Ciske the Rat

The story of Operation Market Garden—a failed attempt by the allies in the latter stages of WWII to end the war quickly by securing three bridges in Holland allowing access over the Rhine into Germany. A combination of poor allied intelligence and the presence of two crack German panzer divisions meant that the final part of this operation (the bridge in Arnhem over the Rhine) was doomed to failure.

When architect Alex Wyler moves into an unusual glass house on stilts over a lake, he discovers a note from the previous tenant in the mailbox--but no one's lived in the house for years. He replies and soon discovers that he's corresponding with a doctor named Kate Forster. Their correspondence, only through the 'magical' mailbox, turns romantic and their paths cross in unexpected ways, but when they try to truly connect, danger looms. They must try to unravel the mystery behind their extraordinary romance before it's too late.

In the year of 754 AD, during a time of epic battles and bloodshed, the legend of the pagan warrior king, Rebad, is born, but so is a new weapon against his people: Christianity. Redbad must ultimately unite a Viking army powerful enough to defeat the seemingly invincible Franks.

A wealthy French couple unable to bear children but determined to start a family agree to use an anonymous surrogate . Upon seeking a professional opinion on the matter, the couple is advised to seek out an anonymous surrogate. Though the procedure is a success, Jean-Paul becomes entirely consumed in his quest to discover the identity of the young woman (Willeke van Ammelrooy) who is currently carrying his child. Upon coming face to face with the ravishing young beauty, Jean-Paul initiates a torrid affair that will profoundly affect the lives of all involved.

Young journalist has an interview with a succesfull gay playwright who likes to write frankly about sex. At first the interviewee responds cynical and distant, but after a while the tone of the conversation changes. This is because the playwright notices the journalist more than admires him.

Leon Mortier, a wealthy publisher, whilst driving through the forest one day, stops when he sees Lulu walking down the long narrow road. She gets into the car. Leon is amused and intrigued by her. When he pulls off, suddenly out of nowhere a man appears in front of the car and Leon accidentally hits him. He decides to take them both home to recover. Leon falls madly in love with Lulu. Both Lulu and the man stay on with him in the house. Lulu's behavior is unpredictable. Leon becomes suspicious and paranoid about her. As he begins to suspect that his friends are being unfaithful with Lulu, he decides to throw a dinner party with some of his closest friends. During the dinner he wants to confront them with their infidelity and expel them all from his life with Lulu. But when he discovers his son in the arms of Lulu, he decides also to get rid of her, a plan which backfires in a most unexpected way.

It seems that misdeeds by inhabitants of the Dutch provinces make for believable stories, whether they are mysteries by Willem van de Wettering, or psychological thrillers by Simon Vestdijk, who wrote the book this film is based on. In the story, set in the 1950s, Hendrik Grond (Gijs Scholten van Aschat) has a good law practice, and a happy marriage which has produced a son. He is so contented that his world is completely shattered when, undetected, he catches his wife in bed with his law firm's senior partner. In fact, he has become quietly unhinged, and he arranges a series of "accidents" to ensure his revenge - becoming involved in the local underworld in the process. Will he succeed in committing a series of "perfect" crimes, or will the police inspector (Johan Simons) investigating these incidents get wise?

A family film, based on a well-known Dutch story from the Middle Ages. Mariken tells the compelling and poetic story of spirited young girl named Mariken. The orphan Mariken lives in a secluded forest with an eccentric old hermit. One day, she decides to leave her surroundings and sets off for town to buy a new goat. On her adventurous journey into the 'real' world, she finds out about the good and bad sides of people.

Back in his native Suriname to see his dying mother, an Afro-Surinamese student from the Netherlands’ former colony finds himself torn between his Amsterdam-based life with his white Dutch girlfriend and a future in his newly independent homeland when he falls for a local Hindostani nurse.

The story of a small and conservative West-Flemish village opposing the construction of a bridge over the Scheldt.

When his wife Lydia commits suicide, succesful attorney Robert Havinck is freed from his unhappy marriage. Unfortunately, it turns out she took a complete stranger along with her, and a feeling of guilt and curiosity about her motives lead Havinck to team up with his fifteen-year old daughter to explore Lydia's final days.

A rich Frisian farmer has been murdered in Amsterdam and police duo Grijpstra & De Gier are sent to investigate. Adjutant Grijpstra has problems at home again and is happy to leave for Friesland to investigate the murder. Sgt. De Gier finds the Frisian Hylke much more interesting than the murder case. In Leeuwarden there is a real Chinese war and a brutal robbery at the cattle market. Suddenly there is that friendly rattling, asthmatic rat who provides an unexpected solution.

After a heavy storm, the grumpy Captain Eksteroog ends up on an uninhabited island. To spare the time, he decides to search for a treasure that his arch-enemy Zilvertand once buried there. Captain Eksteroog soon notices that he is not alone. Reus, a big guy of two meters and five children with their dog Smikkel have also ended up on the island. Captain Eksteroog and Reus capture dog Smikkel and force the children to search for the treasure. Meanwhile, Piet, Berend, Stien and Steven discover an island that is not on any of their maps. They go on an investigation and end up on the same island where Captain Eksteroog's resides! When they find the children there, they decide to help them find the treasure. But what if they find it and Captain Eksteroog still won't let them leave?

