Amsterdam Weekly: Vol 4 Issue 21, 24-30 May 2007

Volume 4, Issue 21

24 - 30 MAY 2007 The best of times, the shittiest of times

‘Mommy, why is that man talking to us?’ page 4

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www.amsterdamweekly.nl

One rebel’s view on Darfur page 6

Pick a gender, any gender… page 4 Documenting the most ridiculous conversations page 4 Johann Sebastian Punk with a wheelchair page 5 ART: Fotofestival Naarden and the street adverts of Amsterdam p. 11 / FILM: Martin S meets Christine F p. 19

Short List . . . . . . . . . . . . .9 Music/Clubs . . . . . . . . . .12 Gay & Lesbian . . . . . . . .15 Stage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .17 Dining . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 Film . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 Classifieds/Comics . . . .22

24-30 May 2007

Amsterdam Weekly

CITY SECOND BY PETER CLEUTJENS In this issue and...

Perhaps you were sitting in a café, when you overheard a man talking about being a leader of a rebel group in Darfur, Sudan. Hard to believe, perhaps, and certainly you may have suspected that certain facts and numbers he cited might have been inflated for a greater perceived good. But you believe in the mission—and the desperation to put an end to an unfolding global catastrophe...

Last week, meanwhile, the international press gave much more coverage to the hi-jinx adventures of Bokito the gorilla who escaped his enclosure in Blijdorp zoo to wound a woman and wreak havoc in a restaurant. It was presented as a ‘nature gone nuts’ story.

Later, it was discovered that kids had been throwing rocks at him, the wounded woman was a regular visitor who imagined a special bond with her hairy friend, and that restaurants were the place where he’d dance on tables during his youth at Berlin’s zoo.

One seemingly simple story often uncovers a million more complex ones...

On the cover IBRAHIM AZRAQ: REBEL IN SHADOWS Photo by Henk Wildschut www.henkwildschut.com

Next week Festivals and nudist colonies

Letters Got an opinion? We want to hear it. inbox@amsterdamweekly.nl

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18/05/2007 - 14:20 - JAVASTRAAT

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Amsterdam Weekly

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24-30 May 2007

AROUND TOWN Overheard in A’dam

Of men, women and all the genders in between.

Documenting the city’s absurd conversations.

By Willem de Blaauw

By Laura Groeneveld

The fourth Netherlands Transgender Film Festival is not just about celluloid.

It’s also about games. Like Gender je rot, for example. ‘It’s a spoof of that old Dutch TV game Ren je rot presented by Martin Brozius,’ explains Bastiaan Franse of De Noodles, the group behind the game. The queer collective aiming to open up discussions about sexual orientation, genders and diversity devised the game originally for teams of students. Winners triumph by fast responses and accomplishing tasks. So far, so traditional. ‘We chose this fun format to fit in questions on gender,’ says Franse. ‘It’s all about creating the eighteenth gender.’

Sorry, but what’s the 18th gender?

‘Well, the number was chosen at random; it’s an invitation to think beyond the two-gender system and to allow yourself to fantasise,’ Franse explains. ‘Participants have to win “gender parts”. At the end of the game, each team present their eighteenth gender.

We have a mini-catwalk and a parade of genders. We don’t believe in a third gender or eighteenth, for that matter. Once there are eighteen, there are two hundred and fifty six, and three thousand two hundred...’

Franse identifies as transgender. He uses this label because he doesn’t identify with female or male; he also feels limited by the pronoun ‘he’. ‘Our collective wants to advocate that there are not “just” men and women, but all kinds of variety, in gender experience but also in body,’ says Franse. ‘And it’s the same with sexual-preference labels. The furthest most people get is straight, gay and bisexual, all based on the gender binary. I identify as neither man nor woman—what does that label my partner? Reality is more fluent than the language and social structures we use and accept.’

So this gender business is all a game, then?

‘Yes: even though it’s serious stuff with a serious message, we believe in gender role playing as part of real-life experience. We wanted to do something creative, inspiring and attention grabbing, rather than a lecture or workshop.’

De Noodles was set up after the very first Transgender Film Festival in 2001.

They organise demonstrations, readings and other activities, and host a regular social afternoon once a month. ‘Our first wish was to have a gender variation party at the [2003] festival. That became

It happens quite often. You’re in a shop, or on a tram, and suddenly you find yourself overhearing the weirdest bits of conversation. Before you know it, strange people who don’t care who can hear them have given you a hilarious insight into their unique minds.

Students Ernst-Jan Pfauth, Philip Rouwenhorst and Salar al Khafaji enjoyed hearing these conversational treats so much that they decided to share them. The result is the website overheardinamsterdam.nl, which launched in April.

Everyone who happens to overhear bizarre or funny snippets on the city streets is invited to submit them to the site. The best quotes get posted in dialogue form, with information such as the date, and the location where the conversation took place. Readers can also vote online for their favourite quotes.

At the moment, a statement made by a Paris Hilton lookalike, and one by a Surinamese man who uses ice cubes to restrain himself from hot women, are in competition for most popular quote.

Rouwenhorst, who studies communication science, says he and his friends based their project on the successful overheardinnewyork.com website. ‘It’s one of our all time favourite websites,’ he explains. ‘Salar and I talked about starting a Dutch version, but somehow never got round to it.’ But when Rouwenhorst recently visited Pfauth in New York, where he’s working as an intern, he found himself discussing their favourite website again, and something changed. ‘We decided then and there that we would make the Dutch version happen. Two weeks later, the site was online.’

Since then, all three men have become master eavesdroppers—but that doesn’t mean they’re listening in on other people’s conversations all the time. ‘I do pay more attention to what’s being said on the street,’ says Rouwenhorst. ‘And I always carry my phone with me so I can write things down. But I still listen to music when I’m on my bike. I’m not obsessed with it.’

Lucky for him, Rouwenhorst is from a part of town that’s always good for eavesdropping on strange conversations. ‘I live in the Spaarndammerbuurt, which is a working-class area where lots of students live. There’s always something going on there. Either there’s a student standing right below my win-

CAROLYN RIDSDALE

Oh gender, up yours!

one of our projects,’ says Franse. ‘We felt the need to have a social spot, a café where we and others could meet and be ourselves, in all varieties. Not underground, but out and open. That’s our Noodles Café in Saarein.

‘We want to break down barriers and pigeonholes about sexual orientation or gender—whether gay, lesbian or straight. We use transgender as an umbrella term for all variations on biological female and male. We also use it in a more narrow definition, for individuals who identify “in between” or somewhere “around” female and male genders.’

Is there a big transgender community in Amsterdam? ‘There’s no real community as such, like you have in the US. I am in contact with transgendered persons there and they strongly feel the need to achieve better healthcare, for example. Here, it seems that progressive laws make people more passive.

‘Lots of transpeople here chose to fit into the existing gender binary, and

Actually, 18 genders still sound limiting.

therefore become invisible amongst other women and men. I think community building here is important, to enlarge visibility of existing variety and to advocate human rights. Perhaps the non-community thing also has to do with a difference in cultural background: ours seems to be more individual. I wonder if it’s an effect of having established a form of healthcare, based on a protocol, for transgender people, that is accessible and affordable for transpeople who (still) aim to fit in the male-female binary. “Genderqueer” is still an unknown term in the Netherlands. That said, there are groups of people who are very active in the field of gender diversity, gender rights, visibility and so on, and we, as De Noodles, are part of that.’

Gender je rot, 26 May, De Balie, 18.00, free. www.n00dles.nl

Amsterdam Weekly

ways of our society,’ says Pfauth. ‘It can point out something funny, or something unfair.’

Not too surprising then that ErnstJan’s favourite quote is one made by a philosophical drug addict contemplating the war in Afghanistan—and his own role in it—while waiting by the open bridge on Haarlemmerplein.

Pot-smoking Junkie, apropos of nothing: ‘Funny, isn’t it, that war in Afghanistan? How we don’t notice it here! This joint is also from there.

You’ve got dead people and the Taliban there, and I contribute to that by smoking this joint.’

Child: ‘Mommy, why is that man talking to us?’

So far, the website seems to be a success. And its initiators are already thinking bigger. ‘As soon as we’ve collected enough English quotes, we’re going to set up an English version,’ says al Khafaji.

There’s only one thing lacking. ‘New York seems to have a monopoly on poetic hobos,’ Rouwenhorst says. ‘We don’t have hobos like that in Amsterdam.

Well, there’s one near the university complex who swears a lot and is very loud, but that’s it, really.’

So for all you tramps out there: start reading Dostoyevsky and give us some quotes.

Rockin’ and rollin’ No pity, please: freak at play.

www.overheardinamsterdam.nl

Have you heard the one about...

By Floris Dogterom

CAROLYN RIDSDALE

dow having a fascinating conversation, or there’s a drunk person shouting on the streets.’

For al Khafaji, it’s public transport that provides his daily dose of quotes.

‘People on trains and trams are always talking on their phones and discussing private matters. They never seem to realise other people can hear them too.’

A point proven by a recent snippet of a young girl on the metro, openly discussing her police record.

Although everyone can submit a quote for the website, only Pfauth, Rouwenhorst and al Khafaji can come up with the titles that accompany them.

‘The combination quote and title is very important,’ explains Rouwenhorst. ‘The title has to add to the quote. It has to be more than a summary. “Grandmother shouts at other grandmother”—that’s not interesting.’

What would the website’s creators ideally like to overhear in Amsterdam?

‘My ideal quote would be one that I said myself that got sent in by someone else who’d overheard it,’ says Rouwenhorst.

‘Then I’d open a bottle of champagne and toast the success of our website.’

His current favourite was made by a friend of his over the phone. ‘It was so hilarious; I just had to post it.’

Someone called Peter: ‘Seriously, I’ve never lost my keys, OV card, or wallet. But for some reason my grillpan seems to have vanished into nowhere!’

‘My ideal overheard conversation is one that’s funny, but also mirrors the

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CAROLYN RIDSDALE

24-30 May 2007

‘Normally I play in a string ensemble called the Zephyr Kwartet,’ says Jacob Plooij. ‘We play contemporary music. I was born and raised in Australia, where I studied to be a professional violinist. I’ve got a Dutch father and came to Holland in 2000, basically to keep my passport. But at the same time, I wanted to investigate contemporary music. The Dutch scene is fantastic.’

He admits contemporary music can be difficult to listen to. ‘It’s different from contemporary art, in that the strange shapes of the latter are more easily accepted. You’re used to being deceived with your eyes. But in sound, people have to learn to accept strange shapes, as it were. Every composer is in fact writing a new language. Actually, listening to contemporary music may be hard, but playing it is even more difficult.

Extremely difficult.’

In the last two years Plooij suffered from a strange injury, which made him stop the busy music life he’d had. He could still play, but only for short bursts.

He decided to take three months off.

