reis om een comfortabel bed te krijgen, moet hij zich een weg banen langs een heleboel maffe en vreemde personages die zijn dromen willen verpletteren, waardoor de film een verscheidenheid aan thema's aansnijdt, waaronder hiphop, radicale stedelijke verandering, beperkingen, de huisvestingscrisis, artistieke ambitie en wat er nodig is om door te breken. De film werd geproduceerd met een extreem krap budget in vier jaar tijd, maar slaagde er toch in om iets heel bijzonders te creëren, met prachtige shots en een unieke cinematografie samen met een modern verhaal over hosselen in een onvriendelijke wereld.
EN We at Filmhuis Cavia love the weird, the unusual and the experimental, so Fantasy A Gets a Mattress immediately seemed made for us! We are proud to give this little jewel of modern American indie cinema a first theatrical release in the Netherlands.
Fantasy A Gets a Mattress is just unique in so many ways – the story told is that of Fantasy A, a real-life self-described autistic rapper from Seattle, who decides that, in order to achieve his dream to make it big in hip hop, he first has to get a good night's sleep. Through his journey to get a comfy bed, he has to hustle his way past a slew of wack and weird characters, who would like to crush his dreams, allowing the film to touch on a variety of themes including hip hop, radical urban change, disability, the housing crisis, artistic ambition, and what it takes to break through. Produced on an extremely tight budget over four years, the film still managed to create something really special, with beautiful shots and a unique cinematography accompanying a modern story about hustling in an unkind world.
Donderdag 8 mei, 20:30
CONTEMPORARY
Animal
Sofia Exarchou | 2023 | Griekenland | 116’ | EN subtitles
NL Animal is terug! De eerste vertoning op 5 april was een enorm succes. Om iedereen te bedanken organiseren we een tweede vertoning. Deze keer vindt de vertoning plaats nadat de Lux European Audience Awards zijn uitgereikt, dus we weten dan of de film gewonnen heeft of niet. We hopen dat iedereen die er de eerste keer niet bij kon zijn, er nu wel bij kan zijn! Er zal weer een proloog zijn van de curator, Dimitra Alexiou, filmcomponist uit Griekenland, en Griekse drankjes om van te genieten na de vertoning. Ga met ons mee op reis naar de realiteit van het toeristische hoogseizoen in Griekenland en de werkende mensen daar.
Hotel Mirage luidt de bedrieglijke naam van een Grieks strandhotel uit de middenklasse. De clientèle is afkomstig uit het wat oudere toeristensegment, dat zich gewillig laat entertainen met dansvoorstellingen, bingo en aquarobics. Het is brood op de plank voor Kalia en haar jongere collega-entertainers die weinig reden tot klagen hebben, zolang ze de voordelen van een bohemien-achtig bestaan maar kunnen genieten. Dat gold ook lange tijd voor Kalia zelf, maar na negen jaar in de business openbaren zich de onvermijdelijke fysieke en mentale slijtageplekken. Aan een val in de discotheek waar de groep af en toe bijbeunt, houdt ze een akelige wond aan haar been over. Maar het is niet alleen fysieke pijn, die ze probeert weg te drinken of te verdoven door seks te bedrijven met willekeurige toeristen.
Kalia's leven is in feite plotloos en dus doet regisseur Sofia Exarchou ook geen moeite haar kijkers met geforceerde wendingen bij de les te houden. Het is de steeds doffer en vertwijfelder wordende blik in Kalia's ogen die het echte verhaal vertelt.
ENAnimal is back! The first screening on the 5th of April was an enormous success, and to thank everyone we're organising a second screening. This time the screening takes place after the Lux European Audience Awards have been given, so we will know if the film has won or not. It is with great honour and gratitude that we organise this screening, and we hope to see everyone who could not make it to the first one!
There will be a prologue from the curator, Dimitra Alexiou, film composer from Greece, as well as greek drinks for people to enjoy after the screening. Join us for a journey deep inside the truths of the tourism high season in Greece, its ups, its downs, and the reality of the working people there.
The entertainers on an all-inclusive Greek island are preparing for high season. Kalia is the leader of the group and always has to keep the colorful program alive. Hotel Mirage is the deceptive name of a mid-segment Greek beach hotel. Its clientele is made up mainly of older tourists, who love the entertainment laid on in the form of dance shows, bingo and aquarobics. This provides a living for Kalia and the younger entertainers, who don’t have too much to complain about as long as they can enjoy the benefits of a bohemian life. As the work becomes increasingly harder and more intense, things get out of hand. But the show must go on.
At first glance, they are a carefree bunch of pleasure-seekers: the entertainers who earn a crust keeping the guests amused at a Greek beach hotel. But for one of them, this illusion is rapidly approaching its sell-by date.
