Groundswell (feature)
Set in Port Nolloth, a desolate diamond diving town on the west coast of South Africa, Groundswell tells a revealing and personal story of deception between two men trying desperately to secure a brighter future for themselves. Johan Brand, a hardened white diamond diver, and Thami Magusbashe, the black caretaker of a local guest house, have forged a friendship based on the dream of one day owning a diamond concession on the banks of the mighty Orange River, where they will surely make their fortune. But time is running out for them. When Jeff Smith, a retired businessman, arrives to stay at the lodge, the two friends convince themselves he should become their partner. They wine and dine Smith, even sabotaging his car to prolong his stay, before putting forward their ludicrous proposal. However, Smith has found out about Johan’s past: During the dark days of Apartheid, Johan, then a policeman, shot and killed an innocent black man and was sentenced to five years in prison for Manslaughter, an act he’s been trying to redeem through his relationship with Thami. Naturally, Smith turns down the offer, revealing Johan’s secret to Thami. Johan turns violent and Thami is caught in the middle… Smith, fearing for his life, flees into the ugly storm outside. Thami and Johan go in search of him but their friendship is forever destroyed and Johan has only one way to go…
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The history of the Lottobal
The history of the lottery ball tells the story of the lottery ( a game of chance which is strongly connected with Dutch history), its origin back in time and how it reached its current, modern form.
At the same time it pays attention to some remarkable stories about the lottery and the winners/loosers.
Apart from the history and the stories, a lot of attention is given to the aesthetics of modern lottery, the way in which it praises itself and makes itself known to the public and the many different programs and commercials that are dedicated to reach that goal.
As a theme, a peculiar collection of different lottery draw mechanisms will be shown. These are the many variations to the tombola, the numbered balls, the host of the show and the muzak music, as it is known all over the world since the fifties.
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Billy's Boots (Feature)
The film is based on the popular British comic strip Billy’s Boots by writer Fred Baker and artist John Gillatt, later continued by Mike Western.The series concerned Billy Dane, a schoolboy and aspiring footballer, who was an extremely poor player until he discovered a pair of old style, ankle high, football boots while cleaning his grandmother's loft. The boots, which his grandfather had bought as a souvenir, had belonged, decades before, to a famous professional striker called Jimmy "Dead Shot" Keen. The boots possess special abilities which turn Billy into a fantastic football player when he wore them. In addition to giving Billy the physical skill to score great goals, the boots also grant him the intuition to always be in the right place at the time on the pitch, leading him to feel that they have a "mind of their own".
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Middleman (feature)
A hero is born every day. A coward too.
The Netherlands, 17 September 1974. A country in turmoil. Three terrorists of the Japanese Red Army hold hostage the employees of the French Embassy. The people demand armed action. But with the bloody conclusion of the Munich hostage burning their retinas, the government makes a deal: At the national airport, the hostages are to be exchanged for a notorious Japanese terrorist that is imprisoned in Paris, a boeing 747 and ransom.
Middleman is a psychological thriller that follows the bizarre and nerve-racking 48 hours of the three ordinary men. From the poor preparations to the inhuman hours of waiting and sudden call to action that plunges them in the heart of the exchange. Unprotected, inexperienced, ill prepared and fully dependent on the mercy of both terrorists as politicians, they step into an unpredictable situation where their lives are nothing but small change. What follows become the most nerve-racking hours of their lives. Hours that reveal each one of them whether they are a hero or coward.
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