The Lion’s Court (Het Hof van de Leeuw)
The 15 minute documentary The Lion’s Court offers a behind-the-scenes look at the eponymous artwork by artist duo Margit Lukács & Persijn Broersen. Their fable-like 3D animation, in which the Binnenhof is reimagined as a virtual landscape layered with political, symbolic, and ecological meaning, takes center stage in this film. The documentary traces the creation of the work – from initial sketches to the final presentation – and explores the ideas, choices, and collaborations that shaped it. The documentary is commissioned by the Atelier Rijksbouwmeester as part of the Kunstparade Binnenhof Renovation, a program in which renowned artists are invited to create new works during the extensive renovation of the Binnenhof. This film is part of an ongoing series, in which each artwork is captured through a distinct cinematic approach.
Art Parade Binnenhof Renovation
The Art Parade Binnenhof Renovation program is a public initiative around the Binnenhof. Invited by the Rijksbouwmeester’s office, the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Council of State, the Ministry of General Affairs, and the Municipality of The Hague, various artists are commissioned to create new works during the years of the Binnenhof renovation. Margit Lukács & Persijn Broersen were invited by the Ministry of General Affairs for this third edition, with the theme: the relationship between nature and the Binnenhof.
The Documentary
NEWTON film produces a short documentary for each art manifestation, showcasing its background, creation, and performance. Each film in this series receives a unique approach tailored to the specific artwork, the artist’s vision, and the associated collaborations. The goal is to clearly convey the artist’s vision and to capture the creative process and execution in a visually powerful and engaging manner, allowing viewers to fully experience the essence of the work. We collaborate with various (emerging) filmmakers for these projects. This episode was made in collaboration with Naomi White.
In The Lion’s Court, we follow Lukács & Broersen – known for their richly layered digital universes – as they develop a new work inspired by the discovery of lion bones at the Buitenhof. The viewer learns more about the symbolism in their piece, the presence of the lion, white ravens, and a prophetic whale, and how they wove historical sources like Goethe’s Faust and the writings of Johan de Witt into their narrative.
The Lion’s Court by Lukács & Broersen
The Lion’s Court is a 3D-animated art film in which a lion, a group of white ravens, and a whale inhabit a digitally rendered Binnenhof. The lush garden they roam refers to the “Lusthof” of Prince Maurits – a symbol of divine prosperity in the early Dutch Republic. In this mythic world, the lion wrestles with an inner dilemma: should all land be cultivated, or should it be cherished and preserved?
The work revolves around themes such as power, ideology, ecology, and democracy. The artists use fiction to explore the political and historical dimensions of the Binnenhof, inviting the viewer to see this location not as a neutral site, but as a landscape shaped by human desire and decision-making.
Lukács: “To us, nature is not a passive backdrop, but a mirror of human desires, beliefs, and ideologies. Landscapes—seemingly objective depictions of reality—are in fact constructed narratives that reflect social and political forces. The word ‘landscape’ itself implies creation: a construct shaped by human hands. What attracted us to this commission was the opportunity to reinterpret the Binnenhof as a landscape of power, politics, and symbolism.”
Broersen: “As artists, we have the freedom to play with fiction—something politicians can rarely afford to do.”
Production:
NEWTON film BV
Producers:
Annerose Langeveld
Ton van Zantvoort
Director:
Naomi White
Cinematography & Editing:
Ton van Zantvoort
Naomi White
Pauline van Tilburg
Additional Camera
Lidewei Egbers
Cleo Julia Mullis
Set Assistant
Marcel Melchers
Postproduction & subtitles:
Jozef Brienen
Ton van Zantvoort
Sound post-production:
Ronnie van Overveld
Graphic design:
Richard Niessen
Title animations:
Daniël van Maarleveld
The Lion’s Court
Video, libretto:
Persijn Broersen en Margit Lukács
Music Composer, libretto:
Bram Kortekaas
Musicians:
Michael Wilmering (baritone)
Carina Vinke (alto-mezzo)
Lena Kortekaas (vocals)
Jolie Bakker (vocals)
Milo Steiner (vocals)
Benjamin Bakker (children’s choir accompaniment)
Margot Kolodziej (violin)
Julia Kleinsmann (violin)
Minna Svedberg (viola)
Renée Timmer (cello)
Daan Kortekaas (piano)
Lidia Olthoff (horn)
Marta Pedreira Aldao (clarinet)
Bas Vliegenthart (double bass)
Sound Design:
Berend Dubbe
CGI Assistance:
Niels Weber
Marie Hugny
Recording:
Frans de Rond, Muziekcentrum voor de Omroep, Hilversum
Art Committee House of Representatives:
Bart van Poelgeest
Priscilla Visser
Guido Rijnja
Hans Monnickendam
Jacqueline Heintz
Art Advisors Atelier Chief Government Architect:
Gijs Frieling
Joanna van der Zanden
Art Committee Binnenhof:
Francesco Veenstra, chairman
Fred Bergman
Robert Croll
Hasna Bajraktarevic
Peter van Haasen
Priscilla Visser
Bart van Poelgeest
Hans Monnickendam
Guido Rijnja
Govert van Boxtel
Albert Koolma
Monique van der Bijl
Government Real Estate Agency:
Lenneke van Konijnenburg-Kan
Leanne de Ruiter
Communication:
Sharon Bartels
Susanne Goossens-van Leeuwen
Hannah Vernooij
Jacco Bartelds
Sanne van Houten
With special thanks to:
Municipality of The Hague
De Koninklijke Schouwburg
Sociëteit ‘de Vereeniging’
Infocentrum Binnenhof Renovatie
April, 2025
The ‘Art Parade Binnenhof Renovation’ is an art program around the Binnenhof. At the invitation of the Rijksbouwmeester’s office, the Senate, the House of Representatives, the Council of State, the Ministry of General Affairs, and the Municipality of The Hague, various artists are commissioned to create new works during the renovation of the Binnenhof.
3 FILM PREMIERES IN SEPTEMBER
In September, we celebrate the premiere of three remarkable documentaries. Experience the surreal world of the Rotterdam harbor in ANIMA at the Netherlands Film Festival, explore LUCKY LOBSTER, a portrait of the Zeeland fisherman Cor Fondse, at Film by the Sea, and discover FANFARE, which delves into the eponymous art project by Aukje Dekker. [...]
Leave A Comment