Vrijdag 9 mei, 20:30
EXPERIMENTAL
QC on Screen: Three short films by members of the Queer Choir Amsterdam
NL "Kom naar QC on Screen voor een speciaal evenement met drie korte films gemaakt door leden van het Queer Choir Amsterdam. Deze drie werken delen persoonlijke en collectieve verhalen en bieden een kijkje in de creatieve werelden die onze stemmen vormgeven.
QC on screen is niet alleen een viering van ons kunstenaarschap, maar ook een manier om het Queer Choir te steunen. Een deel van de opbrengst gaat rechtstreeks naar de ondersteuning en groei van het koor, zodat we kunnen blijven zingen, samenkomen en queer joy kunnen versterken. Kom voor de films, blijf voor de warmte. Iedereen is welkom." MEER→
EN "Join us for an evening of screenings at QC on Screen, a special event featuring three short films created by members of the Queer Choir Amsterdam. These three works share personal and collective stories, offering glimpses into the creative worlds that shape our voices.
QC on screen is not only a celebration of our artistry but also a way to support the Queer Choir itself. A portion of the proceeds will go directly to sustaining and growing the choir, helping us continue to sing, gather, and amplify queer joy. Come for the films, stay for the warmth. Everyone is welcome." MORE→
Zaterdag 10 mei, 20:30
DOCU
Gallivant
Andrew Kötting | 1996 | UK | 104’ | EN subtitles
EN To gallivant means to travel, roam, or move about for pleasure. Under this guise, filmmaker Andrew Kötting drives 10,000 kilometres around the coastline of Britain, accompanied by his 7-year-old daughter Eden who has Joubert’s syndrome, and his 85-year-old grandmother Gladys. Throughout their odyssey the trio brush with eccentric characters and customs, reflecting the fictions and frictions of the British Isles.
There is a motif of electricity pylons, abuzz with voices. Amid the cacophony of thick regional accents, radio-wave interference, diary entries and archival samples, Eden and Gladys forge new ways of communicating with hand signs and gestures. There is a feeling that time is speeding up. Gladys nears the end of her life, whilst Eden is just beginning her fragile existence. Andrew injects boyish humour to soften spirits.
Shot on Super 8 and 16mm film, in a mixture of pumped-up colours and abrasive black-and-white, Gallivant is DIY home-slash-road movie with charm and poignancy.
Zondag 11 mei, 14:00 - 20:45
CLASSIC
Burning Passions: a Metin Erksan Retrospective
Metin Erksan | Turkije | English subs
EN Filmhuis Cavia is proud to present, in collaboration with our partners at Sonra Film, a full day retrospective of Metin Erksan, the father of modern Turkish cinema! Known for having once said: “The director is the omnipotent, he is the god-like king”, when taking the role of director, Erksan acted like an all-powerful being, refusing to be bound by the stylistic norms of his time, or even of his own previous work. Thanks to this strong-willed creativity, Metin Erksan has not only revolutionized Turkish cinema, bringing a force of renewal which can only be likened to the one brought by the French New Wave, but has constantly experimented and changed styles, as we hope our selection will make you appreciate. MORE→
Donderdag 15 mei, 19:30
DOCU
1944. Deportation (+ Q&A)
Fatima Osman & Yunus Pasha | 2019 | Ukraine | 61’ | EN subtitles
EN Eleven years ago, in the wake of Ukraine’s revolution of dignity, so-called “green men” appeared all over the Crimean peninsula. It was the start of Russia’s illegal annexation of Crimea, which was the preamble to the full-scale war Russia is now waging on Ukraine. Among those who suffered the most under Russian occupation, is the Crimean Tatar population, many of whose organisations have been decried as Muslim terrorist groups. Community leaders and activists have been tortured, arrested, and kidnapped. Many of those who were imprisoned were transported to Russian territory and had to endure long prison sentences.
To understand more about the history of Crimean Tatars, Filmhuis Cavia, Ukrainians in the Netherlands foundation, and Libereco – Partnership for Human rights are showing the 2019 documentary 1944. Deportation. Seventy years before the current annexation, based on orders of Joseph Stalin and the State Defense Committee Crimean, Tatars were deported to the Siberia, Central Asia and Urals regions. During the deportation and in the first years of exile, almost half of deported Crimean Tatars died. This tells about the tragedy and dreams regarding the return to Crimea of those who survived. Through several separate life stories the documentary tells about the tragedy of all Crimean Tatars. Understanding this collective trauma helps us contextualise the new displacements and loss of today.
After the screening, there will be a Q&A about the topic of the film, followed by a moment for the writing of postcards to Crimean Tatar activist. Typical food and drinks will also be available in the cinema.
