Friday, July 22, 2011

Foreign Correspondent: Going Dutch

Besides the Dutch no-nonsense approach to everything from healthcare to vice, what I find most impressive about this Venice of the North is that there’s an actual cinema culture here – which is not the case in my hometown NYC, where there are only a handful of repertory screening rooms to serve a forever-dwindling audience. Just flipping through the venue listings at the back of the local “Off Beat Cinema” (that there’s even a free monthly magazine called “Off Beat Cinema” is darn impressive, too) one can choose from a whopping 16 different places to see underground and indie films many with English subtitles. (This in a city half the size of Brooklyn.) For the hipster crowd there’s De Nieuwe Anita, a cozy bar that also hosts art exhibits, live music, poetry readings – yup, even a knitting night. Best to arrive as soon as the doors open, though, else you won’t be able to squeeze into one of the usually sold out screenings in the retro living room-styled basement.

To read the rest visit Filmmaker magazine.

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