NEWS

As a world sales company, Film Harbour distributes creative documentaries from around the globe for which we see a potential on the international market. 

The films in our catalog are very diverse in style and content, but they all have one thing in common: we are convinced of their high artistic quality and their strong relevance, and we want to introduce these outstanding documentaries to a wide international audience. 

Our main goal is to make the connection between a film and its viewers, both via the big and the small screen. 

Film Harbour

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During a festive ceremony on Wednesday 25 June 2025, the Dutch Directors Guild Awards 2025 were presented. The awards honour the most impressive directing achievements of the past year, chosen by peers and organised by the Dutch Directors Guild (DDG) and the VEVAM Foundation.&nbsp;Luuk Bouwman, director of <a href="https://filmharbour.com/films/the-propagandist">THE PROPAGANDIST</a> received the Award for the Best Director in the Documentary category!&nbsp;

Luuk Bouwman receives Dutch Directors Guild Award

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<a href="https://filmharbour.com/films/the-dialogue-police">THE DIALOGUE POLICE</a> by Susanna Edwards received the Docs Award for Journalistic Relevance – El Periódico at Docs Barcelona 2025!&nbsp;&nbsp;From the jury statement:&nbsp; “We were especially struck by the film because we were genuinely surprised that such a police unit even exists. […] The way it depicts their work is essential to understanding the profound challenges of upholding civil rights—especially in a world increasingly torn by ideological divides.”&nbsp;&nbsp;At Doxumentale in Berlin, THE DIALOGUE POLICE continued its successful festival circuit and received a Special Mention in the competition for the Best Documentary.&nbsp;&nbsp;From the jury statement:&nbsp;“A simple yet powerful story that takes us to the heart of an institution known for its often hermetic nature. With unprecedented access to its protagonists and an honest approach, the director invites us to reflect on essential topics such as freedom of speech and the protection of democratic process and its limitations.”

THE DIALOGUE POLICE awarded in Barcelona and Berlin

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As published by Geoffrey Macnab in <a href="https://www.screendaily.com/news/film-harbour-boards-the-dialogue-police-following-gothenburg-premiere-exclusive/5201537.article">Screen Daily</a>:&nbsp;"Amsterdam-based sales outfit Film Harbour has snapped up international rights to documentary <a href="filmharbour.com/films/the-dialogue-police">THE DIALOGUE POLICE</a> by Swedish filmmaker Susanna Edwards following its premiere last week in Gothenburg’s Nordic Documentary Competition.&nbsp;The documentary sees Edwards follow a specialised unit of police officers - the Dialogue Police - on their mission to safeguard the right to freedom of speech amid demonstrations, Quran burnings and climate actions in Sweden in 2022. The team, established after the Gothenburg riots of 2021, favours dialogue over force.Edwards previous credits include Sunshadow and Capturing The Divine. THE DIALOGUE POLICE will have its international premiere in March in CPH:DOX’s Human Rights Competition.&nbsp;THE DIALOGUE POLICE is directed and produced by Edwards for Sweden’s Siren Film. TriArt Film is handling Swedish distribution. Film Harbour was launched last year by the former CEO of Deckert Distribution, Liselot Verbrugge. Its slate includes THE PROPAGANDIST by Luuk Bouwman, which premiered in IDFA, PURE UNKNOWN by Mattia Colombo and Valentina Cicogna, and Sundance Special Jury Award winner AGAINST THE TIDE by Sarvnik Kaur."

Celebrating the World Premiere of THE DIALOGUE POLICE

After the 2001 EU summit in Göteborg was marred by violent clashes between police and demonstrators, a government inquiry concluded that the Swedish police needed a deeper understanding of politically active groups. The Dialogue Police was created, with a team in Stockholm as the only unit in the country working full-time in this role.&nbsp; In 2022, amid demonstrations, Quran burnings, and climate actions, filmmaker Susanna Edwards followed the officers on their mission to safeguard everyone’s right to freedom of speech. In a polarized society, the team is united by humor and a shared calling: defending democracy with dialogue as their weapon.

In 2022, amid demonstrations, Quran burnings, and climate actions, filmmaker Susanna Edwards follows THE DIALOGUE POLICE on their mission to safeguard everyone’s right to freedom of speech.

