Keyword Utrecht

In 2024, the iconic Rietveld Schröder House in Utrecht will celebrate its 100th anniversary. Gerrit Rietveld designed and built the house in close collaboration with his secret lover and creative partner Truus Schröder. Rietveld himself did not build his houses for eternity; he thought a life cycle of 50 years was sufficient. But the current owners of houses designed by Rietveld think differently about this. They pull out all the stops to renovate and preserve their Rietveld houses.

Two girls meet each other at a party and bring home a friend of theirs who is a bit too drunk. They wander around the streets of Utrecht and end up bringing each other home back and forth, because they don’t want the night to end.

Miniature of working-class neighbourhood Het Kleine Wijk in Ondiep in Utrecht, captured in the year before the arrival of the demolition hammers. Het Kleine Wijk is a village in itself, which was constructed in the 1920s and where everybody knows each other and each other's behaviour, children and dogs. Many windows display a small plate saying 'Beware of the dog'. The residents talk about the old days, explaining how many times they repainted their houses, in an attempt to make them even more beautiful, and that they will bid the quarter farewell with a broken heart, but with their heads up: 'If I can't live in my own little street, there's no reason to stay in this neighbourhood.' The camera illustrates their stories with images of street life and the interiors. The grand finale of the decline of this colourful quarter is the sea of flowers on the spot where one of the residents has been killed in an act of meaningless violence.

In this short documentary, we take a look at the history and future of roller derby in the Netherlands, while also touching on subjects such as image and the rise of men’s teams in this traditionally female sport. We tried to capture the Roller Derby culture with grungy 16mm film overlays and an eclectic mix of colors, switching from black and white, back to color. This, combined with the use of stock footage, the Whip It trailer and choice of music really help to sell the vibe and sensibilities of roller derby.