Chaos in de Rechtsstaat

This Traveltalks entry looks at the sights, sounds, people, and art masterpieces in the capital of the Netherlands.

A naturalistic story about the realities of healthcare and houselessness from the perspective of Ramon Duarte, a houseless welder who receives care from Miami Street Medicine, a street medicine team. In Miami, where rising housing costs are forcing folks onto the streets, the doctor's work is more important than ever.

The A’dammer - The Man Behind the Cabinet follows the life of designer Aldo van den Nieuwelaar. He designed the iconic A’dammer cabinet, an international design icon, with over seventy versions sold worldwide. Museums acquired his work, and he became a promising name in the design world. But Aldo was more of an artist than an entrepreneur, and his perfectionism clashed with commercial interests. His tense relationship with director Harm Scheltens of furniture manufacturer Pastoe, in particular, escalated into a years-long legal battle over money, recognition, and control.

Urban ecologist Martin Melchers and producer/presenter Merel Westrik show us animals, including wild ones, who have settled in town, even though sometimes you might not expect them to. Their search for animals wo have made their home in Amsterdam takes them to some very unusual places.

In 2023, there were an estimated 30.6 thousand homeless people. This number continues to rise at an alarming rate. One of them is the headstrong Ruurdt. He has difficulty getting help and cannot adapt well to our society. He is now also in danger of losing the houseboat that was assigned to him. 'Ruurdt' is an intimate portrait of a man on the fringes of our society.

Pak Mokum Terug is the name of a group of Amsterdam activists that refuse to accept that the basic right to housing no longer appears to apply. The group’s name means “Take Back Amsterdam,” Mokum being the traditional nickname for a capital city in which today, for more and more people, a home is becoming unaffordable. Against this background, Hotel Mokum reports on the squatting of a dilapidated hotel in the city center, narrated in the voice of a fictitious activist.

In their practice, lawyers Klaartje Freeke and Wikke Monster strive to make the criminal justice system more humane. They encourage their clients not to focus solely on guilt and the sentence imposed, but also to consider the impact of what happened and their feelings about it. In every session, they seek to help their clients experience the benefits of looking not only at others, but also, and especially, at themselves.

This documentary exposes housing injustice in New York City, following the David-and-Goliath battles between ordinary renters and powerful developers. Through stories from neighborhoods across the boroughs, the film reveals the harsh realities of unsafe housing, unethical landlords, and an overwhelmed housing court system.

An exciting video tour of Amsterdam.

Bruin has a new mission: to become a superstar, just like his idol Michael Jackson. Although singing is not his greatest talent, he starts - supported by friends and colleagues - to build a music career.

Montreal — one of the few remaining affordable cities in North America — is now in the midst of an unprecedented housing crisis. An intimate portrait of socio-political resistance, this multilayered film explores the human impact of real estate speculation on the cities of tomorrow.