Dialogpolisen

English

The Dialogue Police

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The IDFA Award for Best Dutch Film 2024 goes to <a href="https://filmharbour.com/directors/luuk-bouwman">Luuk Bouwman</a> for <a href="https://filmharbour.com/films/the-propagandist">THE PROPAGANDIST</a>. From the jury statement:&nbsp; “How is it even possible, you wonder, with everything that has been written, filmed, or expressed in any other form, related to the WWII era in the Netherlands, this specific story is only just now fully being exposed to a bigger audience? This documentary shows us a part of history; one that has been deliberately forgotten and could only become visible, and therefore examined, interpreted, and remembered, because image and sound were preserved. For the riveting examination of the horrifying pages of Dutch history, as well as the history of WWII-era European cinema, and for the immense research, documentation, and the outstanding use of archival material, the jury would like to bestow the 2024 IDFA Award for the Best Dutch Film to Luuk Bouwman’s documentary THE PROPAGANDIST."

THE PROPAGANDIST wins IDFA Award for Best Dutch Film

Using previously unpublished interviews, family films and propaganda films, THE PROPAGANDIST tells the story of the rise and fall of Dutch filmmaker Jan Teunissen (1898-1975). As head of the Department of Film of the Dutch Nazi Party and SS, he became the most powerful man in the Dutch film industry during World War II.&nbsp;Teunissen, nicknamed the ‘Film King’ and the ‘Dutch Leni Riefenstahl’ was a well-known filmmaker before the war. What drove him to become part of the Nazi regime?&nbsp;&nbsp;THE PROPAGANDIST questions the boundaries between documentary and propaganda and the role of propagandists –&nbsp; how they spread images, narratives, misinformation and ideology. A documentary about boundless ambition and the manipulative power of film.

Through family films, propaganda footage, and audio interviews, this documentary delves into the life of Jan Teunissen (1898-1975), head of the Dutch Nazi Party's Film Department during World War II. 

De propagandist

The Propagandist

As published by Leo Barraclough in <a href="https://variety.com/2024/film/global/the-propagandist-film-harbour-idfa-1236193595/">Variety</a>:&nbsp;&nbsp;"Amsterdam-based sales agency Film Harbour has secured the world rights – excluding the Netherlands and Belgium – to documentary <a href="https://filmharbour.com/films/the-propagandist">THE PROPAGANDIST</a>, which world premieres in IDFA’s International Competition next month.Film Harbour was launched earlier this year by seasoned documentary sales executive Liselot Verbrugge, former CEO of Deckert Distribution, as revealed exclusively by Variety.THE PROPAGANDIST is directed by Dutch filmmaker Luuk Bouwman, and is produced by Ilja Roomans for Netherland’s Docmakers.&nbsp;&nbsp;Using previously unpublished interviews, family films and propaganda films, THE PROPAGANDIST tells the story of the rise and fall of Dutch filmmaker Jan Teunissen (1898-1975). As head of the Department of Film of the Dutch Nazi Party and SS, he became the most powerful man in the Dutch film industry during World War II.&nbsp;Teunissen, nicknamed the “Film King” and the “Dutch Leni Riefenstahl” was a well-known filmmaker before the war. The film asks: What drove him to become part of the Nazi regime? It also questions the boundaries between documentary and propaganda and the role of propagandists – how they spread images, narratives, misinformation and ideology.&nbsp;“After finishing my previous film, ALL AGAINST ALL – AN ARCHAEOLOGY OF FACISM IN THE NETHERLANDS, I discovered a nine-hour-long interview with Dutch National Socialist filmmaker Jan Teunissen,” Bouwman explained. “This interview, along with the simple ‘whydunit’ question, became the starting point for THE PROPAGANDIST. Part psychological exploration and part film archaeology, the film unearths the thoughts and work of a forgotten group of Dutch filmmakers who dreamed of a career in cinema but ended up promoting a brutal regime. It is also a dark mirror in which we can see universal human traits that both scare and intrigue.”&nbsp;“We are excited to take part in the journey of Luuk Bouwman’s exploration of the rise and fall of Jan Teunissen,” Verbrugge commented. “THE PROPAGANDIST offers a gripping look into the manipulative power of film and the dangerous intersection of art and ideology. We believe the documentary will resonate deeply with international audiences, sparking crucial conversations about the role of filmmakers in shaping narratives and spreading misinformation. It’s a compelling and timely film that challenges us to confront uncomfortable truths about the past—and ourselves.”&nbsp;THE PROPAGANDIST marks the latest collaboration between Film Harbour and Docmakers since the sales outlet launched earlier this year under Verbrugge. Other acquisitions include WHERE DRAGONS LIVE and CLOSE TO VERMEER, both directed by Suzanne Raes and produced by Ilja Roomans. WHERE DRAGONS LIVE was also selected for this year’s IDFA, where it will have its international premiere in the Signed strand.THE PROPAGANDIST is a Docmakers production in co-production with Human, supported by the Netherlands Film Fund, the Netherlands Film Production Incentive, NPO Fund, CoBO and Sound&amp;Vision."

