[Summer 2013] Film Festivals & Screenings

With today’s quickly growing gadget technology, there’s something special to be said about seeing a movie on the big screen versus one that fits in your pocket.

Getting dressed up for a night out at the movies may not be the same spectacle for us as it once was for movie-goers in generations past, but watching a film on the silver screen is a pastime still enjoyed by audiences around the world.

Fortunately for expats, the Netherlands has no shortage of entertaining cinema events suitable for an international audience!

Here are a few of our suggestions for late summer movie releases and the details on where you’ll be able to fully enjoy a summer of cinema, rain or shine.

Don't forget to view our guide to movie theatres in the Netherlands too! 

Summer Film Festivals & Outdoor Screenings

› Open Air Cinema at Humanity House
- The Hague | July 18 - August 22
This five-day festival screens six inspiring, international films including "Slumdog Millionaire," "City of God," and "Persepolis."

› Het Ketelhuis
- Amsterdam | July 27- August 31
Outdoor movies spanning six Saturday evenings at the Westergasfabriek will include Dutch titles like "De Heineken ontvoering," plus "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," "Midnight in Paris" and more!

› World Cinema Festival
- Amsterdam | August 7-18
Open-air screenings of international films including "The Lunchbox" and more in Amsterdam’s Marie Heinekenplein and Vondelpark plus indoor screenings at De Baile and Theatre Rialto.

› Pleinbioscoop
- Rotterdam | August 14 - September 1
Food, drinks, live music and a wide selection of international films including "Jaws," "Bachelorette," and "Zero Dark Thirty" will be shown outside nightly in Museumpark.

Want to attend the screening of your choice, for free? Participate in our Pleinbioscoop ticket competition until August 11!

› Pluk de Nacht
- Amsterdam | August 7-17
- Arnhem | August 22-23
- The Hague | August 29-31 - September 1
This free, open-air film festival has established itself as one of Amsterdam’s top summer events. In 2013, weekend showings have been scheduled in Arhnem and The Hague in celebration of the festival’s 10th anniversary.

Tip: Hundreds attempt to attend film screenings but seating is limited, so remember to arrive early!

› Fellini Films & Exhibition at EYE
- Amsterdam | Until September 22
In addition to the three-month long exhibition at Amsterdam’s EYE Film Museum, the film programme "All is Fellini" will host some of the Frederico Fellini’s classics (Italian spoken with Dutch or English subtitles) like "La Dolce Vita," "La Strada" and more.

› West Beach Film Festival
- Amsterdam | September 6-28
As summer turns to autumn, films will be screened outdoors in Amsterdam’s Nieuwe-West neighbourhood.

European & International

› Kapringen | Danish
A dramatic thriller following the crew of a Danish cargo ship which has been hijacked by Somali pirates.

› Do Not Disturb | French
This comedy follows two college friends with opposite personalities (one wild, one serious), who reunite after taking different paths in life.

› A Coeur Ouvert | French
What happens when two heart surgens, both passionately obsessed with their careers and each other, discover the upcoming birth of their first child?

› Mariage a Mendoza | French, English and Spanish
This French comedy follows two brothers (one joyful and the other fresh out of a break-up) to Buenos Aires for their cousin's wedding.

› The Loneliest Planet | English
Previously released at Amsterdam's EYE, this thriller follows an engaged couple, Hani Fustenberg and Gael Garcia Bernal, on a wild backpacking adventure through the Caucasus Mountains where a single mistake unravels the whole trip.

› Foxfire | English
In this drama, teenage girls in a 1950s New York town unleash havoc by forming their own gang.

› Alceste à bicyclette | French
A once-great actor retires from the limelight to the peaceful countryside and plays hard to get when he is invited back to the stage again.

› Bellas Mariposas | Italian
Winner of the IRRF 2013 "Big Screen Award," this drama follows a day in the life of a Sardinian teenage girl with a plot including young love, murder threats and more.

› Metéora | Greek
Greek director Spiros Stathoulopoulos explores a secret romance between an Orthodox monk and neighbouring nun at the ancient, mountainside monastery Metéora.

› Le Passe | French
After returning to his homeland and abandoning his family, an Iranian man is confronted with divorce from his French wife who has started a new relationship.

Blockbusters

› The Internship | English
This American comedy follows stars Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson through a competitive internship at Google, which they have attained despite their lack of experience.

› The Purge | English
This science fiction thriller takes place in 2022 during "The Purge," a time when for a space of 12 hours all heinous crimes are a legal and emergency help suspended.

› Girl Most Likely | English
Kristen Wiig stars in this comedy where her character attempts suicide in an effort to get her ex back, ony to end up instead in the custody of her wild, gambling-addicted mother.

› Pacific Rim | English
Humans and sea monsters are waging a near-apocalyptic war in this action-adventure flick by director Guillermo del Toro.

› Mud | English
This coming-of-age drama depicts two young boys in Arkansas and their attempt at reuniting lovers played by Matthew McConaughey and Reese Witherspoon.

› Grown Ups 2 | English
This star-studded comedy catches up with characters where the precursor film ended and stars Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Chris Rock and David Spade finding humour in their now family-focused lives.

› Red 2 | English
Retired CIA agent, star Bruce Willis, leads his somewhat questionable team of elite operatives on a mission to save the world from possible nuclear destruction in this action-comedy sequel.

› The Wolverine | English
Hugh Jackman stars as the super hero who is summoned to Japan to battled his old demons, and deadly samurai, in this action-fantasy sequel to "X-Men: The Last Stand."

› Jayne Mansfield’s Car | English
Director Billy Bob Thorton brings a dramatic story about two culture clashing families in 1960s Alabama to the big screen.

› To the Wonder | English, French, Spanish, Italian
A romantic drama with a star-studded cast (Ben Affleck,Olga Kurylenko, Javier Bardem and Rachel McAdams) follows two lovers exploring their new romance in and around Paris.

› Make Your Move | English
Top dancers display their best moves in this dance-musical following star-crossed dancers in New York City.

› The Look of Love | English
British comedian Steve Coogan starts as Paul Raymond, London’s infamous media mogul and pornographer-playboy in the 1970s. 

› The Heat | English
Comediennes Sandra Bullock and Melissa McCarthy star as a crime-fighting odd couple with contrasting personalities on a mission to take down a New York City drug lord.

› The Bling Ring | English
Sophia Coppola directs this satirical comedy about the true story of a group of Los Angeles teenagers who use social media to rob celebrities.

› Behind the Candelabra | English
Michael Douglas starts as the flamboyant entertainer, Liberace, with Matt Damon playing as his younger lover Scott Thorson in this biographic drama.

› Lone Ranger | English
Johnny Depp stars as Tonto, the faithful Native American sidekick to the masked Lone Ranger (Armie Hammer) in this comedic remake of the classic American western.

› Elysium | English
Matt Damon and Jodie Foster start in this sci-fi action movie set in 2154, where only the wealthy have escaped a nearly destroyed Earth to live in space.

› Blue Jasmine | English
The latest Woody Allen film follows Jasmine (Cate Blanchett) who seeks refuge and reconnection at her sister’s home in San Francisco after an emotional and financial breakdown.

› We’re the Millers | English
Jennifer Aniston and Jason Sudeikis star as pretend parents to a fake family of misfits put together as a plot to smuggle a large shipment of pot from Mexico to the United States.

Interested in one of the films mentioned above? Find screening information with our guide to cinemas in the Netherlands!