Toespraak van burgemeester Van Zanen bij de opening van het Movies that matter festival op 20 maart 2026

 

Movies matter.

 

Especially the kind of movies shown here at this festival.

Movies about human rights, human dignity, and social justice.

Movies that ask us not to close our eyes.

Not to look away.

Even when what we see disturbs us.

Or fills us with horror.

Or rage.

 

Movies that Matter began as an initiative by Amnesty International, twenty years ago.

In those twenty years, this festival has earned a permanent place.

Filmmakers and documentary makers from all over the world have now found their way to Movies that Matter.

They know that here, their important work gets the attention it deserves.

Work for which they often sacrifice their own personal safety.

 

Here, they find a ‘safe space’ to showcase their work,

To talk about it with each other and with the audience.

To seek – and find – support and connection.

 

The movies that win here are now even eligible for an Oscar.

Giving them a chance for an even bigger stage,

an even greater global impact.

 

That impact is connected to the power of the medium.

Movies are more than just a window to the world.

More than beautiful views and vivid scenes.

Movies and documentaries make the abstract personal.

They give a face to the events,

let us see the world through the eyes of another.

 

Behind lists of rockets fired or the number of drones,

there are people who see the bombs fall,

who lose their loved ones,

who experience the destruction firsthand.

Movies that Matter shows us that.

 

Behind statistics about young people taking their own lives,

there are tragic stories of how they reached that point.

And sometimes also, how social media led them there.

Movies that Matter shows us that.

 

Behind news reports of sexual violence used as a weapon of war,

are the people who lived through it,

who carry those scars with them forever.

Movies that Matter shows us that.

 

Movies that Matter shows us so much more.

It also shows us that there are many people who continue to remain dedicated

to making our world a better place.

Because of this, the festival has earned a lasting place in The Hague,

the City of Peace and Justice.

 

The Hague is a cornerstone of the international legal order,

a system that is currently under pressure worldwide.

The city is home to the International Court of Justice and the International Criminal Court.

It is also where many other organizations champion human rights, human dignity, and social justice.

Just like Movies that Matter,

which is increasingly making its voice heard

in more and more places across the city.

 

The Hague looks at the world,

and the world looks back.

 

Movies that Matter broadens our perspective.

It brings issues into focus.

It keeps hope alive.

And sometimes it sounds the alarm.

 

Let us be neither deaf nor blind to this.

 

Wish you an inspiring festival.

 

Thank you.