THE PROPAGANDIST in International Competition at IDFA

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As published by Mona Tabbara in <a href="https://www.screendaily.com/news/sheffield-docfest-title-silent-men-sells-to-cosmic-cat-for-uk-ireland-adds-sales-agent-exclusive/5196706.article">Screen Daily</a>:&nbsp;&nbsp;"UK filmmaker Duncan Cowles’ debut feature <a href="https://filmharbour.com/films/silent-men">SILENT MEN</a> has been acquired for sales by documentary specialist Film Harbour, with Cosmic Cat releasing theatrically in the UK and Ireland to coincide with International Men’s Day on November 19.&nbsp;The documentary feature was awarded a special mention in the first feature competition at the UK’s Sheffield DocFest in June. The film shows Cowles asking men how they open up in order to directly address his own difficulties in being intimate and open with his loved ones.&nbsp;The doc was produced by Cowles’ Scotland-based production company Relative Films with support from Screen Scotland and The Whickers.It will be released is in partnership with the mental health charity Andy’s Man Club, that will will host special screenings across the country, with a safe space for post-film chats over the issues raised on screen.“We will be screening the film across the UK with one simple objective, to help men overcome the stigma of men’s mental health through the power of conversation,” said Ged Fitzsimmons, CEO of Cosmic Cat.&nbsp;“My hope is that Silent Men resonates with audiences, making them think, smile, talk, and feel a deeper sense of empathy towards one another,” said Cowles, whose previous credits include Bafta Scotland best short winner Isabella. &nbsp;I believe the issues explored in this film affect everyone.”&nbsp;Amsterdam-based Film Harbour was founded by Liselot Verbrugge at the beginning of the year. It emerged from the now-closed German outfit Deckert Distribution, which repped titles including Sundance premieres Honeyland and Against The Tide."

Welcoming Sheffield DocFest title SILENT MEN to our line-up

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As published by Geoffrey Macnab in <a href="https://www.screendaily.com/news/liselot-verbrugges-film-harbour-sales-outfit-lines-up-for-vaccine-doc-pavilion-6-exclusive/5193443.article?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR1o1Q6wnTp9zYAg1_FMr1_nunU7CDsodkgF01Ab7-1oMOG52fxaY5jD_p4_aem_AcfmfZg5N6_oofRtlKcI5LNwILIcTsAWyE5bGZVAMVvxw1cxovsMlT8ndt1c_o7BG8hg2uGAH-1LysmSUEOul6rD">Screen</a> today:&nbsp;Amsterdam-based sales outfit Film Harbour, launched earlier this year under CEO Liselot Verbrugge, has taken on world rights to <a href="https://filmharbour.com/films/pavilion-6">PAVILION 6</a> by by Croatian filmmaker Goran Dević, ahead of its Sheffield DocFest world premiere next month.&nbsp;Part of the BBC Storyville strand, the doc will premiere in Sheffield DocFest’s International Competition in June. It presents a humorous and humane snapshot of a unique moment in time: the waiting line for the Covid-19 vaccination. This is the fifth collaboration between producer Hrvoje Osvadić and director Dević.&nbsp;The company is also beginning sales on another Sheffield DocFest title, <a href="https://filmharbour.com/films/where-dragons-live">WHERE DRAGONS LIVE</a>, from Dutch director Suzanne Raes, whose credits include <a href="https://filmharbour.com/films/close-to-vermeer">CLOSE TO VERMEER</a>.&nbsp;WHERE DRAGONS LIVE is made by Dutch production company Docmakers and co-produced by Reece Cargan from Bombito Productions. Just announced as part of Sheffield Doc Fest’s Memories’ strand, it is a portrait of an eccentric family as they pack up the house they grew up in, reliving their childhood and all the memories it brings up, and trying to come to terms with who they now are.&nbsp;“We are pleased to continue the collaboration with producer Ilja Roomans and director Suzanne Raes,” said Verbrugge. ”WHERE DRAGONS LIVE is an imaginative, beautifully filmed documentary that we are happy to launch on the market,”&nbsp;She also hailed the “perfect timing” of PAVILION 6.&nbsp;“We can finally approach this tough topic, the Covid-19 pandemic, by looking back also on the surreal and humorous moments, as Goran Dević so impressively shows us,” she says.