For all his life Frank Goudvis has tried not to follow in the footsteps of his father. When his father is mysteriously murdered, Frank loses his alibi for his cherished passivity and decides to travel to the crime scene.

The story of three torn apart families on the verge of Sinterklaasavond, the Dutch equivalent of Christmas Eve.

Adaptation for television of the stage play of the same name by the Dutch playwright Herman Heijermans. When lodger Eva Bonheur lends her landlady Mop two thousand pounds and Mop is unable to repay her, Bonheur gets control of the house and decides to put Mop, her husband Jasper and their daughter Miep out on the street.

Registration of the second Kinderen voor Kinderen-concertshow. In this annual event, the Dutch children's choir 'Kinderen Voor Kinderen' performs 12 songs based on ideas sent in by children. The songs make up an album from which the proceeds go to a good cause, namely collecting toys for children in Third World Countries.

The film is about a successful artist Vincent, whose marriage to Linda falls apart due to his success. This is partly because Vincent starts a relationship with Evelien. Another important event is the fatal traffic accident involving his son Erik.

King Olaf of Haland is an albino who lives in a gloomy castle. Abraham Mogèn, an alchemist, wants to aid the king. But on his way to the castle he is murdered by the highwayman Wogram and his servant Onorg. Wogram disguises himself as the alchemist and wins the favor of the king.

In All Stars 2 Old Stars, the unexpected wedding of one of the boys means they treat themselves to an ‘old-fashioned training camp’ in the form of a long weekend in Barcelona. The match between Barcelona and Real Madrid is meant to be the high point of the trip. But of course not everything goes according to plan for the Swift Boys.

Young Barend is worried about the safety of the sailing vessel he is on. The owner is an unscrupulous and stingy man who skimps on repairs and Barend becomes aware of this. Inevitably there is drama and tragedy. The film is set in an early 20th century Dutch fishing village with local period costume and colour.

Seven young men who played soccer together since their early youth grow apart and are forced to think about the nature of their friendship. In a comic way and a very Dutch setting, All Stars is about pregnant girlfriends and homosexuality, career plans and the power of parents.

A 40-year-old architect begins to doubt his role as a father in a world sliding into decadence. When he meets a young Polish girl he runs off with her to Rhodes. His psycho-moralistic angst is presented in a series of flashbacks when the hijack of his airplane forces him to take stock of his life.

In this special broadcast, we look back on Robert Jensen's groundbreaking television career through memorable clips from his iconic RTL5 talk show JENSEN.

Princess is the title of a photo novel which will be written by Walter and photographed by Mark. A story of sex and violence which has great success. But Mark falls so much in love with his model that he can't tell her apart from Princess...

Instructional film about the (former) biggest harbour in the world, with a hybrid format. Well known Ivens themes are revisited, like The Flying Dutchman in the fiction part of the film, who returns to the modern day Rotterdam, that has recovered very well after the devastating bombardments in the second world war.

When Eva opens her eyes a young girl finds herself chained terrified for being abused. Her fears become reality in a way no one could ever imagine.

A peaceful family-life is suddenly disturbed when the children enter puberty. The children take over the house and disrupt the lives of their parents.

This documentary explores the life and life of Harry Bannink, an important Dutch composer for theatre and television.

Reading relay of the novel 'Oeroeg' by Hella Haasse by eighty well-known and lesser-known Dutch people. Each person reads a page aloud, after which the book is passed on to the next reader. Philip Freriks, news anchor and ambassador for Nederland Leest, opens the reading relay. Director Shireen Strooker concludes it. 'Oeroeg' is Hella Haasse's debut novel from 1948. Haasse tells the story of the friendship between an Indonesian boy and the son of a Dutch administrator at a tea plantation in the Dutch East Indies before the Second World War. Gradually, the two boys grow apart. When the narrator, the Dutch boy, returns to the Indies—which has not yet quite become Indonesia—after studying in Delft, their estrangement turns out to have grown into a chasm. The final sentence reads: "Am I forever a stranger in the land of my birth, on the soil from which I do not wish to be uprooted? Time will tell."

Herman van Veen ist der absolute Inbegriff des Liedermachers. Bezaubernde, nachdenkliche, traurige, wahre und fantasievolle Geschichten erzählt der 56-jährige Musiker, Sänger, Songschreiber und Schauspieler aus Utrecht. Herman van Veen ist aber auch Poet und Clown -- und das macht aus jedem seiner Konzerte etwas Besonderes und ebenso aus jedem seiner Alben. Denn Herman van Veen singt nicht nur seine Lieder, er lebt und atmet sie. Was ich dir singen wollte handelt in erster Linie von der Liebe. Fazit: Ein Herman van Veen wie immer -- ein sensibler Poet, voller Menschlichkeit und Mitgefühl, eingebettet in ebenso einfühlsame, zarte aber durchaus auch lebensprühende Musik.

The Passion tells the story of the suffering, death and resurrection of Jesus. Well-known Dutch artists such as Danny de Munk, Frans Bauer and Berget Lewis tell this age-old story using contemporary Dutch pop songs

Ciske de Rat - the Musical, based on Piet Bakker's trilogy, not only tells the famous story of Ciske, the boy with a heart of gold and his cheeky antics, but also how Ciske fares as an adult.