Entrance: on donation
Vrijdag 16 mei, 20:30
SEX-POSITIVE
Kissable Screens: Philoxenia
Porn Film Festival Amsterdam x Athens
EN Philoxenia literally means love of strangers; it means eagerness to show hospitality. It was a sacred institution in ancient Greece protected by Zeus himself. Foreign guests were considered honoured and respected people. This year The Athens Porn Film Festival (8-11 May) invites "foreign guests" from Amsterdam, PFFA, with a selection of films produced in the Netherlands, and takes a chance to learn more about the current legal situation in De Wallen and its culture. MORE→
Zaterdag 17 mei, 20:30
CLASSIC
Exotica
Atom Egoyan | 1994 | Canada | 104’ | English, no subtitles
NLExotica is het raadselachtige en fantasierijke werk van de Canadese filmmaker Atom Egoyan, een echte cultklassieker. Het verhaal draait rond een stripclub – een locatie die uiteraard volledig gebaseerd is op geseksualiseerde transacties (hoewel, interessant genoeg, de seks in deze film niet expliciet is) – en onthult langzaam de onverwachte onderlinge verbanden tussen verschillende personages wiens levens samenkomen in de club. Hoewel de valuta van seks en verlangen altijd aanwezig is, wordt het duidelijk, naarmate de film vordert, dat wat deze mensen echt verbindt trauma en verdriet is - dat een behoefte om de leegte op te vullen voor iets dat verloren is gegaan, een relatie of verbinding die niet langer beschikbaar is, bijna elke interactie op het scherm drijft. De film heeft geen chronologische volgorde, ademt een mysterieus geladen sfeer en heeft een verrassende climax.
Exotica is een filmlabyrint dat verleidelijk kronkelt in de donkerste geheimen van een groep mensen die geen band met elkaar zouden moeten hebben, maar dat wel hebben. Aan het begin lijkt de film te gaan over willekeurig gekozen vreemden. Tegen het einde wordt onthuld dat deze mensen zo nauw met elkaar verbonden zijn dat als je er één zou wegnemen, hun wereld zou instorten. — Roger Ebert
Voorafgaand zal er een korte introductie zijn.
ENExotica is the enigmatic and imaginative work by Canadian filmmaker Atom Egoyan, a real cult classic. With a story revolving around a strip club—a location that is, of course, entirely premised on sexualized transactions (though, interestingly, in this film the sex is not explicit)—the film slowly reveals the unexpected interconnections among several characters whose lives converge at the club. Though the currency of sex and desire is ever present, it becomes clear, as the film unfolds, that what truly links these people is trauma and grief—that a need to fill the void for something lost, a relationship or connection that is no longer available, drives nearly every interaction on-screen. The film has no chronological order, exudes a mysterious charged atmosphere and has a surprising climax.
Exotica is a movie labyrinth, winding seductively into the darkest secrets of a group of people who should have no connection with one another, but do. At the beginning, the film seems to be about randomly selected strangers. By the end, it is revealed that these people are so tightly wound up together that if you took one away, their world would collapse. — Roger Ebert
Before the screening, there will be a short introduction.
Donderdag 22 mei, 20:30
DOCU
The Root of the Olive Tree (La Raíz del Olivo)
Sergio M. Eguino Viera | 2024 | Cuba, Bolivia, Argentinië, Libanon | 54’ | EN subtitles
EN The urgency of solidarity in the face of the genocide and Israeli occupation against the Palestinian people compels us to ensure that the dissemination and screening of the documentary The Root of the Olive Tree contribute as effectively as possible to awareness, debate, and actions of solidarity and condemnation.
The Root of the Olive Tree tells the story of five Palestinians living far from their homeland who recount their experiences in the face of the intensification of the genocide and the Israeli occupation that has lasted more than 76 years. From afar, Watan, Omaima, Murid, Baylasan, and Bassel share stories of struggle, loss, and hope. Through their letters, their everyday life and memories—interwoven with the pain of being far away—they express their unwavering faith in a free future for Palestine, always with the constant support of Cuba, the country that has welcomed them.
Free entrance
Vrijdag 23 mei, 20:30
CONTEMPORARY
An evening with Audrey Lam: Us and the Night + Janitor of Lunacy
Join us for a very special evening with filmmaker and curator Audrey Lam!
Janitor of Lunacy
Umi Ishihara | 2019 | UK | 12’ | English
Janitor of Lunacy follows a young woman’s descent into a digital wormhole via her obsession with a BDSM account run by an unknown user. The film examines social media’s ability to acquire organicity whilst also distorting subjective reality.