Heading to Cannes with two fresh titles

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As published by Leo Barraclough in <a href="https://variety.com/2024/film/global/liselot-verbrugge-film-harbour-berlinale-a-bit-of-a-stranger-the-secret-drawer-1235898660/?fbclid=IwAR20H2WaJ1cGf0T3fGs4TOT11YTZxM_HzCLYvX7C_l34oIlBDSAi8bFH5TA">Variety</a> today:&nbsp;"Liselot Verbrugge, former CEO of Deckert Distribution, has started a new chapter in her career with the launch of Film Harbour, a world sales company for non-fiction films. At this month’s European Film Market, Verbrugge will kick off sales for two feature documentaries selected for the Berlin Film Festival: Svitlana Lishchynska’s “<a href="https://filmharbour.com/films/a-bit-of-a-stranger">A Bit of a Stranger</a>,” which plays in Panorama, and Costanza Quatriglio’s “<a href="https://filmharbour.com/films/the-secret-drawer">The Secret Drawer</a>,” which screens in Forum.&nbsp;Film Harbour launched at the beginning of this year, with its base in Amsterdam, Netherlands. As well as taking over a selection of Deckert’s catalog, it is also adding new titles.Verbrugge will be attending the EFM together with festival and marketing manager Hanne Biermann, who joined Film Harbour from the former Deckert Distribution team.&nbsp;In “A Bit of a Stranger,” Lishchynska becomes also a protagonist as she follows four generations of women in her family, including herself, as they explore how their ethnic identity has been destroyed through the full-scale invasion by Russia of Ukraine.Growing up in Mariupol during the Soviet era, Lishchynska faced suppression of individuality. In independent Ukraine, she struggled to find her identity, impacting her daughter Alexandra’s upbringing. Today, each woman in the family faces a different political reality. When war disrupts their lives, Svitlana’s mother Valentina is forced to move from Mariupol to Kiev permanently, while Alexandra and her daughter flee to the U.K.All of them embark on an emotional journey shaped by new found memories and family history.&nbsp;“My family and I come from the eastern part of Ukraine, which was heavily influenced by Russia,” Lishchynska explains. “The regime that existed in the USSR was designed to destroy all individuality: a person should not stand out, meant nothing, and should live in poverty, without any kind of opinion. As a result, the country consists of a society vulnerable to propaganda. I am among them. Having neither individuality nor ethical foundations, I raised my daughter without passing any values on to her.”“After the full-scale invasion, we were all faced with a choice: to stay in Ukraine, which is bombed daily, sinking into trauma and where democracy is weakening, or to look for a calmer place on this planet. With this film, I want to show how the consciousness of people has been transformed under the influence of dictatorship and imperial policy of Russia, by combining a personal and political history, past and present.”&nbsp;“The Secret Drawer” sees Quatriglio return to her childhood home in Sicily. There, she opens its doors to archivists and librarians to donate to the Sicilian Region the universe of knowledge belonging to her journalist father. It is the library and archive of Giuseppe Quatriglio, a historical figure of the Giornale di Sicilia and other important newspapers, a writer, essayist, and friend of intellectuals of the 20th century.A sentimental journey begins through photographs, 8mm reels, and sound recordings made by Giuseppe Quatriglio from the 1940s onwards in Europe and around the world. These are accompanied by footage shot by the director between 2010 and 2011 with him, almost 90 years old. Palermo and Sicily, with their history and culture, are the point of observation of the world from which everything starts and to which everything returns.“&nbsp;Creating the film took shape from the intense work dedicated to my father’s library and archive, which began in January 2022 in preparation for the donation I made to the Sicilian Region,” Quatriglio says about her film. “The discovery of over 60,000 photographic negatives taken by my father from 1947 onwards, dozens of 8mm reels, and hundreds of hours of sound recordings made me realize that I had the extraordinary opportunity to create a film that would place a web of events and lived lives. The house where I grew up became the set for an elaborate tale that unfolds from its walls to embrace Sicily, Europe, and the world, spanning a century of history. In addition, I already filmed in my house between 2010 and 2011, having a dialogue with my nearly 90-year-old father, and filming him among his books and papers. Through cinema, emptying his library became now an act of filling. Because the space, transforming over the months in front of the camera, becomes a protagonist itself, alongside the narrated events and the history of us all.”&nbsp;Verbrugge commented: “Launching Film Harbour with two such powerful projects feels exceptional. Both Svitlana Lishchynska and Constanza Quatriglio created stories out of their most inner core: family history. While the starting point of their projects lies in similar roots, both films depict two very different worlds. A family is faced with the struggle of identity due to the consequences of a generation-long invasion, while a daughter is tracing back her father’s past to get closer to hers. It is the question of your own legacy in today’s society which captivates throughout both films, and we are happy to be part of their journeys.”&nbsp;“A Bit of a Stranger” is produced by Anna Kapustina for her Ukraine-based company Albatros Communicos Film and co-produced by ZDF/ARTE, Fredrik Lange Swedish-based company Vilda Bomben Film, Anthony Muir and Kristina Börjeson at Film i Vast.Kapustina produced Iryna Tsilyk’s “The Earth Is Blue As an Orange,” which world premiered in the 2020 competition at Sundance Film Festival, where it won the best director award, and was shown at Berlinale Generation, IDFA, CPH:DOX, HotDocs and more than 100 festivals afterwards.&nbsp;“The Secret Drawer” is produced by Indyca, Luce Cinecittà and RAI Cinema. Co-produced by Rough Cat and RSI Radiotelevisione Svizzera, supported by the Italian Ministry of Culture’s Film and Audiovisual Department, with additional support from the Sicily Region, the Sicilia Film Commission and the Film Commission Torino Piemonte.

