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Dutch Docs (sold out)

September 2, 2023 @ 20:30 23:00

The Dutch Docs program highlights queer documentaries made in the Netherlands. During our anniversary edition, we are screening five short films, all centered around the identities and experiences of different queer individuals in the Netherlands and abroad. We are joined this evening by the film makers who will be discussing these intimate works with us.

I am not a Number – Transketeers (Netherlands, 22 minutes)
In this installment of I Am Not a Number, Mavi takes the stage to share her poignant journey of growing up as a trans woman in Brazil, a country known for the highest number of trans murders each year. She opens up about the emotional struggle of living in secrecy, mimicking a male persona, and ultimately leaving Brazil to confront her trauma and embrace her identity as a woman, allowing herself to fully love and accept who she truly is.

“Growing up I was taught to see femininity as something negative, something I had to hide. Travestis were monsters, or so I was told. It was a long road from there to where I am now…” – Mavi

Boom Boom Chao Pau(la) Chaves Bonilla (Netherlands, 4 minutes)
“Glitches of a marica in self-exile” is this film’s subtitle, ‘marica’ being a Spanish derogatory term for gay or queer. In Boom Boom Chao, the artist reclaims the term while reflecting on what it means to live a queer lesbian life. In this glitchy spoken word piece (glitchy both in image and sound), she muses on the idea of this queer lesbian life being a sort of self-exile, an alienated life.

Him/Hair – Eloi Genrich (Netherlands, 18 minutes)
Two years ago, Eloi shaved off his long, curly hair, and his bald head confronts him with something he had always secretly known: he is not a she. With clippers marking the starting point, a long journey begins. However, what if the final destination seems to keep changing? Or perhaps it doesn’t exist at all? Armed with a camera in his hand, Eloi discovers that he does not have to travel alone. In his chosen family, freedom and friendship reign supreme, providing a safe haven through shared experiences, laughter, and life. Discarding all forms of pigeonholing, the search for self turns out to be not only incredibly bumpy but also simple, loving, and beautiful

Outside the Lines – Stan Oversteegen (Netherlands, 5 minutes)
Outside the Lines is a short animated documentary in which three young queer people share their experiences on what it’s like to deviate from the straight cis-norm. Throughout the film, painful experiences make room for a more positive perspective, such as the overwhelming sense of connection with millions of other queer individuals worldwide or the freedom that arises as one can relinquish certain expectations. In black-and-white scenes, this so-called ‘queer-joy’ is being discovered, providing inspiring and moving insights.

Maxi-Pad – Julia de Roo (Netherlands, 12 minutes)
Maxi-Pad is a short documentary about Max, a young non-binary person who was born in a female body, but struggles to connect with their femininity. In this film, Max is searching for ways of expressing this feminine side by experimenting with drag. We follow them in the euphoric as well as emotional challenging process of transforming from Max to their drag personality Maxi-Pad, and from Maxi-Pad back to everyday Max.

Performance Mavi (from docu I am not a Number) during Dutch Docs
Mavi Veloso is a Brazilian multi-disciplinary artist, currently based in Amsterdam. Her work integrates her experience as a performer, visual artist, dancer, actress, singer and music producer in powerful stage performances combining pop with different styles such as R&B, trap, synthpop, dance pop and Brazilian rhythms.

“I’ll be presenting a pocket version of TRAVESTI BIOLÓGICA, a transgenre-pop music & visual Biológica that celebrates the beauty of trans and non-binary bodies, the struggles, resilience and empowerment.”

Background film makers

Pau(la) Chaves Bonilla (she/they) is a Colombian artist and activist based in Amsterdam. She is a multidisciplinary dance and theater maker with a background in contemporary dance, choreography, theater and circus. Her artistic research explores embodiments of resistance and disobedience within contexts of censorship and surveillance/control


Transparency is key to Eloi Genrich’s work: transparency in the creation process (with camera and crew in view, Eloi provides insight into the creation of the moment being shown), as well as personal transparency in the depiction of intimate, heartfelt moments from his archive. He is currently completing his audiovisual studies while working as a director and editor.


I Am Not a Number is an intimate documentary portrait series by Transketeers, a media company dedicated to social issues and inclusive content, co-founded by Bart Peters, Chris Rijksen, and Jonah Lamers. Through this series, five transgender women bravely share their personal narratives, delving into their experiences with migration, the challenges they encounter, and the sources of strength that sustain them.


Julia de Roo is a young Rotterdam-based filmmaker. In her films, she tries to capture the deeper layers of the human psyche. With an open yet critical approach, she questions social constructs and focuses on themes such as gender, identity, culture and subculture.


Stan Oversteegen graduated from the Netherlands Film Academy in 2021 and has been working in the VFX industry as a digital compositor ever since. He is now making his directorial debut with the animated documentary ‘Outside the Lines.’

Film Facts

Original language title: BOOM BOOM CHAO

Directed by: Pau(la) Chaves Bonilla

Year: 2020

Country: The Netherlands

Running time: 4 mins

Genre: Documentary, Experimental

Language: English, Spanish

Subtitles: English

Content warning: Suicidal ideation


Original language title: Him/Hair

Directed by: Eloi Genrich

Year: 2023

Country: The Netherlands

Running time: 18 mins

Genre: Documentary

Language: Dutch

Subtitles: English

Content warning: Internalized transphobia


Original language title: I am not A Number: Mavi

Directed by: Bart Peters, Chris Rijksen, Jonah Lamers (Transketeers)

Year: 2023

Country: The Netherlands

Running time: 22 mins

Genre: Documentary

Language: English

Subtitles: English

Content warning: Trauma, transphobic slurs and terminology


Original language title: Maxi Pad

Directed by: Julia de Roo

Year: 2023

Country: The Netherlands

Running time: 12 mins

Genre: Documentary

Language: Dutch

Subtitles: English

Content warning: N/A


Original language title: Outside the Lines

Directed by: Stan Oversteegen

Year: 2023

Country: The Netherlands

Running time: 5 mins

Genre: Documentary, Animation

Language: English, Dutch

Subtitles: English

Content warning: Discussions about harassment

Side program

Talks with the makers of Dutch Docs: Eloi Genrich, Julia de Roo, Pau(la) Chaves Bonilla, Stan Oversteegen, Bart Peters, Chris Rijksen, Jonah Lamers (Transketeers) and a performance of Mavi.


Performance Mavi (from docu I am not a Number)
Mavi Veloso is a Brazilian multi-disciplinary artist, currently based in Amsterdam. Her work integrates her experience as a performer, visual artist, dancer, actress, singer and music producer in powerful stage performances combining pop with different styles such as R&B, trap, synthpop, dance pop and Brazilian rhythms. “I’ll be presenting a pocket version of TRAVESTI BIOLÓGICA, a transgenre-pop music & visual Biológica that celebrates the beauty of trans and non-binary bodies, the struggles, resilience and empowerment.”

Villa Concordia

Concordiastraat 67A
Utrecht, Utrecht 3551 EM Nederland
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