Love and emotions towards others can be projected and built up through spending time on—and even obsessing—over a stranger’s social media accounts. Through browsing bricolages of curated images, GIFS and clips (Tumblr) alongside personal photos (Facebook, Instagram) it’s all too common for people to create narratives around people they’ve never met - distorting reality and feeding fantasy.
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Us and the Night
Audrey Lam | 2024 | Australia | 67’ | English
Night after night, two travellers cross paths in a place full of myths and stories.
A storm summons the memory of a library in the subtropics in this first feature by Australian filmmaker Audrey Lam, filmed on 16mm over a period of 10 years. Non-professionals Umi Ishihara and Xiao Deng play versions of themselves—solitary after-hours workers going about their mundane duties night after night. Imagining themselves as explorers lost in a labyrinth or marooned on an island, they embark on small, playful adventures both together and apart, as the library’s vast yet shrinking collection becomes a playground for their own stories and secrets. (Prismatic Grounds Festival)
First as Tragedy, Second as Farce: Films by Bernardo Zanotta + Q&A
Bernardo Zanotta | 2022-2025 | BR, NL, FR, IT | 60’ | English subtitles
Join us for a special screening on the work of Bernardo Zanotta, Brazilian filmmaker and former member of the Cavia collective. This event supports his ongoing crowdfunding campaign for his upcoming film, My Father Who Wrote His Own Ending, currently live on Voordekunst.
This will be the first Amsterdam screening of Zanotta’s short film Tragédia (2025), followed by the all-time-favorite, Insieme Insieme (2022). Bernardo will join us for an online Q&A after the screening.
Tragédia
Bernardo Zanotta | 2025 | 30’
In this semi-autobiographical short, a 13-year-old Bernardo receives a video camera from his father and begins documenting their family vacation. As he uncovers his father's betrayal of his stepmother, Bernardo and his stepmother, inspired by Greek tragedies, plot a revenge, blurring the lines between reality and fiction.
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Insieme Insieme
Bernardo Zanotta | 2022 | 37’
Set in the Italian lake region, the film follows a mysterious trio—Isabella, Cecilia, and Rafael—who, during their perpetual vacation, kidnap an innocent tourist. The trio creates a parallel world in their apartment, disconnected from reality. As external pressures mount, their constructed life begins to crumble.
Zondag 25 mei, 16:00
FUNDRAISING
In Solidarity with Myanmar – Earthquake Fundraiser Film Program
Join us in solidarity with the people of Myanmar in this screening to raise funds for the country in its darkest hour. We have curated a rich program of films from Myanmar – a total of over 200 minutes of running time and most of them produced post-coup – to offer a glimpse into the lifeworlds on that land and connect you to the heart of ongoing struggles. MORE INFO→
Zaterdag 31 mei, 20:30
SPECIAL
Traces # 1: Darryl Daley (UK) + John Akomfrah (UK)
In this new series, the short films of emerging artists are paired with works that inspired their practice, creating a space where past and present, short and feature-length, resonate against one another. Come early / stay late to chat with Darryl and collect your copy of the Traces zine featuring written reflections from curator and writer Orphee Kashala.
Revival 24
Darryl Daley | 2024 | UK | 3’ | no dialogue
Revival 24 captures a liminal moment in which, through the spirit, the Black body transcends a singular notion of masculinity to break free from the constraints of linear temporality. The film reflects an alternative tangible framework, where the contemporary and the archival converge, embodying an “untethered now”.
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The Last Angel of History
John Akomfrah / Black Audio Film Collective | 1995 | UK | 46’ | English
The Last Angel of History is one of the most influential video-essays of the 1990s, influencing filmmakers and inspiring conferences, novels, and exhibitions. Black Audio Film Collective’s exploration of the chromatic possibilities of digital video is embedded within a mythology of the future that creates connections between Black non-popular culture, outer space, and the limits of the human condition. This cinematic essay posits science fiction – with tropes such as alien abduction, estrangement, and genetic engineering – as a metaphor for the Pan-African experience of forced displacement, cultural alienation, and otherness.
Included are interviews with Black cultural figures, from musicians DJ Spooky, Goldie, and Derek May, who discuss the importance of George Clinton to their own music, to George Clinton himself. In keeping with the futuristic tenor of the film, the interviews are intercut with images of Pan-African life from different periods of history, jumping between time and space from the past to the future to the present, not unlike the visual mode of many rock videos of the film’s time. (LUX)
NL Toegang 5 euro, tenzij anders vermeld.
We accepteren ook de Cinevillepas.
Reserveren is niet mogelijk. Kaartjes kunnen vanaf een half uur voor aanvang aan de bar gekocht worden.
EN Entrance 5 euros, unless stated otherwise. We also accept the Cineville card.
It's not possible to make reservations. Tickets can be bought at the bar, half an hour before the film starts.