‘But still,’ he says, ‘I realised how much I like playing with my loop machine.’ Plooij is referring to the little green box, not unlike the pedal box rock guitarists use, that’s mounted on the footrest of his wheelchair.

The wheelchair. That needs a little explaining.

While being interviewed on a sunny morning on the corner of Willemsstraat and Brouwersgracht, Plooij is assembling his wheelchair music studio. Under the seat is a speaker; wiring runs to an amplifi-

Not lopen but looping.

er, and everything is connected to an electric violin. Plooij continues: ‘I was living next to a branch of thuiszorg. For twentyfive euro I bought a wheelchair from them, built this thing in one-and-a-half hours and went out on the streets.’

The last thing Plooij wants is to be pitied, although in a way, the whole thing represented the state he was in. ‘I started out calling myself Johann Sebastian Punk.

I go out there with one or two friends dressed as nurses to play and collect money. Sometimes we go by train to other cities and we make enough to pay for the tickets and buy lunch. Or I just play for fun and raise money to help preserve the Tasmanian Old Growth Forest.’

To show people that he is not totally immobile, he makes sure they watch while he is pushing the knobs on his loop machine. ‘Some people are scared of it, but kids generally love it—especially when I give them the violin. I can also record what they’ve done and let them hear.’ Unfortunately, this morning the battery is flat, so Plooij can’t give a demonstration. Later in the day, he makes up for it in the Chiellerie, the artists’ hang-out on Raamgracht.

Although he hasn’t brought his wheelchair, the violin and the loop machine should suffice to give an impression.

And they do. Plooij plays interpretations of the paintings he sees in the gallery.

He bows and plucks the strings of his violin, while at the same time recording and reproducing the sounds with the machine.

To which he plays new notes. It results in an electronic soundscape, which one time sounds like a pling-plong soundtrack to an underwater movie, and another like a recognisable rock riff. After a while, Plooij puts his violin on the ground, letting it lean against the speaker, which keeps producing the sound from the loop machine. ‘Now it’s a work of art,’ says Plooij, chuckling.

‘Laat maar zitten verder.’

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Amsterdam Weekly

A Darfurian rebel in Amsterdam

24-30 May 2007

24-30 May 2007

Amsterdam Weekly

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If the humanitarian disaster in Sudan’s Darfur region and the conflict between the rebels, pro-government militias, and a government accused of genocide wasn’t complicated enough, rebel groups themselves are splintering. One rebel, in exile in Amsterdam, tells his story (and gives his uncompromising point of view).

BY MILES ROSTON PHOTOS BY HENK WILDSCHUT

On 29 April, activists from around the world held a Global Day for Darfur.

Celebrities signed a statement accusing the world of apathy toward the humanitarian crisis in the western region of the East African nation. This is a crisis that the UN says has left 200,000 people dead, and two million displaced. Other sources, such as the Coalition for International Justice, place the death toll at 400,000.

Nor can one forget the two million who have died in the civil war in southern Sudan.

A few weeks before the day of action, I met someone who claimed to be a key player in the conflict, Idris Ibrahim Azraq, who lives in exile in Amsterdam while one of the most pressing issues of world politics unfolds in his native country. He said he was the leader of what he claims to be the second-largest rebel movement in Darfur, the Justice and Equality Movement (JEM), which was launched here in the Netherlands.

While I could debate some of his claims and not confirm others, I was intrigued by Azraq’s frankness. Over the following weeks, as we talked and met more, his stories more often than not, proved to be true. The situation in Darfur did escalate. The militant Arabised tribes of the Janjaweed burned more villages.

The UN accused Khartoum of disguising aircraft as UN planes to ship military supplies for the Janjaweed into the country.

And Amnesty International accused China and Russia of violating the arms embargo in Sudan by supplying arms to the government. (The two countries routinely block Security Council resolutions condemning the Sudanese government.)

Unsurprisingly, Sudan’s ambassador to the UN, Abdel Mahmood Abdel Haleem, has said Amnesty’s allegations were ‘unfounded.’

A half century of civil war We first met through friends at an undisclosed location—Azraq needs to keep his whereabouts secret. He says the Sudanese government has threatened his life many times. A former secondary school teacher, Azraq told me he had 15,000 armed followers—I took that number with a pinch of salt. Although a Muslim, he is fighting President Omar alBashir’s government in Khartoum, because they are oppressing and, as he calls it, ‘Arabising’—forcing Arabic culture, language and values on indigenous peoples—his people and country.

Sudan has been in a civil war for more than half a century, primarily with the Christians and Animists in the south.

But, in fact, the only region that has not been caught up in fighting is the northern region near the Nile, because this is

where the people who control the rest of the nation are based. The policy being pursued by the current government is basically the same as that of all the previous governments since independence from Britain in 1956, ‘and even more extreme,’ says Azraq.

At our first meeting, Azraq stated that the only solution is the total removal of the current government, which he likened in racial policies to the Nazis: ‘Making peace with this government would be the same as the Western allies making peace with the Nazis. Like the Nazi regime, the government in Khartoum cannot be trusted and will break any peace agreements, as they have done dozens of times— including the last one in Darfur.’ The only way for real peace, Azraq says, is to create a balance of power.

to people in rural areas, Azraq was able to go away to secondary school. It was there that Azraq began getting involved in politics. ‘When I was in school, I wanted to join Nimeiri’s supporters,’ Azraq says. ‘I tried social justice and the Marxists, which was appealing.’

But after the American company Chevron discovered oil in the south in 1979, according to the US State Department: ‘Pressure built to abrogate those provisions of the peace treaty granting financial autonomy to the south. Ultimately in 1983, Nimeiri abolished the southern region, declared Arabic the official language of the south (instead of English) and transferred control of southern armed forces to the central government.’ Civil war erupted again, between the South and Khartoum.

Over the following weeks, as we talked and met more, his stories, more often than not, came true. The situation in Darfur did escalate. The militant Arabised tribes of the Janjaweed burned more villages. The UN accused Khartoum of disguising aircraft as UN planes to ship military supplies for the Janjaweed into the country.

My conversations with Azraq also focused on his personal history, as well as that of the conflict. We also spoke about what he and his movement want to be done. Darfur’s history, for Azraq personally and for the country as a whole, is complicated, but he believes the solution is simple: a secular modern state for all Sudanese people.

War child Idris Ibrahim Azraq is originally from the Midob tribe, from the mountainous Jabal region of northern Darfur. The Midob are Nubian people and came to the region, Azraq claims, ‘maybe a thousand years ago, after the fall of the Nubian civilisation in the Nile Valley.’

After primary school in his home village of Malha, he went to boarding school in Malite in the 1970s. At that time, the government of Sudan was led by Colonel Gaafar Nimeiri, who’d seized power in May 1969. Nimeiri was socialist at first, and, in 1972, made peace with the south.

Because Nimeiri offered better schooling

By this time, Azraq had been accepted into the University of Khartoum. There, he joined the Muslim Brotherhood—an originally Egyptian group, advocating the institutionalisation of Islamic law—since his father was a Muslim, albeit a member of the more mystical Sufi sect.

‘When we were at university,’ Azraq says, ‘the Muslim Brotherhood was always saying we would have a multi-party democracy. But when I graduated, I left the Brotherhood, because it became more fanatical.’ Hassan al-Turabi, secretary general of the movement was, in fact, a founder of the National Islamic Front.

In 1989, a coup brought President alBashir to power, yet the National Islamic Front had key positions in the government.

According to Azraq, the new government imposed martial law, sending those who disagreed with their policies to prison.

Azraq says: ‘They imposed two agendas: an Islamic agenda and an Arabic agenda. I am a Muslim, but I was not convinced by that version of Islam. Secondly, I am not Arabic so I don’t want to adopt Arab nationalism.’

Not long after graduating, Azraq and others in Darfur began opposing the government’s attacks on the Christians and animists in the South. He took a job as a secondary school teacher. He told me that at the time some of his students wanted to go and fight in the south for the government. ‘And I said to the students, for the government to go there and kill people, that is a crime. It is their land, and even if they are not Muslim, they are human beings.’

He also found a rebel leader that he could follow: Daoud Bollad. He was an Islamist, but believed the government should be opposed because it was against the African tribes and because it was planning to change the composition of the population and, as he says, Arabising them, ‘for the sake of extreme Arab nationalism.’ So Daoud joined Colonel John Garang of the Southern Sudanese rebels, the SPLA, and began bringing arms to Darfur to fight the government.

Meanwhile in Darfur, Azraq had secretly joined other anti-government groups, and was waiting to meet Daoud to begin armed struggle against Khartoum. But, unfortunately, before Daoud reached the capital, the government and a ‘pro-government militia’—a prototype of the Janjaweed—caught him and executed him.

The rebellion that Azraq had joined had been compromised by government agents. Azraq was taken into detention.

‘They asked me, “did you know Daoud?”’ he says. ‘I denied it. I denied that I had any relations with him. And they insisted that I put in writing that I wouldn’t practice any political activity. So I wrote it down.’

He laughs, because although he’d promised not to practice any political activity, he’s done nothing but since. The only way he could continue to be politically active he says was to go into exile.

Azraq had heard on the radio that there was an opposition group forming in England. He wanted to join them.

Seeking England, finding Holland In 1993, a friend sent him enough money to get out of Sudan, on a ship to Europe. ‘I thought that they would take us to England. But they took us to Rotterdam,’ he says.

After a couple of days in the city, he found some Sudanese people, and told them he wanted to go to England or Canada. ‘They laughed at me,’ Azraq says.

‘They said: the only choice you have is to ask for asylum in the Netherlands.’ So he went to the police and did precisely that.

He got refugee status, picked tomatoes, and also went back to university to earn a Masters degree in cultural studies. His

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desire to oppose the Sudanese government stayed with him.

In 2001, the government, collaborating with the Janjaweed, began burning villages and Azraq couldn’t sit still any longer. He met Khalil Ibrahim, who had previously been Sudan’s minister of education, but had also come to oppose Khartoum. Like Azraq, he fled to the Netherlands, and although Ibrahim had been part of the government, Azraq decided to trust him. ‘Khalil had fresh ideas, and kept abreast of what was going on.

And so with a few others, we formed JEM.’ Though launched in the Netherlands, most of JEM’s leaders on the ground, especially militarily, were still inside Darfur.

Only a small portion of the group was based in the Netherlands: including the chairperson, then Ibrahim, and Azraq, who became the spokesperson and secretary of information and culture. However, even though they were not in Sudan, both men were able to keep their status as leaders, as they were well known in Darfur. Trying to get attention for their cause, they created a website, www.sudanjem.info.

In 2002, Azraq and a friend travelled to Kenya and to Uganda to try to meet with the SPLA leaders, who represented the south. But the SPLA was negotiating with the government and so didn’t want to align with Azraq and JEM. They were deeply suspicious of Ibrahim, with his government ties. Suspicions which later, Azraq claims, turned out to be wellfounded.

