A prestigious European award, opera-singing lions at the Dutch Parliament, mysterious moths, a five-part series on femicide, the Port of Rotterdam in Brussels, and refugees navigating a bureaucratic maze — a glimpse into the recent and upcoming documentary projects by NEWTON film.
PRIX CIRCOM WINNER 2025
The documentary Lucky Lobster (70 min, 2024) has won the PRIX CIRCOM 2025 for Best Documentary. This prestigious annual award celebrates the best regional television productions from 47 European countries. Since 1990, the PRIX CIRCOM has been regarded as the most important international accolade for regional public broadcasting. A powerful recognition for both the film and its self-taught, first-time filmmaker Els Remijn.
The Lion’s Court
The short documentary The Lion’s Court (15 min) follows the creation of the eponymous artwork by artist duo Margit Lukács & Persijn Broersen. Their animation presents a fantastical opera performed by lions, ravens and a whale, set against the scaffolding of the Dutch Parliament as a backdrop. The work is part of the Kunstparade Binnenhof Renovatie. For each edition, NEWTON film produces a short documentary commissioned by the Atelier Rijksbouwmeester, always in collaboration with a different (emerging) filmmaker. This edition was made together with Naomi White.
VLEUGELHART
As part of the Teledoc Campus, Karen Ebert is developing Vleugelhart (25 min), a documentary produced by NEWTON film with script coaching by Joost Seelen. The film follows Henk (65), a man who finds strength in his passion for moths despite heavy personal setbacks. Each week, he and his friends gather in their “man cave” to track vulnerable species. His fascination for these fragile creatures reflects a side of himself he rarely shows. The project has received development funding, and the production application is scheduled for summer 2025.
TOXIC – 5 part series
The five-part documentary series TOXIC (directed by Nicole Theuns, edited by Ozan Olçay, produced by Omroep Brabant) tells the harrowing story of a young woman from Brabant who was manipulated and abused for years. Told through the eyes of her brother, mother, and close friends, the series follows their ongoing search for justice, twelve years after her tragic death. During the editing phase, Ton van Zantvoort was brought on for narrative coaching and story development. You can watch TOXIC for free on Brabant+ .
INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE IN BRUSSELS
On March 30, ANIMA had its international premiere at the 17th edition of the Millenium Film Festival in Brussels, which ran from March 28 to April 6, 2025. Director Anna Witte was present for the screening.
This short documentary immerses the viewer in the surreal world of the Port of Rotterdam, where humans and machines merge in an environment driven by economic growth and efficiency. Seafarers spend months on board, isolated from the outside world. How does the human being find its place in such a mechanical reality?
The film is now freely available for Dutch people on NPO.
CUSTOMER JOURNEY
We’re still working hard on CUSTOMER JOURNEY, a new documentary by Ton van Zantvoort. The film follows the integration journey of several refugees in the municipality of Breda and offers a unique perspective on how different institutions attempt to guide them through the complex labyrinth of Dutch society.
With more than sixty days of shooting and over a hundred days in the editing room, CUSTOMER JOURNEY is beginning to take shape. The film is expected to premiere in late 2025 or early 2026, with screenings in film festivals, theaters, on public television, and through impact-driven events.
