Hoyte van Hoytema is officially the first Dutch cameraman to win an Oscar. During Sunday night’s star-studded ceremony, he claimed the top prize for his cinematography for Oppenheimer.

The epic spectacle about the so-called father of the atomic bomb was the big winner of the night, picking up seven awards.

Remember his name (it’s pretty catchy)

Hoyte van Hoytema has already won a BAFTA and the American Society of Cinematographers prize for his work in Oppenheimer — but who is the decorated Dutchie?

Born in Switzerland to Dutch parents, van Hoytema mastered his craft at the Łódź National Film School in Poland after being rejected by the Dutch Film Academy in Amsterdam ().

READ MORE | Eye Filmmuseum: An unmissable experience for every movie lover

This is not the only time the Oscars recognised his incredible cinematography. He earned his first nomination for Dunkirk in 2017, also directed by Christopher Nolan.

The frequent collaborators are adventurous cameramen, choosing to shoot on heavy but SUPER high-resolution IMAX cameras. These were placed on top of the actors’ faces for the ultimate cinematic intimacy.

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Was it worth it? Well, the Oppenheimer trophy cabinet is certainly gleaming.

In addition to being crowned Best Picture, the Oppenheimer team also won awards for Directing (Christopher Nolan), Best Actor (Cillian Murphy), Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey Jr. — surprisingly his first ever!), Original Score (Ludwig Goransson) and Editing (Jennifer Lame). 

Reaching new Hoyte-s 

If van Hoytema is one of the few Dutchies to take home an iconic statue, what else can be said for the Netherlands’ silver-screen success?

In total, 11 Dutch nationals have won an Oscar. The most recent was Erik-Jan de Boer for his work on visual effects for Life of Pi in 2013. 

The first Oscar ever won by a Dutchie went to King of Jazz art director Herman Rosse all the way back in 1930 — and did you know Rosse also designed the interior of the Peace Palace?!

Cinema styles of old were coincidentally on van Hoytema’s agenda last night — he took his acceptance speech as a chance to encourage more celluloid filmmaking in this digital age. 

Congratulations to Hoyte, and here’s to more Dutch cinema silverware in the future!

Did you watch Oppenheimer or other van Hoytema projects? Let us know your thoughts in the comments!

The Netherlands has officially presented its song for the Eurovision Song Contest 2024 and, dare I say, we might just have a chance of taking that trophy home.

Joost Klein, a 26-year-young man from Leeuwarden, will represent the Netherlands this year.

Known for his unique, funky vibe, the rapper’s Eurovision song, “Europapa,” combines catchy beats with a sense of nostalgia — and people are here for it.

Breaking records

Within 24 hours of its release, “Europapa” was streamed more than 1.6 million times on Spotify.

With this, Klein has broken the Dutch record for the most Spotify streams in one day of any song ever released.

As Klein tells Eurovision, his song is a tribute to his dead father, who taught him that there should be no limits to his dreams.

“‘Europapa’ is about an orphan who travels through Europe to find himself and tell his story. At first, people don’t recognise him, but he goes on seizing any opportunity he gets to let himself be seen.”

Ready to hear it? (WARNING: This will be stuck in your head all week. )

This year’s Eurovision Song Contest will take place from May 7 to 11 in Malmö, Sweden — mark your calendars!

What do you think of the Netherlands’ 2024 Eurovision song? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Just in time for spring, Rotterdam is getting an exciting new attraction: Rif010 — an urban surfing paradise right in the heart of the city.

Ten years later than planned, the construction of Rif010 is finally nearing completion, writes the AD.

In just a few months’ time, you can catch some waves right next to the famous Rotterdam Foodhallen (if you dare ).

Surf’s up!

The dreamer behind this project? Edwin Van Viegen.

As a surfer himself, his idea was to create a wave pool in Rotterdam’s Steigersgracht canal so people could surf around in a truly unique setting.  

Rif010’s big opening is on July 6, when the water sports oasis will host a big surf competition. After that, the surf course will be open all year round, between 10 AM and 10 PM (except on Sundays).

READ MORE | Surfing in the Netherlands: where to go and what to know in 2024

Anyone who wants to ride Rotterdam’s artificial waves can either rent a board or use their own. On top of that, the canal will also be made suitable for kayaking, rafting and diving lessons!

Tickets selling fast

Now you may be wondering: what does this fun cost? Well, it depends on the wave you’re planning to catch.

One hour of surfing on a big wave will cost €50, while surfing on a smaller one will cost €35. These prices include the surfboard rental.

The pre-sale of the tickets has already begun, and tickets are flying off the shelves. “The first few weeks are already fully booked”, Van Viegen tells the AD.

Will you check out Rif010? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Harry Potter and Dutch Carnival celebrations are two things we never quite thought we’d see in the same sentence, but the two worlds had a rather unexpected collision.