Neither JEM nor the SLA (the Sudanese Liberation Army, the other rebel group in Darfur, as opposed to the SPLA in the south) stopped their armed resistance. According to Azraq, JEM control a lot of the border area with Chad and Libya. When I ask Azraq how they got their weapons, he explained that most of the time, they get them from defeated government troops. ‘But,’ he adds, ‘if you have money, you can even buy them from the Sudanese army.’

Azraq also claims that members of his family were killed in retaliation for his political activities. ‘I have more than fifty close relatives who were killed. Because the government knows: they go to my relatives’ village and kill them. Even women.

And if they could find me, they would kill me.’

Bargaining From the time of JEM’s formation, the West became ever more concerned about the deteriorating situation in Darfur, and tried to get government and rebels to the bargaining table. In May 2006, a Darfur Peace Agreement was signed. But JEM would have no part of it, though a breakaway faction of the SLA did.

‘We saw that the international community could help us. But they (the negotiators) forced Minni Minawi of the SLA to sign. At JEM, we never had help from Westerners. So we were free. We said we were not going to accept it, because the agreement was not comprehensive, and was not going to serve the purpose of our people. Nine months on, they realise that Minni wasn’t able to get peace. But we have no choice now; either we fight the government to be able to change it or they win over us and we will be second-class citizens.’

According to Azraq, there was also trouble within the ranks of JEM. Azraq

Amsterdam Weekly

24-30 May 2007

speak to his ‘generals’ in Sudan at least three times a day via satellite phone. He also tries to get the attention of the press.

Occasionally he speaks to the BBC or Al Jazeera. And he attempts to negotiate with foreign governments, like that of his host country. ‘I spoke with the foreign ministry here, but they said they want a peaceful solution. For us, a peaceful solution without a balance of power is nothing. It is only a romantic idea.’

‘That is my strength: I want to help build a secular, united and modern state that will never discriminate against citizens on the basis of ethnicity or religion.’ says that the SPLA was beginning to have suspicions about Ibrahim’s motives.

According to Azraq, Ibrahim began trying to consolidate his own power and also promoted issues from their own tribe’s perspective, rather than for the good of the whole of Sudan. Ibrahim, Azraq says, began installing his relatives in key positions in the movement. And, Azraq adds, they founded the movement to establish a secular democracy. However, Ibrahim allegedly became linked with the religious movement created by Hassan al-Turabi, a former leader of the government, the National Islamic Front founder, and an Islamist.

JEM held a conference in Addis Ababa this January. ‘People came from all over the world,’ Azraq says. ‘From inside, from the military, some from the Gulf and from Europe.’ Instead of Ibrahim, they selected Azraq as chairman of the movement. Ibrahim kept his own faction, with its own website, www.sudanjem.com.

And the split between the movement was codified.

Why did the other JEM members elect Azraq? Ibrahim already had a powerbase, and was receiving funds from Chad, whereas Azraq had no money to speak of.

Azraq explains: ‘For me, my strength is not my tribe. My strength is my national agenda. I want to help make a national movement. I am against Arabisation. I want a secular state, a united Sudan, but a federation. We believe that our history is one. Our destiny is also one. We have to

unite the south, the Darfurians and all the other regions in order to face the Khartoum government. I want to help build a secular, united and modern state that will never discriminate against citizens on the basis of ethnicity or religion.’

Azraq remains abroad to raise awareness, as well as finance, for the movement. After all, his supporters already have arms, he points out, as there has been conflict for so long. But ‘bullets they have to buy’, he says.

‘We also want to build relations with companies because there are all kinds of oil and minerals in the country. We don’t want to take civil property. We want to set a model: if we are revolting against injustice, we have to deal with people in a way that does not take their property.

That’s the problem with the Sudan Liberation Army of Darfur. When they couldn’t find finance from outside, they began to take it from the people. And now people hate them.’

Though the government has 100,000 supporters, Azraq truly believes that his forces could actually take them on, ‘Because the majority of the government army is from the marginalised regions.

Only a tiny group are from the National Congress. When they get to the battles, they surrender. Most are in the government army because they want a salary.

Our fifteen thousand, they are mobilised.

They want to do something.’

Azraq stays with friends at undisclosed locations, from which he claims to

Peace?

Azraq believes that, though the UN and the West keep pushing for a peace accord, it is an impossibility. ‘The SPLA negotiated and joined in,’ he points out, ‘and three weeks ago, eleven of their big generals were killed. The government of Khartoum use everything as they want.

The government uses things for their own benefit. They build themselves big houses. They finance themselves from oil revenue.’

Government corruption is a fact.

According to Transparency International’s 2006 index, Sudan is the fifth most corrupt country in the world: only Haiti, Guinea, Myanmar and Iraq fare worse.

I ask Azraq big questions: is it enough just to rebel? What is Azraq’s goal, or the goal of JEM as a whole? Does he aim, for example, to be Prime Minister of Sudan?

‘For me, that is not the first goal,’ he replies. ‘But if that would be the only way, then yes. You know, after the genocide the government committed, the only way to protect our people is to be the government of Sudan. We are working hard. I cannot say only me, but our group, must be in government, either me or Khalil or SPLA. I don’t like Khalil, but even he is better than those who are there.

‘The Arabs came and took our culture. But we were able to build our identity again. So we are going to fight them until we get equal status. That doesn’t mean we are going to eradicate them—they will be free to live equally with us. We need to force them to respect other people.

‘But for us now we have to fight. We have no other choice. Because to make peace without a balance of power is like surrendering. Why should I surrender and let them slaughter me? It is better to try until they kill you. Either you kill them or they kill you, but to surrender like this?

No.’ At the end of our talks, Azraq and I part. I know that his rebellion, men with arms, will doubtless cause grievous harm to other human beings. They are certainly not following Gandhi’s path of non-violence in their resistance against what is generally accepted as genocide by Sudan’s government. But this man seems committed to his beliefs. If George Clooney and Mick Jagger can get their views aired on Darfur, and the Sudan’s Ambassador to the UN can air his denials, then this man who seems to be living solely for his cause deserves to have a platform for his grievances, views and hopes. Most especially, his hopes. Of course, lasting peace and a just solution for all the parties involved would seem to be the best of all our hopes for the situation in Sudan, even all the way from Amsterdam.

[The author wishes to acknowledge the help of Chris Hennessy and Charles Liburd.]

24-30 May 2007

Amsterdam Weekly

9

SHORT LIST

Martha Colburn, Saturday

THURSDAY 24 MAY Photography: De Mamma’s en de Pappa’s Pick a parent and make a portrait. In this assignment, 22 photographers were invited to join the new exhibition in the Amsterdams Centrum voor Fotografie. Every year, the centre asks a guest curator to put together a group show; Han Schoonhoven, editor with internet magazine Photoq, was selected this time round, and he came up with a deceptively simple concept. The former gallery-owner asked a group of mostly Amsterdam-based photographers to take a picture of either their mother or father. Some, like Koos Breukel and Alex ten Napel, specialise in portraits, so their contributions may not be all that surprising. But what can we expect from street photographer Theo Niekus, or Dirk Kome, whose rural scenes are mostly devoid of human beings? Other artists taking part include Roger Cremers, Jacqueline Gilbert, Ringel Goslinga, Lard Buurman and Martijn van der Griendt. (Marinus de Ruiter) Amsterdams Centrum voor Fotografie (Thur-Sat 13.00-17.00). Until 16 June.

Singer-songwriter: Andrew Bird Straight off a Phileas Fogg-like eco-friendly tour, which has seen him perform in all compass points of the US, the multi-faceted, multi-talented, multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird graces Paradiso once more. Whether alone or with guests, Bird’s shows are always a spectacle, as he plays violin, glockenspiel and guitar, recording loops and creating a sonic melange that puts most rock quartets to shame. Then there’s that strong, laconic voice and world-class whistle. This time he’s aided by Martin Dosh (likeminded sampler and percussive solo star from the Anticon roster) and guitarist Jeremey Ylvisaker (of Minneapolis project Redstart), who add a new richness to his sound that makes it all the more engaging. Often, the live shows are completely different from Bird’s recorded work, backed up as they are by his very individual wit and vision. He’s capable of stunning audiences into silent awe, only to shatter the mood again with his expressive delivery, causing ripples of giggles to wash across the room.

(Dermot Fitzsimons) Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 19.30, €12.50 + membership.

Hiphop: K-Os Growing up as a Jehovah’s Witness in a small town outside of Toronto, Canada, isn’t the typical upbringing for most of today’s hiphop artists. In fact, it’s the near antithesis of the gang-banging rags-to-riches struggle reflected too often in many of the current hits of the genre. For hiphop/soul artist K-Os, the quiet, unassuming environment of his teenage years was a driving force in developing his thoughtful collection of songs.

Instead of espousing the same tired rap rhetoric heard the world over, he plugged into his own unique set of experiences and produced a fresh spin on some old standards.

Though he frequently criticises many facets of hiphop culture, an overwrought, extreme politico he’s not. K-Os’ steadfast mash of beats, rhymes and loose vocals will have you shakin’ it just as hard as you would with any other hiphop heavyweight.

(Stephanie Shewchuck) Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 21.00, €12 + membership.

FRIDAY 25 MAY Hiphop: Kid Koala Kid Koala is not your typical hiphop DJ. In previous Melkweg shows, he’s played bingo with the crowd, performed piano ballads on his keyboard, and invited people to dance on stage. He does puppet shows and sells home-made comics. Aside from classic breaks and beats, he likes to cut up and transform Dixieland jazz, gospel and Hawaiian easy listening records on his turntables. Perhaps this audience-friendly attitude has earned him the title Your Mom’s Favorite DJ, as his latest album is called. Ironically, it contains the heaviest Kid Koala tracks to date, built up out of metal and hard rock guitar riffs. Above all, Kid Koala’s music is not about showing skills or speed on the decks, but about telling stories by joining together the most divergent of sounds. As he told DJ Times Magazine last year: ‘It’s as if my records are single people and my studio is the weirdest dating service ever.’ (Marinus de Ruiter) Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 21.00, €14 + membership.

SATURDAY 26 MAY Art: Martha Colburn Heads with legs, flying limbs and hybrids of humans, animals and objects—since 1994, collage artist Martha Colburn has presented an infinite parade of grotesque creatures in her short but hyperactive—and humorous—animation films. Sexual deviation, cosmetic surgery and the Red Light District of Amsterdam are among the subjects she has dissected. So it seems only natural for the American artist to tackle the War on Terror with another visual and auditory bombardment. Among the four new films at Diana Stigter is a tale about the American weapons industry, in which Osama bin Laden meets Dorothy and other characters from The Wizard of Oz; there is also an adaptation of the first book of the Bible. Also on display are ten collages of 50 x 70 centimetres. Tonight’s celebratory opening—with DJ—starts at 17.00. (Marinus de Ruiter) Galerie Diana Stigter (Wed-Sat 12.00-18.00). Until 30 June.