New company, new logo, new titles for Berlinale!

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As published by Leo Barraclough in <a href="https://variety.com/2023/film/news/liselot-verbrugge-deckert-distribution-1235784824/">Variety</a> today:&nbsp;"Deckert Distribution CEO Liselot Verbrugge is to launch a new company as the German sales agency prepares to wind down its operations in 2024, with founder Heino Deckert moving fully to production. Verbrugge is attending <a href="https://www.idfa.nl/en/">IDFA</a> documentary festival this week, where the Sundance awarded film “Against the Tide,” one of the agency’s bestsellers this year, is playing in the Best of Fest section.&nbsp;Amsterdam-based Verbrugge joined Deckert at the start of 2019 as head of sales and acquisition, starting with the roll out of double Academy Award nominated “Honeyland.” She took over the reins of the company as CEO two years ago.&nbsp;Verbrugge commented: “I am very happy with what we managed to build over the last few years here. But with the company officially residing in Leipzig, there were certain practical elements that became obstacles. Both in the legal sense of running a company from another country, as in sharing part of the German team with [Heino Deckert’s production company] Ma.ja.de.”&nbsp;Verbrugge added: “As Heino is now stepping out fully, it is time for a new phase. So after a lot of thinking and talking to Heino, I have decided to start over with a new company in the Netherlands. There will be a fresh start with a new name, but also some Deckert Distribution DNA, as part of the team will join me. I am very happy to also have festival manager Hanne Biermann on my side again, who I have been closely working with for over four years.&nbsp;“Twenty years after the launch of Deckert Distribution and with nearly 30 years of experience in international sales, founder Heino Deckert is closing this chapter, as the company will cease its active outreach in the course of 2024.&nbsp;“Having been involved in several companies throughout the years, and a well-known face in the international film industry, he now wants to fully focus on production.”&nbsp;Deckert said: “As my production company Ma.ja.de, besides documentaries, is making more and more fiction films, I feel it is time for me to stop working in distribution. We have just started the release of our Venice title ‘The Universal Theory’ by Timm Kröger, have another title in production right now, and several more in the pipeline. So it’s good for me now to concentrate just on this.”&nbsp;Deckert Distribution’s successes over the years include titles like 2010 Oscar nominated “Rabbit a La Berlin” by Bartek Konopka and Piotr Rosolowski, “Heimat Is a Space in Time” by Thomas Heise and the afore mentioned Sundance hit “Honeyland” by Ljubomir Stefanov and Tamara Kotevska. With such titles as “Against the Tide” and “Close to Vermeer,” 2023 has been a strong year for the company, both in theatrical and broadcast/VOD sales.&nbsp;A handful of films from the Deckert catalog will also follow Verbrugge to the new company, but she is not intending to have a catalog of the same size. Verbrugge added: “Through the years Deckert Distribution has built up a vast back catalog with so many strong, award-winning titles. But with the changes in the market we also see the benefit of being lighter as a company. With less films and a less complicated structure we are more flexible to move within this ever changing landscape.”&nbsp;Preparations for the new company, that will have its launch on Jan. 1, 2024, are now in full swing. Verbrugge said: “It is a lot of work, but also a lot of fun to build the new set up. We have many exciting plans for the new year, including new titles. There will be a new admin department joining us in the Netherlands and we are looking forward to a start full of new energy.”&nbsp;The new company name will be announced in the following months."