How? This year, Harry Potter star Josh Herdman turned up at Dutch Carnival celebrations in Gelderland.

“Today we’re going to get drunk.” Herdman told AD, who met up with the star and his wife at a café in Elst, Gelderland. “That’s the idea, and just chill.”

In true Carnival spirit, he had dressed up for the occasion — donning a wig and tracksuit reminiscent of Barrie Butsers from New Kids (a Dutch comedy series).

He and his wife were also joined by his distant cousin, a resident of Elst.

The actor is best known for playing Goyle

Herdman rose to fame playing Gregory Goyle (Karel Kwast) in the Harry Potter film series, where he was a minor antagonist to the titular Potter and one of Draco Malfoy’s two burly henchmen.

Reportedly, he had first tried out for the part of Harry’s cousin and childhood bully Dudley Dursley — a role that later went to Harry Melling (of The Queen’s Gambit fame).

“I didn’t hear anything for three weeks,” Herdman recounted to AD, “and then the director asked me back for the role of Goyle.”

And the rest, as they say, is history.

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The Dutch amusement park industry was left speechless when PETA Nederland, the well-known animal rights organisation, urged De Efteling to remove horses and other animals from its carousels.

“It is not of this time to exploit animals for entertainment”, says PETA Nederland spokesperson Janneke Hogervort to the AD.

“Amusement parks don’t mean it that way, but children get the feeling that it’s normal to use animals purely for our pleasure.”

PETA Nederland argues that De Efteling is one of the largest amusement parks in Europe and that they have a big influence on other parks. Even if they just mention that they’re considering changing their carousels, it will bring up an “important discussion”.

Puzzled reactions

Needless to say, people were confused and amused — “I try to find the right words without laughing,” says the President of the National Association of Fairgrounds, Atze J. Lubach-Koers.

“There is no adult with a full mind who thinks this is necessary. Maybe we should tell PETA that the horses are not alive.” You said it.

In de Efteling staan de oudste carrousels van Nederland, de oudste is uit 1865. Denk niet dat we die moeten gaan slopen. https://t.co/4wBEfZXxGZ

— Lammert de Bruin (@lammert) February 8, 2024

Translation: “The Efteling has the oldest carousels in the Netherlands, the oldest dates back to 1865. Don’t think we should demolish them.”

Even the Dutch Animal Protection organisation was baffled: “We had to look at the calendar when we read the news about removing horses from merry-go-rounds because apparently April 1 is now in early February,” said spokesperson Niels Kalkman.

It’s all about conversation

PETA Nederland suggested swapping horses, elephants, and giraffes with cars, airplanes, and spaceships, among other things.

De Efteling has said it will “follow” the conversation — but hasn’t confirmed if they’ll actually change anything.

READ MORE | 14 thrilling theme parks in the Netherlands in 2024

Of course, PETA was just looking to stir the pot, and it’s certainly not the first time they’ve done so. Previously, they’ve urged LEGO to get rid of farm sets and asked American food manufacturers to stop making animal crackers.

“It’s in our style to stimulate this kind of discussion in a slightly provocative way. We don’t mind. The conversation is the most important thing to us,” says Hogervorst.

Do you think theme parks and fairs should get rid of animals in their carousels? Tell us in the comments!

It was like a scene right out of an action movie when, on February 22, 2022, an armed robbery at the Apple Store in Amsterdam escalated into the taking of hostages.

It was a case that gripped not only the Netherlands but the entire world.

Now, almost exactly two years later, Netflix has announced that they are working on a “gripping thriller” about the incident.

Multiple perspectives

Filming for the movie, whose title is not yet known, is to start soon under the direction of renowned Dutch director Bobby Boermans.

It will feature actors Soufiane Moussouli and Marcel Hensema and create “a mosaic of experiences” by switching back and forth between the perspectives of the perpetrator, the hostages and the first responders.

The film is set to launch on Netflix in 2025.

What happened?

At around 6 PM on February 22, 2022, shots were heard at the Apple Store on Amsterdam’s famous Leidseplein square.

A 27-year-old Dutchman had taken a Bulgarian man hostage and held him at gunpoint for several hours. About 70 other people were also trapped inside the store.

The hostage-taker asked Dutch police to provide him with €200 million in cryptocurrency and a safe exit from the building. He threatened to blow himself up should they not comply.

The situation eventually came to an end when the perpetrator left the store to get water from the police. He was then struck by a police car, leaving him laying on his back on the ground outside of the store.

He died from the consequences of his injuries several days later.

Will you be checking this movie out? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Few collector’s items have wreaked as much havoc as the Pokémon card depicting Pikachu’s Van Gogh-style “Self-portrait”. The good news: it will be available for purchase at select Dutch stores from January 10 onwards!

The card, inspired by Vincent van Gogh’s Self-Portrait with Grey Felt Hat, was released in 2023 as a collaboration between The Pokémon Company and the Amsterdam-based Van Gogh Museum.