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Amsterdam Weekly

24-30 May 2007

Rock: Ein Abend in Amsterdam They don’t really like us Germans in Holland. According to some Dutch people, we say ‘Jaaaa jaaaa’ all the time, play ugly football, leave lots of half-empty beer bottles on tables (a new and special national stereotype I was confronted with recently), and secretly still like Hitler. But times are changing. Last year, De Volkskrant did a cultural special controversially titled Duitsland is oké, Sugar Factory shouts ‘Get Germanified’ to advertise their Duitse Nachten, and it is grudgingly admitted that Berlin might be kinda cool. Now Paradiso follows suit, programming a whole night of German bands and DJs. The Robocop Kraus are last year’s indie darlings. Mediengruppe Telekommander are two very funny guys (one of whom is actually Austrian... ooh, I didn’t know they made that mistake over here, too!) who jump around shouting ‘Telekommander!’ over cheap hiphop beats. Knarf Rellöm is another entertaining freak, and the rest of the line-up sounds quite gut as well. Hervorragend! Just don’t mention the war. Or football. Jaaaa. (Sarah Gehrke) Paradiso, 19.30, €14 + membership.

World: Purbayan Chatterjee It’s a commonplace among Western instrumentalists that the greatest musicians on earth come from India. Studying 18 hours a day for a minimum of 200 years—or so the joke goes—Indians, reportedly, are not allowed to perform in public until their skills shine with super-high gloss. On that basis, Purbayan Chatterjee is something of a prodigy. Only 30, the sitar player has performed around the world—including at the Sydney Opera House, London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Theatre de la Ville in Paris—earning plaudits for both depth of conception and vertiginous technique. A follower of the melodious playing style of Nikhil Banerjee and a student of the great Ali Akbar Khan, Chatterjee should dazzle in a programme of traditional ragas. Assisted by Anubrata Chatterjee on tabla, this will be Indian music-making of impeccable purity, as a tradition of supremely rigorous training—no joking now—finds expression in a glorious new virtuoso. (Steve Schneider) KIT Tropentheater, 20.00, €18.

Photography: En Passant Dordrecht seems to be rocking as an arts town of late—hell, it even had an ‘Urban Explorers Festival’ earlier this month with quirky bands and dance expeditions. Now there’s this exhibition that has one wondering why it’s not occurring here in Amsterdam. En Passant features nine photographers—many of whom are Amsterdam Weekly contributors—and their take on the city streets: Paul Bogaers, Peter Cleutjens, Hans Eijkelboom, Erik Fens, Gerard Fieret, Arnoud Holleman, Theo Niekus, Paulien Oltheten and Martine Stig & Vanessa van Dam. Most of these snappers have to work fast to make sense of the movement—or tiny details—in these most public of spaces.

To catch that passing moment in the chaos… On Sunday 17 June, it’s particularly enticing to hop a train south: most of the artists will be on hand from 3 p.m. (Steve Korver) Centrum Beeldende Kunst, Dordrecht, free. Until 8 July.

SUNDAY 27 MAY Jazz: The Brass Penguin We’re not tooting the wrong horn when we say that De Nieuwe Anita has become an invaluable addition to Amsterdam’s nightlife, without being swamped by big-ego celebs with bulging entourages. The hipsters and cool cats who congegrate at the venue will be showing up early for Sunday brunch, accompanied by both bubbly libation and Bossa Nova music (for all the squares, that’s a jazzy offshoot of samba from Rio de Janeiro, daddy-O). Laying on the tunes to nibble to are guests DJ Rutger and DJ Johnny Gauloises, who reinforce regular spinners DJ Baby Blue and DJ Booster Spirit. The event promises to be so laid back, you’d best bring your own reclining chair. Better yet, bring your own hammock! Reservations are recommended, just send your classiest request to thebrasspenguin@gmail.com. (Luuk van Huët) De Nieuwe Anita, 14.00, €5.

TUESDAY 29 MAY Opera: From the House of the Dead Why did the Holland Festival choose to launch its 60th outing—a particularly rich and venturesome roster of events—with From the House of the Dead, Janácek’s 1930 opera based on Dostoyevsky’s study of a Siberian prison? Maybe because ours is a time when the words ‘Guantanamo’ and ‘Abu Ghraib’ stir shame and sorrow in all who hear them. Or maybe because this vast international co-production—New York’s Metropolitan Opera and Milan’s La Scala are partners—brings together conductor Pierre Boulez, director Patrice Chéreau and designer Richard Peduzzi for the first time since their 1976 Ring Cycle became a post-War landmark. (And they aren’t alone: the ˇ Mahler Chamber Orchestra, the Arnold Schoenberg Choir and singers Olaf Bar, Stefan Margita and John Mark Ainsley all add lustre.) Or maybe it’s because Janácek, whose use of slowly developing musical motifs was inspired by his native Czech speech, maintained that this great and unsettling tale lets us ‘find a spark of God’ in ‘the minds of criminals’. Whatever the reason, this is sure to be a stirring, sterling evening. In Czech, with Dutch and English supertitles. (Steve Schneider) Het Muziektheater, 20.00, €12-€145.

Send details and images for listing consideration at least two weeks in advance to agenda@amsterdamweekly.nl.

Amsterdam Weekly

24-30 May 2007

11 Things sometimes look bigger from a distance.

An exhibition at Fotofestival Naarden discovers that commercial overload is nothing new.

SIGNS OF THE CHANGING TIMES. PHOTOGRAPHY Fotofestival Naarden Naarden, various times and locations, until 10 June, €15.

By Mark Wedin

All around town bastards, disguised as friends, are selling sex—or more accurately, the mere suggestion of sex, along with a product—for money. Why? Because it works.

Even on a picturesque journey to old Naarden—that charming fortress village with the surrounding walls shaped like a star—the landscape of spacious green fields dotted with cows and sheep is occasionally obstructed by billboards bearing four women’s asses in the attempt to sell underwear. You’ve probably seen those asses around town. Sadly, they’re appearing among the sheep as well, now.

But it wasn’t always like this. In the innocent days of old there was actually more advertising—at least, within our own fair city.

Photographic evidence of this is on

display at the tenth biannual Fotofestival Naarden, which not only breached the city’s impressive fortifications last week, but has virtually taken over, and will remain supreme for another two weeks to come.

There, in a sub-exhibition entitled Reclametoezicht Amsterdam 1925-1935, large prints culled from the Gemeentearchief by Mark Moorman and Nienke Denekamp are on display. The images are particularly touching because of their accurate depiction of daily street life— the same streets we walk on today—during the early years of Amsterdam’s industrial development. But the most striking element is the number of billboards present.

‘That’s what surprised us,’ says Moorman, also an editor at Het Parool. ‘You would think that Amsterdam was more picturesque. But the photos we normally see from that time avoided all commercial aspects of the city. The images [in this exhibition], however, were made for the public advertising control council. It’s very functional photography, all about the situation of the signs and how it relates to

the city and life on the street. That’s the only reason they included people and the street in the photo.’

Moorman explains that the ad control council was founded in the 1920s, along with a slogan register, so no one else could copy your snappy new motto.

‘That’s when the entire profession of the ad industry began,’ explains Moorman.

And, as in most early entrepreneurial ventures, anyone could jump into the fray. ‘We found one photo of a wall in the centre of the city with a small Coca-Cola sign. It was almost completely overshadowed by a local fishmonger who painted his own sign above it. You would never see that today—the local guy who sells fish painting a bigger ad than Coca-Cola.

In another photo, there is a local workplace, Garage Van Vueren, where the owner took over an entire wall for his ad.

Today, that’s only done by Nike and other big companies.’

It’s also interesting to see how the council chose to curb the booming presence of ads. ‘We found two pictures of the same corner of the Dam—a before and after,’ says Moorman. ‘In the first picture, the corner is covered in random signs for different things. Later, they’re all replaced by one big sign for Blue Band Margarine.

Evidently they thought one big sign looked nicer than many small ones.’

He also points out a photo which has a question mark and an arrow drawn over empty signs by civil servants from the time, a reminder that these images were never intended for public display.

‘They’re almost casual pictures of city life and street life,’ says Moorman. ‘You see an aspect of Amsterdam that’s almost hid-

den, in a way. That quality attracted us.

We were fascinated by what happened on these street corners. You see a guy smoking a cigarette, a cop directing traffic.

And you see people staring at the photographer—you can see that photography was really not a common sight at the time. But the images are of a beautiful quality. All of the photographers are anonymous, but we think that they hired professionals, because they’re too good.

You had to be a professional in those days to make such good photographs. We were also surprised by the brand names before the war. There were no US cigarettes, mostly cigarettes from Egypt, like Clysma... kind of a strange name. I don’t suppose it would sell very well today. But of course, some of the brands still exist, like Amstel Beer, Van Nelles and Brasso.’

The presence of a larger number of billboards in the past is particularly evident in photos from Damrak—a street which most people think of as the gaudiest tourist strip in town. ‘But if you stand there [today] and look towards Warmoesstraat,’ says Moorman, ‘it’s actually a beautiful line of houses, all completely clean. Back then, it was like one huge billboard. And that’s the thing that strikes us.

There are all these discussions today about public life being conquered by commercialism, as if it’s a recent thing. It’s not.

That’s why they founded this council in the twenties—to control it.’

Of course, showing that public life was already invaded by billboards 80 years ago, and that we’ve actually witnessed a decrease since then, doesn’t necessarily mean we must accept and embrace what many consider to be eye pollution. But it certainly does offer perspective. And perhaps, even hope. For those who feel the world is plummeting into an unstoppable, environmentally destructive spiral, it can be nice to see signs—no matter how big or small—of positive change.

As for the rest of the exhibition, a casual viewer could, arguably, dismiss the majority of it as artsy-fartsy. And even the most patient journalist might grow irritable with the abundance of smiling, discontented rich patrons and surprisingly rude women at the ticket booth. But this is not a fair way to judge a photo exhibition. Let’s ask the casual passer-by... You sir, with the leather jacket and Chihuahua.

How are you enjoying everything so far?

‘Yeah, it’s nice. Except for that man at the ticket counter. He was really unfriendly.’

That’s a woman.

‘Oh.’ How about you ma’am? You look like a nice old lady. What have you seen today?

‘I’ve seen an annoying woman at the ticket booth, and I saw some weird pictures at the Freaks exhibition. I didn’t appreciate the [photo of the man and his] erect penis.’

Indeed, there are a variety of strange images in Freaks, but with more than 20 different exhibition spaces and five subthemes essentially filling an entire town with photos, there’s certainly something for everyone. www.fotofestivalnaarden.nl

Amsterdam Weekly

24-30 May 2007

JOAKIM SCOTT

12

Chronic Heist, see Saturday

MUSIC Send listing suggestions at least two weeks in advance to agenda@amsterdamweekly.nl

Thursday 24 May Contemporary: Hutspot A two day mini-festival where six CvA composition students get to showcase their own works in the Bachzaal. Doesn’t get much fresher.

