Hollandse Helden

The Platoschool was founded in Amsterdam in 1983, a primary school for parents who wanted more than just math and language for their children. The founders of the Platoschool had great ideals, ideals that the parents of documentary maker Yara Hannema fell in love with. The children would grow into special people with a high level of consciousness, but the teachers ran wild in their strictness and discipline. There was beating and abuse of authority. The school was discredited and had to close its doors in 2002.

“Job is 2 meters tall and has been my baby for 58 years. I will continue to care for him as long as I can,” says 91-year-old Tineke about her severely disabled adult son. But how long can she keep that up and who needs who: Job Tineke or Tineke Job? A documentary about the limits of motherhood.

Five people talk about how easy it is to build up and how difficult it is to get out of it again. They fall ten prey to the powerful industry. Fines and extra costs make them so aware that they can no longer be solved on their own.

Filmmaker Joey Benistant started filming his life at the age of 17, when his parents gave him a camera for his birthday. He started making jackass style video's with his friend from high school. In the beginning they have a lot of fun, but Joey sees his best friend Matthijs slipping away in excessive drinking and drug use in the years that follow. As Joey and his friends navigate their way through education or work, things are going the other way with Matthijs. This does not scare Joey away, he continues to visit his friend and he continues filming, even in the darkest moments of his existence. Joey tries to get Matthijs to join in his enthusiasm for life. The film shows you how difficult this is when someone is determined not to live past 30.

Joppe dreams of love, marriage and children. Being born a boy only complicates things slightly.

In the early eighties, the tough trucker Harm married the shy, country girl Siepie. Thirty years later Harm tells her that he wants to become a woman. That is difficult to hear for Siepie. Not only because she will lose her husband, but also because she is afraid of gossip in their small, Frisian village. Yet she gives Harm the space to openly live as Harriette.

Yassine, an ambitious Moroccan-Dutch boy, wants to get rid of prejudice. That's why he became a children's mayor. In The Netherlands, Moroccan people have a bad name. But he has a marvelous plan to solve this problem.