Originally given away as part of a scavenger hunt at the museum, it was pulled from the shelves in October after crowds stormed the gift shop’s cash register, and four museum employees were fired for misconduct over the exhibition.

@pm1.tcg crazy scenes in amsterdam today #pokemon #pokemonxvangogh #amsterdam #vangoghexhibition #vangoghmuseum #vangoghamsterdam #pokemonpromo #pokemonpromocards #pikachu #snorlax #pikachupromo ♬ original sound – PM1

Meanwhile, as collector’s items do, the cards were being resold on eBay and Marktplaats for as much as €600.

Pikachu is back, baby!

Online resellers will soon see a dip in their revenue, as select Dutch stores will be giving away the popular card with any purchase of Pokémon Merch over €29.99.

This starts on Saturday, February 10, and goes on as long as supplies last, writes the AD.

Wondering where you can snag a cute Pikachu self-portrait? They will be given away at the following Dutch stores:

• Intertoys
• Game Mania
• Top1Toys
• Primera
• Bruna
• MediaMarkt
• Smyths Toys Superstores
• Various games specialty stores

Will you try to get the popular Pikachu card? Share your thoughts in the comments!

Hip hip, hoera! Fireworks sales have finally started today, December 28, a few days ahead of New Year’s Eve in the Netherlands.

You’ll only be allowed to purchase fireworks from sellers until December 30, as December 31 falls on a Sunday this year, report NU.nl.

Regular folks will be allowed to set off fireworks from December 31 at 6 PM until 2 AM on January 1.

But before you get excited about the pyrotechnics, there are 16 cities banning fireworks on New Year’s Eve:

• Amersfoort
• Amsterdam
• Apeldoorn
• Arnhem
• Eindhoven
• Haarlem
• Heemstede
• Heumen
• Bloemendaal
• Mook en Middelaar
• Nijmegen
• Rotterdam
• Schiedam
• Soest
• Tilburg
• Utrechtse Heuvelrug

While you won’t be able to light your own fireworks on New Year’s Eve, many of these cities will have a municipality-regulated fireworks show or other events planned in place of fireworks.

READ MORE | Dutch Quirk #92: Be weird pyromaniacs about fireworks

Some cities have also implemented firework-free zones, so make sure to double-check your municipality’s website to see where you can legally set off fireworks.

Will you be lighting fireworks this year? Tell us in the comments!

Forget Spotify Wrapped, Pornhub has just released its own annual findings. Let’s talk about what porn the Netherlands has been watching — because it’s… interesting.

From pissing to fisting (those are two words you’d never expect to write in a professional capacity), the Dutch have had some specific interests in 2023.

A love for hot moms and lesbians

Let’s start slow: the Dutch seem to love MILFs and lesbians, with these two terms being the first and second most searched-for in 2023.

We could say that these search terms aren’t so shocking. The MILF has reigned as a supreme search word in many countries, so the Dutch are basic in that way.

READ MORE | A Sexscraper? Here are Amsterdam’s plans for a new Red Light District

As for the lesbian sex, it’s the Netherlands, so we’re not surprised to see some LGBTQIA+ representation. Not to mention this search term joins MILF in Pornhub’s “Big Three” search terms.

Not only were MILF and Lesbian the most searched-for in 2023, they also found themselves in the Netherlands’ five most-watched categories, joining “Anal”, “Threesome”, and “Transgender”.

Which categories do the Dutch love more than other countries?

According to Pornhub, the viewers in the Netherlands searched for videos under the categories “Pissing”, “Arab”, “Indian”, “Fisting”, and “German” more frequently than in other countries.

In fact, “pissing” was viewed 67% more frequently than in other countries… we don’t know what this has to say about the Dutch psyche.

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After listening to more than 600 entries, the Dutch selection committee has chosen a song to represent the Netherlands at the 2024 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest.

The artists who’ll be singing it? A 26-year-old Frisian man named Joost Klein.

A mixture of pop, happy hardcore and pop punk

As NU.nl writes, the selection committee chose Klein’s song for its “familiar combination of party and nostalgia”.

Indeed, that unique vibe is what the rapper and songwriter is best known for.

His best-known song, “Friesenjung” (Frisian boy), with German musician Ski Aggu, has been streamed more than 100 million times on Spotify. It’s been a huge hit throughout the Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

“A dream come true”

Being able to represent his country at the famous song contest is a dream come true for Joost.

“I used to watch [it] with my parents every year, glued to the TV. It’s an honour that I can represent the Netherlands, and I will do everything I can to achieve the best result,” he says.

The 2024 edition of the Eurovision Song Contest will take place in Malmö, Sweden, from May 7 to May 11. Joost Klein will go head-to-head with contestants from 36 other countries.

Will you be tuning in to Eurovision next year? Let us know in the comments!