Conservatorium van Amsterdam, 18.00, 19.30, 21.00, free Singer-songwriter: Andrew Bird One of the best multi-instrumental one-man-bands around has gone and formed himself a band—for now. But there’s no need to panic, you’re still in for a magnificent night of violin, guitar and drum loops forming the core of smart and funny pop songs. See Short List. Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 19.30, €12.50 + membership Opera: I Puritani Vincenzo Bellini’s 19th-century epic, which is set in the English Civil War. Performed by the choir and orchestra of Brussels’ De Koninklijke Muntschouwburg. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 19.30, €50/€60 Rock: Jeniferever Get down and get emo—but only in a good way. For a band playing guitars, Swedish outfit Jeniferever make songs that are exceptionally beautiful, yet time after time they come back to Amsterdam and find themselves playing to pretty small audiences. This is wrong and should be rectified. Even the support bands are decent: Zeal originate from Enschede and have worked hard over the last few years to nail the tension in their delicate music, while Operation Sand are an indie rocking trio who occasionally venture into swing jazz territory. Winston Kingdom, 20.00, €6 Classical: Pacifica Quartet Young Americans performing works by Mendelssohn, Janácek and Smetana. Concertgebouw, Kleine Zaal, 20.15, €32.50 Contemporary: Nieuw Ensemble Titled ‘Secret Language’, this performance with the Nederlands Kamerkoor features classical highlights from the 20th century by Bartók and Scelsi, the world premiere of Karin Rehnqvist’s Salve Regina—Heavenly Queen for choir and ensemble, and Hanspeter Kyburz’s The Voynich Cipher Manuscript; conducted by Ed Spanjaard.

Muziekgebouw, 20.30, €20 World: Zani Diabaté & Benkadi International Sparkling African folk, rock and blues. Over the years, Mali legend Diabaté has made a name for himself translating traditional Bambara rhythms and melodies to electric instruments, promoting a playing style inspired by the likes of Hendrix and BB King. Now teaming up with local outfit Benkadi International, he’s spreading that Mali vibe throughout Europe. KIT Tropentheater, 20.30, €18

duo it’s all about the expressions that are possible with just piano and drums. Bimhuis, 21.00, €14 Electronica: Vive La Fête The raw Flemish electro pop duo, featuring Els Pynoo and ex-dEUS member Danny Mommens, are back, and they have a new set of tunes designed to floor you. New album Jour de Chance isn’t quite out yet, so familiarity may be a problem, but there’s no harm in a rough-and-tumble dance preview.

Support from Smithee. Melkweg, 21.00, €17.50 + membership Singer-songwriter: Kristen Holly PJ Harvey-ish acoustic alt rock. Skek, 21.30, free Rock: Charlotte Hatherley Former guitarist with power pop-rockers Ash, Hatherley first ventured off for a bright and melodious solo project in 2004. Following her departure from the band last year, she’s now a fulltime frontwoman and is in town promoting 2nd album The Deep Blue. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 22.00, €10 + membership Festival: Festival aan de Werf There’s just a couple of days of this diverse musical affair left. Look out for talents ranging from opera to pop. See www.festivalaandewerf.nl. Various locations, times and prices, Utrecht

Friday 25 May Classical: Lunch Concert Students from the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Bethaniënklooster, 12.30, free Contemporary: Hutspot (See Thursday) Conservatorium van Amsterdam, 18.00, 19.30, 21.00, free Hiphop/R&B: BO! Showcases & Open Mic Featuring sets from Chico, Majah and Winne. Urban talents then get to do their thing on the open stage. Grolsch Music Café, 20.00, €5 Pop: Nosfell Organic French pop from guitarist/singer Labyala Nosfell and cellist Pierre Le Bourgeois. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 20.00, €12.50 + membership Classical: Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Conducted by German baton waver Ingo Metzmacher and joined by soprano Anne Schwanewilms, the RCO will be performing Zuidam’s Trance Position; Berg’s Drei Bruchstücke aus Wozzeck and Der Wein; and Reger’s Vier Tondichtungen nach Arnold Böcklin. Concertgebouw, Grote Zaal, 20.15, €35 Classical: The Amsterdam String Quartet One of the leading period instrument string quartets in the country, they’re kicking it old school with cellist Albert Brüggen, dropping tunes from Haydn, Schubert and Boccherini. Concertgebouw, Kleine Zaal, 20.15, €25

Hiphop: K-Os Soulful Canadian hiphop with flavourings of reggae, funk and rock. See Short List. Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 21.00, €12 + membership Singer-songwriter: Marlies Somers A try-out for her new show, titled ‘Ik ben het Universum’. Sugar Factory, 21.00, €7.50 Jazz: Simon Nabatov / Tom Rainey Duo They’ve been playing together in bands since 1990 but as a

Joaquín Diaz World: Joaquín Diaz Infectious and cheerful Dominican merengue. KIT Tropentheater, 20.30, €20

Amsterdam Weekly

24-30 May 2007 Classical: Toonkunstkoor Amsterdam A grand choral performance of Bach’s Mass in B minor. Muziekgebouw, 20.30, €25

Experimental: Jorge Isaac: Marionette Audiovisual works by Roderik de Man, Marko Ciciliani and Jos Zwaanenburg. Pakhuis de Zwijger, 20.30, €9

World: Gnawa Crossroads Moroccan rockin’ and international crossover, featuring Hamid el Kasri, Karim Ziad, Reno Steba, Alyn Keita, Ramón Valle and Andro Biswane. Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 21.00, €17.50 + membership

Singer-songwriter: Nancy Vieira Cape Verdean singer. Podium Mozaïek, 20.30, €10

Rock: GRRRL! All girl rock night with sets from Sex Panther (Australia) and The Esmeraldas. Winston Kingdom, 21.00, €5 Hiphop/Electronica: Kid Koala Beware of the Ninja Tune as Montreal’s king turntablist hits town. See Short List. Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 21.00, €14 + membership Pop/Rock: MySpace Live It’s obviously the internet’s fullest latrine, but it’s also the quickest way to check out a new band. This new monthly night plucks Dutch bands with a strong MySpace following, putting them on a real stage in front of real people—we hope. Club Meander, 21.00, €4 Jazz: Piet Noordijk’s 75th Birthday Concert Not just about the apple tart and coffee, saxophonist Noordijk is actually expected to work his socks off this evening— not just once but three times. There’s sets from Piet’s Groove, the Misha Mengelberg/Piet Noordijk Quartet and Piet Noordijk Boptet. Bimhuis, 21.00, €14 Singer-songwriter: Kristen Holly (See Thursday) Skek, 21.30, free Rock: A Band Named Cash Haarlem-based Johnny Cash tribute act roaring through the Man in Black’s hits, San Quentin style. Maloe Melo, 22.00, €5 Rock: Apse Dark, spiralling post rock from Brooklyn.

Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 22.30, €7 + membership Festival: Festival aan de Werf (See Thursday) Various locations, times and prices, Utrecht

Saturday 26 May Classical: Mendelssohn Strijkorkest Closing concert of the season at Noorderkerk. Led by violist Christiaan Bor, look out for works by Bach, Mendelssohn and Stravinsky. Noorderkerk, 14.00, €10 Classical: Olja Buco, Kees Huges Soloists performing works by Bruhns, Buxtehude, Bach, Huges and Reger. English Reformed Church, 15.15, free Opera: Die Gezeichneten Often regarded as the successor to Strauss and Wagner, Franz Schreker was one of the most influential Austrian composers of the early 20th century—at least until his works were banned by the Nazis. This opera, penned around the outbreak of WWI, draws on those infamous Wagnerian dramatic influences, but its lush masses of sound also feature Impressionist colouring and Italian bel canto, pushing him to the forefront of contemporary opera when it premièred in 1918. Het Muziektheater, 19.30, €20-€85 Rock: Gone Bald These local noise rockers certainly don’t do things by halves. You’ll never see them put on ‘just another party’ and you’ll never see them releasing a new product half-heartedly. Tonight it’s all about their new album—their 8th studio recording—but rather than just being another collection of improv guitar rock, the package, titled 100 Ways to Become Cool, also includes a 48-page biographical book and a DVD featuring documentaries about the band. De Nieuwe Anita, 20.00, €6 World: Purbayan Chatterjee Virtuoso sitar player from India. Performing in the style of grand sitar master Nikhil Banerjee, Chatterjee has emerged as one of the shining lights in the Indian classical scene. See Short List. KIT Tropentheater, 20.00, €18 Pop/Rock: Stofpop Young bands getting a run-out on a decent stage. Sugar Factory, 20.00, €5 Rock: Versus Festival Guitar rock festival with sets from the likes of Sparrow Falls, My City Burning, Pex and The Mad Trist. Winston Kingdom, 20.00, €5 Classical: Pacifica Quartet (See Thursday) Concertgebouw, Kleine Zaal, 20.15, €32.50 Contemporary: Amsterdam Sinfonietta Performing Schönberg’s Ode a Napoleon Buonaparte; Beethoven’s String Quartet Op.135; and the world premiere of a new work for trumpet, banjo, accordion and strings by HK Gruber. Conducted by Candida Thompson, with trumpeter Håkan Hardenberger and narration

by HK Gruber. Muziekgebouw, 20.30, €25 Pop/Rock: Finale Winston Popprijs There aren’t many musical contests around that have much in the way of credibility, but the Winston Popprijs at least has a reputation for doing more good than evil. Tonight, six diverse outfits get to step up to the big stage to see if they have what it takes to succeed: Absinthe, John Carrie & Moor Green, Eon, The Furies, Syzygy and Valerius. Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 20.30, €10 + membership

Jazz: Carlos Bica & Azul Melodic lyrical expressions from Portuguese bassist/composer Bica and his band Azul, featuring guitarist Frank Möbus and drummer Jim Black. Bimhuis, 21.00, €14 Rock: Le Club Suburbia ’80s-inspired post punk goth-tinged melodramas from Swedish outfit Chronic Heist, noise pop from fellow Swede Laagrrluv, and even more Swedish sounds from spiky guitar rockers Seven Feet Four. Try picking all that up at Ikea. OCCII, 21.00, €4 Festival: 23rd Music Meeting If you’re looking for a full-on Pinkster festival experience this year, let’s just rule out Pinkpop immediately. Do we really need Marilyn Manson, Smashing Pumpkins and Korn back again? And all that pink clothing, too. Nah, for something properly interesting, head east to Nijmegen for three days of contemporary, jazz and world music. Not only are the ticketed areas great value, there’s loads of free stuff going on, too. See www.musicmeeting.nl.

Park Brakkenstein, Nijmegen, various times, €20 day ticket/€50 festival pass Festival: Festival aan de Werf (See Thursday) Various locations, times and prices, Utrecht

Sunday 27 May Festival: Ouderen Songfestival A break from the norm: the over 55s get the opportunity to take to the stage and perform with an orchestra. It’s not about fame and success, just the joy of performing. Stadsschouwburg, 14.00, €10 World: Toeters en Bellen Opening performance of the summer Hofjes & Pleinen concerts sees the everenthusiastic and noisy T&B ensemble let loose on the Jordaan. Set to roam for three hours, just follow the sound of the blazing horns. Canals of Jordaan & Gouden Reael, 14.00, free Classical: Cardiff Polyphonic Choir Choral works and Welsh folk songs. English Reformed Church, 15.15, €10 Pop/Rock: Husky Rescue Cinematic Finnish pop.

Fronted by Reeta-Leena Korhola, their arty indie rock has been inspiring over the last few years, although somewhat low key. But recent single Nightless Night has shown a more upfront, brassier side, not just perfect for radio and TV but also your favourite indie disco.

Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 16.00, €7 + membership World: Olaf Keus Jam Brasil Style Percussive Brazilian beach fun. Blijburg, 16.00, free Rock: Red Sparowes, Comets on Fire Soundscapeinfluenced experimental post rock from Californians Red Sparowes. Comets on Fire are not only noisier, they sacrifice precision for freak-out psychedelia. Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 16.30, €12 + membership Pop: Zucchero Big-voiced Italian star who’s touring in support of his 11th studio album Fly. Heineken Music Hall, 20.00, €39 Experimental: Camera Lucida DVD release party hosted by the Line record label, Camera Lucida is the result of collaborations between scientific laboratories in Japan, Germany, Russia and Belgium exploring sonoluminescence—the reactions of sound when introduced to certain liquids. So with contributions from the likes of Taylor Deupree, Richard Chartier, Alva Noto, Asmus Tietchens, Matmos and Carter Tutti, you’re in for some experimental audio and visual treats. Melkweg, 20.30, €5 Singer-songwriter: Singer-songwriter Evening Bluesy folk from Caroline Aiken (US) and Davie Lawson (UK). KHL Koffiehuis, 20.30, €6 Jazz: Steven Bernstein Millennial Territory Orchestra A regular visitor to Amsterdam in various guises, this project sees the New York slide trumpeter narrating the story of 100 years of American music history, from the Kansas City territory bands from the ’20s to contemporary grooves. Bimhuis, 21.00, €16 Rock: Subbacultcha! Rough and ready blues punk from Friesland’s roughest diamonds, The Suicidal Birds. Patronaat, Haarlem, 22.00, free Festival: 23rd Music Meeting (See Saturday) Park Brakkenstein, Nijmegen, various times, €20 day ticket/€50 festival pass

Monday 28 May Pop/Rock: Brightblack Morning Light Psychedelic folk and rock. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 18.00, €7.50 + membership

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Amsterdam Weekly Jazz: Franky Douglas Sunchild Jazz fusion led by the virtuoso guitarist. Just some of the improvisers completing the Sunchild band include Michael Moore, Wolter Wierbos, Eric Boeren, Nippy Noya and Michael Vatcher. Bimhuis, 21.00, €14 Soul: Ashford & Simpson A Motown special featuring two legends of the classic soul era. Starting in the ’60s, they’ve written for everyone from Aretha Franklin to Diana Ross, but they have, of course, enjoyed successes at the front of the stage too. Paradiso, Grote Zaal, 21.30, €30 + membership Experimental: DNK-Amsterdam Electro-acoustic live sets. Tonight’s guests include Anthony Pateras & Robin Fox and Thomas Ankersmit & Giuseppe Ielasi. OT301, 21.30, €4 Pop/Rock: The Besnard Lakes Husband and wife penned indie rock from Montreal. Currently working as a six-piece outfit, there are hints of psychedelia and experimental folk, both of which are apparently a running theme in Amsterdam this week. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 22.30, €9 + membership Pop: Zucchero (See Monday) Heineken Music Hall, sold out, €39 Festival: 23rd Music Meeting (See Saturday) Park Brakkenstein, Nijmegen, various times, €20 day ticket/€50 festival pass

24-30 May 2007

CLUBS Thursday 24 May De Dixo Old school funk night with a live set from nuNedersoul star Derick. Club Meander, 22.00-03.00, €4 Wildvreemd Outlandish electro and live performances. Tonight’s just that little bit wilder as it’s the birthday of DJ Lupe. Sugar Factory, 23.00-05.00, €8 Bam Bam Summer clubbing is back. Tonight with techno and lasers. Club La, 23.00-late, free

Friday 25 May Betty en Billie’s Beatboutique Soulful nostalgia stuff from the savage girl DJ duo. Pacific Parc, 22.0003.00, free Streetbeatz A hiphop hooray. Bitterzoet, 22.00-04.00, €5

Tuesday 29 May

Uptight Booty shaking and rocking out with the Intifida Soundsystem, Kill All Hipsters, Snob! DJs and Xremovers pumping out dance-inspired indie rock and electro. Club 8, 22.00-04.00, €5

Opera: From the House of the Dead This first-class international production of Janácek’s opera opens the 60th Holland Festival. See Short List. Het Muziektheater, 20.00, €12-€145

Electro Flex / Off Beat Electro with balls with Herr Arter, DJ Phage and Daniel Dreherin in the main room.

Off Beat, in the bar, walks the dubstep, hiphop and drum & bass path. Flex Bar, 22.00-05.00, €9 360 Revolutions with a live set from Petter (Stockholm) and DJs Nuno dos Santos and Patrice Bäumel.

11, 22.30-04.00, €12 LaZiz Lounge Gnawa afterparty. Paradiso, 22.30-late, €10 Puerto Rican Reggeaton Party With a live set from Tito El Bambino, plus DJs Sosa, Zoontje, Eli, Willie DC, Edwin, MC Q-Bah & Fernando. The Powerzone, 23.0005.00, €29.50

The Magic Numbers Pop/Rock: The Magic Numbers Possibly too cheery for their own good, but even in their most twee moments, there’s no denying that the Swiss Family Numbers have gotten this far through hard work, and hard work alone. Still dishing up the majority of tracks from their recent album Those The Brokes, it’s all about sunshine harmonies and big choruses. Oh, and even a few moments of heartbreak squeezed into three minute slices of pop. Melkweg, The Max, 20.30, €17 + membership Pop/Rock: Sondre Lerche Norwegian guitar pop.

Sometimes folky, sometimes explosive, the pop melodies always burst through. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 22.15, €9 + membership

Wednesday 30 May Opera: Die Gezeichneten (See Saturday) Het Muziektheater, 19.30, €20-€85 Singer-songwriter: Malcolm Holcombe Sombre folk and Americana. Pleintheater, 20.30, €10 Reggae: Abyssinians & Ras Shiloh Old school Rastafari roots reggae. Melkweg, Oude Zaal, 21.00, €16 + membership Jazz: Brokkenavond 2x2 Corrie van Binsbergen’s monthly programme where anything can happen.

Tonight’s line-up feature Jasper Blom’s ‘Ars Subtilior’ with special guest Michael Moore, and Mola Sylla. Zaal 100, 21.00, €5 Reggae: Jam Session Led by Ghettowish. Musicians and vocalists welcome. Volta, 21.00, free Folk: Marta Topferova Czech-American vocalist who emerged from New York’s musical melting pot with a flair for anything between folk, merengue, son and flamenco. Her sound is admittedly a tad coffee house, so you will genuinely hear her regularly on Starbucks’ US playlists. Bimhuis, 21.00, €14 Experimental: Messer Chups Russian surf sci-fi monster mash-ups. As unlikely as it sounds, it’s true, with the retro garage grooves matched by videos of trashy cult movies from the middle of the last century. OCCII, 21.00, €5 Pop/Rock: Architecture in Helsinki Despite the name, this lot are really from Australia and produce celebratory and cute dance-friendly indie rock. It’s sure to put a smile on your face. Paradiso, Kleine Zaal, 22.15, €9 + membership

Via Brasil A Friday fiesta as Kindred Spirits launches its new bi-monthly carnival night. DJs include KC the Funkaholic, Antal, and Tom Trago, leading a journey into funk, samba soul, forro, batucada and sambareggae. Sugar Factory, 23.00-05.00, €10

Saturday 26 May Fragile Breaks Breaks so taut they could fracture at any point. With Ninca Leese, Hepcat, Arrow, Chamelian, Rombout and Dikkie D. Studio 80, 21.00late, €5 De Schillenhut #3 A rare overground party with Noeloe versus Voldaan, Nice Guy Eddy and David Reinhart. De Kring, 22.00-04.00, €8.99 B-Boy Connections Freestylin’ with Edzon, SP, Lil’ Vic, Don Ron, Shaft, Taco Fett, Knowhow and Budhapolm.

Hosted by MC Fit & Gee. Flex Bar, 22.00-05.00, €8 Eat Concrete presents FreakFunk2 Electronic diversity from Ateeze, Evan Odd and Pete Concrete, plus VJs. OT301, 22.00-late, €6 Gloss... Cannes Edition It may take a vivid imagination to believe The Powerzone shares the glamour of Cannes, but there’s no harm in trying. With Ricky Rivaro, Roog, Benny Rodrigues, Marc Benjamin and Issie Star. The Powerzone, 23.00-05.00, €12.50 Rex... Electronation Upfront electronica with sets from master remixer Stephan Bodzin (DE), Raymon Hollander and Arter. Sugar Factory, 23.00-05.00, €15 eRRorKREW Creatives of the night bombarding patrons with acid, electro, techno, IDM and ambient, featuring Amsterdam Assholes (live), INTÆNZ, V-Neal, Kwik and Bergman & Dakafka. Studio 80, 23.00-late, €9 Rockit Rocks Paradiso With Luke Slater, Rino Cerrone, Benny Rodrigues, Juan Sanchez, Nuno dos Santos and Barbara Preisinger. Paradiso, 23.5904.00, €17.50 Gemengd Zwemmen Two rooms of swimmingly diverse noise. In The Max it’s a cruise back into the murky waters of the ’80s and ’90s; in the Oude Zaal it’s indie dance, pop and rock faves all the way. Melkweg, 23.59-late, €8

Sunday 27 May Balkan Gypsy Night Join the caravan for swinging dance-friendly Balkan grooves. Live music from Raromski plus tunes from Dutch Balkan expert DJ Tommi. Akhnaton, 20.00-02.00, €7.50

Amsterdam Weekly

24-30 May 2007 E.N.D. Electronation’s weekly Sunday night slot, featuring sets from Terry Toner, Dax & Clockwork and more. Bitterzoet, 21.00-03.00, €5/€8 Sappig! Juicy beats from Victor Coral, Philip Young, Dekky, Sunnery James, Mr Wix and Jaziah. Odeon, 23.00-05.00, €15

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STAGE Opening

Monday 28 May Cheeky Monday A jungle and drum & bass night featuring players from the local and international scenes.

Expect some extra exuberance as they mark their 2nd birthday tonight. Winston Kingdom, 20.00-03.00, €6 Manic Monday With a mini-rave hosted by house pioneers DJs Flamman and Abraxas. Club La, 23.00-late, free

Tuesday 29 May Amsterdams Studenten Festival Students go wild... for hiphop. And possibly biscuits. Winston Kingdom, 21.00, €5

Wednesday 30 May Rub-a-Dub Reggae and dub with Blackstar Sound and diverse dub-dexterous DJs. Winston Kingdom, 21.0003.00, €5

GAY& LESBIAN

Music/Theatre: Muze A journey back into the Greek mythology of Orpheus and Euridice via this cinematic musical by Arnoud Noordegraaf. In Dutch. Frascati, (Thur, Fri 20.30), €12 Theatre: Kraut und Käse Part of the ‘Groeten uit Groningen’ series at Bellevue, NNT presents a comedic conversational piece between German and Dutch travellers stuck together in a train compartment.

In Dutch—no German required. Theater Bellevue, (Thur-Sat 22.30), €12 Theatre: Macbeth Getting Shakespearian with the ‘Scottish Play’ and Noord Nederlands Toneel. In Dutch. Theater Bellevue, (Thur-Sun 20.30), €17.50 Theatre: HRMNNH! (Kung Fu Hossel) Made in da Shade’s bizarre interactive kung-fu theatrical epic, inspired by the themes, aesthetics and spirituality of all those famous low-budget flicks from the Far East. In Dutch. Meervaart, (Sat 20.30), €15 Comedy: Finale Stand-Up Comedy Concours Wrapping up yet another leg of the Amsterdams Kleinkunst Festival, this time it’s all about the upcoming comedians. In Dutch. Theater Bellevue, (Mon 20.30), €12 Music/Theatre: The Hairy Ape Adaptation of Eugene O’Neill’s 1922 play about a brutish, unthinking labourer called Yank, who eventually falls foul of an identity crisis after being insulted by a rich girl. Directed by Arie de Mol, it includes live music from Frank van Berkel and his band. In Dutch. Theater Bellevue, (Tues, Wed 20.30), €15

Ongoing Friday 25 May Fur Ball Another month, another venue for the club night for hairy marys and those in pursuit of the hirsute. Exit, 22.00-05.00, €15 Hormonotron Official party of the Netherlands Transgender Film Festival. Embrace your inner genderqueer, boi, transman, birl or hetermosexual.

Café Pakhuis Wilhelmina, 22.00-late, €8 Club ArtLaunch DJ Ipek Ipekcioglu from SO36’s Gayhane night in Berlin accompanies residents Martin and Trashling. In the backroom (no, not that kind) it’s Tanzbereit and Toon, serving up electro classics, chilled dubs and beats. Hula-hoop show from Michelle. Studio 80, 23.00-05.00, €7

Saturday 26 May

Festival: Dans voor Mei The fourth edition of this dance festival. This year, while De Engelenbak is the core location for evening performances, the overall theme is ‘Dance on Location’, with amateur dancers popping up in gardens, shops and banks. See www.dansweb.nl. De Engelenbak, (Thur-Sat various times), various prices Theatre: Quality Time A hit at last year’s TF1 Fringe festival, time’s running out to catch this black comedy about eccentric yuppie parents and their spoilt but under-loved kids. In Dutch. De Brakke Grond, (ThurSat, Tues, Wed 20.30), €14 Theatre: Sukkels Two brothers go looking for happiness and end up burgling a house. Not only are they amateurs when it comes to bliss, but also at committing petty crime. And their guardian angel is new on the job, too. By Huis aan de Amstel. In Dutch.

Rozentheater, (Thur-Sat, Wed 20.00), €12.50

UNK Mixed gay-straight-whatever night hosted by handome hunky junky DJ Lupe, aided and abetted by Typhus Hideous & The Minx Pilot and Kid Reve & Nixon. Club 8, 23.00-04.00, €8

Theatre: Overwinteren Opium voor het Volk’s new production sees three old friends struggling with their personal lives, their careers and the fact that they’ve turned 30. In Dutch. Wibautstraat 150, (Thur-Sat, Wed 20.30), €12

Sunday 27 May

Music/Dance: Music/Dance 301 Monthly improvisation event for, you’ve guessed it, music and dance.

OT301, (Fri 21.00), €5

Pinkster Pancake Party Between 17.00 and 21.00 pancake jockeys Robert and Peter toss for your pleasure. April, 16.00-01.00, free Garbo in Exit Garbo’s first anniversary with DJ Nancy, singer Mikee and saxophonist Babette. And don’t forget that Indonesian buffet! Exit, 16.00-22.00, €4.50 F*cking POP Queers Gold Party Manga, Claudette, Kmart and The Sophisticated Faders pop up for an extra session. Studio 80, 22.00 -05.00, €7.50

Tuesday 29 May Movie Night Tonight’s film is Duncan Roy’s AKA. PRIK, 19.00, free

Theatre: De Vrouw van Vroeger Absurd comedy turned tragic thriller, from the pen of Roland Schimmelpfennig. In Dutch. Compagnietheater, (Thur-Sat 20.30), €18 Comedy: Amsterdam Underground Comedy Featuring Brit stand-up Karl Spain and other guests. In English. Toomler, (Sun 20.30), €13.50 Comedy: In Your Face! Comedy improv show. In English. Comedy Café, (Sun 21.00), €13 Cabaret: Kasper van Kooten Best known for comic TV appearances and cabaret work, Van Kooten and his band play it just a little more seriously tonight, performing songs from his fourth album Zangzaad.

De Kleine Komedie, (Sun, Mon 20.15), €12.50 €16.50

The Strength of Hair, see Opening

ART Opening 3rd International Architecture Biennale Rotterdam Who and what will define the future of our cities and what role can architects play in this? The IABR brings together architects, urban designers, theorists, students, developers, policy makers and politicians from home and abroad to tear apart preconceived notions of architecture and to look to the future. Among the many special events, three exhibitions are central to the festival: Visionary Power (Kunsthal), New Dutch City (Kunsthal) and A Better World—Another Power (NAi). See www.iabr.nl. Various locations in Rotterdam, Rotterdam, opens Thursday. Until 2 September De Mamma’s en de Pappa’s A group exhibition consisting of 22 professional photographers showing portraits of their parents. See Short List. Amsterdams Centrum voor Fotografie (Thur-Sat 13.00-17.00), opens Thursday, until 16 June In dienst van de stad A look at the architecture and urban design of Amsterdam, Den Haag and Rotterdam, in particular examining how the three cities have come up with such varying solutions and developments. Zuiderkerk (Mon-Fri 09.00-16.00, Sat 12.00-16.00), opens Thursday, until 22 June 4 x Solo Works by Arjan van Amsterdam, Hans Kuiper, Luciano Pinna and Sander Veenhof. Chiellerie (WedSun 14.00-18.00), opens Friday, closing Thursday Lise Sarfati: La Vie Nouvelle In 2003, photographer Sarfati journeyed through the United States, capturing young adults in the context of their solitary lives in towns such as Austin, Oakland, Los Angeles, Portland and New Orleans, finding connections with her subjects in their everyday spaces and situations—bedrooms, backyards, kitchens and grocery stores. Featuring a selection of colour photographs from recent work, there’s also a slide show of 70 images accompanied by ‘Candie McKenzie’ from British electronic duo Death in Vegas. Foam (Sat-Wed 10.00-18.00, Thur, Fri 10.00-21.00), opens Friday, until 8 July The Strength of Hair Two installations by contemporary visual artists looking at the important symbolic function of hair. Artists include Monica Blok, Hadas Itzkovitch and Martie van der Loo. Bijbels Museum (Mon-Sat 10.00-17.00, Sun 11.00-17.00), opens Friday, until 26 August Armando Andrade Tudela Film, installation and drawings. Annet Gelink Gallery (Tues-Fri 10.00-18.00, Sat 13.00-18.00), opens Saturday, until 30 June Jonathan Meese: Jonathan Rockford (Don’t Call Back Please) One of German art’s rising stars, Meese will install a contemporary wunderkammer on the first

floor of De Appel, featuring paintings, murals, drawings, assemblages, objects, collages, photos, pictures from magazines, posters and painted texts on the walls. De Appel (Tues-Sun 11.00-18.00), opens Saturday, until 19 August Le Corbusier He’s by far the most famous and according to many, the most important architect and urban designer of the 20th century, but he was also a painter, sculptor, photographer and textile designer.

In this first major retrospective since 1987, more than 450 original drawings, models, paintings, tapestries, films, photographs, sculptures, items of furniture and interiors will be exhibited together to demonstrate the strength and influence of Le Corbusier. Nederlands Architectuurinstituut (Tues-Sat 10.00-17.00, Sun 11.00-17.00), Rotterdam, opens Saturday, until 2 September Malerie Marder: Nine A solo exhibition of new photographs by Los Angeles-based artist Malerie Marder.

Comprised of nine large-scale photographs, it presents a narrative of pregnancy, examining the inherent physicality, sensuality and psychology of the subject matter. Galerie Gabriel Rolt (Wed-Sat 12.0018.00), opens Saturday, until 30 June Martha Colburn New films from the self-taught American film-maker. See Short List. Galerie Diana Stigter (Wed-Sat 12.00-18.00), opens Saturday, until 30 June Rietveld naar de Beurs Students (and recent graduates) from the Rietveld Academie sell their wares at this 10th annual show. Beurs van Berlage (Sun, Mon 12.00-18.00), opens Sunday, closing Monday

Museums Rembrandt in Berlin Excerpts from the worldrenowned collection of Rembrandt drawings from Berlin’s Kupferstichkabinett. Rembrandthuis (Daily 10.00-17.00), closing Sunday Miriam Bäckström & Ursula Mayer Films by Austrian artist Mayer and Swedish artist Bäckström in collaboration with the Impakt Festival. Centraal Museum (Tues-Sun 11.00-17.00), Utrecht, closing Monday Hertzberger’s Amsterdam Definitely having attained éminence gris status, the architect Herman Hertzberger will be 75 this year. Displayed in this exhibition are the maquettes of all his Amsterdam projects, thus presenting a cityscape in miniature that shows not only the realised plans, but also unexecuted designs.

ARCAM (Tues-Sat 13.00-17.00), until 2 June Moderniteit in de Tropen: Architectuur in Nederlands-Indië In the beginning of the 20th century, architects working in the Dutch East Indies created a unique style that combined their Dutch background with local traditions and influences from modern American architecture. This collection features photographs, drawings and maquettes from Indonesia between 1850 and 1950. Nederlands Architectuurinstituut (Tues-Sat 10.00-17.00, Sun 11.00-17.00), Rotterdam, until 3 June

Amsterdam Weekly

16 Sacha Weidner: Bleiben ist Nirgens Works by the young German photographer dealing with the basic elementary forces of human existence: beauty and decay, joy and fear, life and death. Foam (Sat-Wed 10.00-18.00, Thur, Fri 10.00-21.00), until 3 June Enrico David: Chicken Man Gong A Docking Station installation by London-based artist Enrico David, which is a two-part work consisting of a gong and a display case. Stedelijk Museum CS (Daily 10.0018.00), until 10 June De Engelse Kerk op het Begijnhof: 1607-2007 Exhibition marking the 400th anniversary of the English Reformed Church. Amsterdams Historisch Museum (Mon-Fri 10.00-17.00, Sat, Sun 11.00-17.00), until 17 June Raimond Wouda: School The photographs in this exhibition were taken at secondary schools in the Netherlands. Yet remarkable is Wouda’s conscious choice to avoid capturing images from classes, instead focusing on places where the pupils relax between lessons. Foam (Sat-Wed 10.00-18.00, Thur, Fri 10.00-21.00), until 17 June Testimony One of the most influential—and published—photojournalists, Nachtwey has spent more than 20 years visiting crisis areas like Rwanda, Afghanistan, Bosnia and Northern Ireland. This exhibition reflects his sense of responsibility to give a voice to victims. Foam (Sat-Wed 10.00-18.00, Thur, Fri 10.00-21.00), until 20 June Awoiska van der Molen: Maintained Ground Van der Molen photographs in and around cities that lack liveliness, to the point of leaving one feeling uncomfortable. These works show an awkward world that has a strange atmosphere, carrying a theatrical tension.

Foam (Sat-Wed 10.00-18.00, Thur, Fri 10.00-21.00), until 20 June Pantelis Makkas: Daywatch / Nightwatch Two recent video installations: Blinds and Man About Crowd. Recently a resident at De Ateliers, the artist makes use of multiple screens and digital manipulations, helping to disorient the viewer. Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam (Tues-Sun 11.00-17.00), until 8 July Summer in the Church While the winter programmes offer magnificent glances into distant cultures and insights into world religions, the Nieuwe Kerk offers up a summery alternative: a programme paying tribute to the church as a special monument in its own right, with many local treasures to admire. Nieuwe Kerk (Daily 10.00-17.00), until 16 July Genesis An examination of the similarities between art and science. While the two fields may have entirely different objectives, the results of their work on information look remarkably alike. Participating artists and scientists include Ad Dekkers, Mark Dion, Edo Dooijes, Erwin Driessens & Maria Verstappen, Charles & Ray Eames, Ed Emschwiller and George Gessert, amongst others. Centraal Museum (TuesThur, Sat, Sun 12.00-17.00, Fri 12.00-21.00), Utrecht, until 12 August Max Beckmann in Amsterdam, 1937-1947 An extensive retrospective of the work produced by the artist during his years in Amsterdam. One of the most distinguished German artists of the 20th century, Beckmann fled to the city in 1937 after the Nazis had labelled his paintings Entartete Kunst. His works bear witness to his interest in the world of cabaret, Dutch landscape and life in Amsterdam, and works featured here include the four impressive triptychs ‘Carnival’, ‘Acrobats’, ‘The Actors’ and ‘Perseus’. Van Gogh Museum (Sat-Thur 10.00-18.00, Fri 10.00-22.00), until 19 August

Dutch Eyes The relocated photography museum reopens with a broad overview of Dutch photography.

Nederlands Fotomuseum (Tues-Fri 10.00-17.00, Sat, Sun 11.00-17.00), Rotterdam, until 26 August Fashion Palaces 1880-1960 The emergence of the first chic fashion houses in Amsterdam at the end of the 19th century is the focal point of the exhibition.

Grandeur and temptation typify the atmosphere of these magnificent, luxurious Amsterdam fashion houses and department stores. From that time the Dutch elite could buy fashionable French clothes not only in Paris and Brussels, but also in Amsterdam— from huge, impressive shops with illuminated windows. Amsterdams Historisch Museum (Mon-Fri 10.00-17.00, Sat, Sun 11.00-17.00), until 26 August Persia The St Petersburg Hermitage lends some of its dazzling collection of Persian art to Amsterdam. This exhibition includes antiquities of the Islamic period all through the end of the Qajar dynasty in 1925. Hermitage Amsterdam (Daily 10.00-17.00), until 16 September Oud Zeer Drawings and animations by Joep Bertrams, best known for his political commentaries in Het Parool. Persmuseum (Tues-Fri 10.00-17.00, Sun 12.00-17.00), until 23 September Liberation Music: Songs After Five Years of Occupation A musical memorial to the emotional release that followed the end of the occupation in 1945.

Verzetsmuseum (Tues-Fri 10.00-17.00, Sat-Mon 12.0017.00), until 30 September

Galleries Miscellaneous The first exhibition of two up-andcoming Irish artists/designers: Conor Cronin and James Cullen. Having spent the last five months developing their newborn style and taking influences and experiences from their time in the Netherlands, their works focus on the use of urban space, organisation and social dialogue. Chiellerie (Thur-Sun, Wed 14.00-18.00)

making the transition from female to male. De Balie (Daily 10.00-01.00), closing Monday Hijras of Mumbai Transgender photo series by Anita Khemka. Lloyd Hotel (Daily 08.00-00.00), closing Monday Erotix: Red Threads of Passion Homoerotic artworks from Danish artists Knud Odde, Jens Birkemose and Peter Skovgaard. Galerie Jos Art (Tues-Sun 11.0017.30), closing Wednesday Glamour Bigger-than-life paintings of ’50s film stars.

De Kunstfabriek (Tues-Fri 12.00-18.00, Sat, Sun 12.0017.00), until 2 June Marc Volger: Weerlicht Contemporary landscapes inspired by the changing light and atmosphere.

AYAC’S (Fri, Sat 13.00-17.30), until 2 June The Contented Heart Paintings by Willem Weismann, Simon Hemmer, Lutz Driessen, Nie Pastille, Phoebe Unwin, Morgan Betz and Derk Thijs. W139 (Daily 11.00-19.00), until 3 June Joyce van Dongen A solo exhibition featuring paintings of new worlds inspired by the bizarre and unique patterns that can be found in nature. Galerie Bart (Thur, Fri 11.00-18.00, Sat 12.00-17.00), until 9 June National Pride A group exhibition dealing with the question of how factors of national identity and cultural interaction influence contemporary arts. Arti et Amicitiae (Tues-Sun 13.00-18.00), until 10 June Fact & Fiction An exploration of staged photography and how such an art form can be used to create a world of fantasy and illusions. Participating artists include Jasper de Beijer, Ellen Mandemaker, MariaMaria, Diana Scherer, Raymond Taudin Chabot and Tessa Verder. Arti et Amicitiae (Tues-Sun 13.00-18.00), until 10 June

Reality Check: Notes on Tourism Following a residency in Berlin last year, Delphine Bedel presents a series of photographs and texts in relation to three potential tourist sites: a natural viewpoint made popular after a famous painting of Caspar David Friedrich, an architecture complex, and a memorial located in former East Germany. Lumen Travo (Wed-Sat 13.0018.00), closing Saturday

Abdelkader Belkhorissat Paintings by the Algerian artist. De Levante (Wed-Sun 13.00-17.30), closing Sunday Paolo Sistilli: Alfabeto Immaginario Abstract paintings by the Italian artist. Feel Gallery (Thur, Fri 12.00-19.00, Sat 11.00-19.00, Sun 12.00-18.00), closing Sunday Available (1) Works by Tomas Adolfs, Nathan Dilworth, Noa Giniger, Paul Haworth, Zilvinas Landzbergas, Monica Tormell, Robin Vanbesien and Sara ten Westenend. Plan B (Sat, Sun 13.00-17.00), closing Sunday Kael T Block: XXBoys A series of photo portraits documenting the new generation of transsexuals who’re

Stanley Donwood & Dr Tchock: Department of Reclusive Paranoia Best known for his work with Radiohead—Donwood has been providing artwork for the band since the release of My Iron Lung in 1994— this exhibition features original paintings and prints he has produced over the years. V!P’s International Art Galleries (Tues-Sun 12.00-18.00), Rotterdam, until 17 June Kleur Colourful textile explosions from the duo Stefan Scholten and Carole Baijings. Galerie Binnen (WedSat 12.00-18.00), until 23 June 50 Jaar Espace II Part two of the 50th anniversary celebrations, featuring selected works from artists who’ve been exhibited there. Galerie Espace (WedSat 13.00-18.00), until 23 June W139/BASEMENT Providing opportunities for young artists and young art collectors, the Post CS basement is offering space to let at affordable rates for a one-month period. At the end of each month, the exhibits will be auctioned. See www.w139.nl/basement. W139/Basement, until 24 June ArtOlive Offline #3 Works by four young artists: Linda Jansen (photography), Sabi van Hemert (sculptures), Caroline de Bruijn (ceramics) and Simone Henken (photography). ArtOlive (Mon-Fri 11.00-17.00, Sun 12.00-17.00), until 24 June Rob Voerman: Neighbours A solo exhibition featuring installations, sculptures and graphic works.

Upstream Gallery (Wed-Sat 12.00-18.00), until 30 June Paradiso in Fantasio! Classic posters for Paradiso gigs in the ’70s and ’80s by London-born artist Martin Kaye (1932-1989). Nationaal Pop Instituut, Fantasio zaal (Mon-Fri 10.00-17.00), until 1 July Prix de Rome.nl 2007 Awarded annually to a visual artist or architect under the age of 35, the Prix de Rome always carries prestige. The actual battle began last September, but now with the entrants whittled down to a mere ten, you can check out the entries from Sung Hwan Kim, Maartje Korstanje, Alon Levin, Pablo Pijnappel and Maaike Schoorel. The only catch is, for the first time ever, the remaining finalists are being shown at Witte de With in Rotterdam, so some travelling is needed to catch it all. De Appel (Tues-Sun 11.00-18.00), until 1 July

Polska Seven artists present a contemporary vision of Poland through photography, video and music. WM Gallery (Thur-Sat 14.00-18.00), closing Saturday

Recyclage The artists in this exhibition reinvent cultural objects and artefacts to give them new meaning.

De Brakke Grond (Mon 13.00-18.00, Tues-Fri 10.0020.30, Sat, Sun 13.00-20.30), closing Sunday

24-30 May 2007

Hot and New Featuring works by Maartje Korstanje (sculptures), Yvonne Lacet (photography), Haukur Oskarsson (photography), Lotte Geeven (drawings), Jeroen Glas (sculptures) and Danielle van Vree (video installations). Mart House (Thur-Sat 13.00-18.00), until 7 July

Amanda Besl Amanda Besl In this exhibition entitled I Want to be the Girl With the Most Cake, Besl creates oil paintings that capture both the documentary quality of photography and the language of fashion photography.

Artspace Witzenhausen (Thur-Sat 12.00-18.00), until 16 June UitZicht An ArtWalk Amsterdam presentation that will guide you through a selection of studios, homes and gardens in the Westerpark area. Curated by Guda Koster and Matthijs Muller, the tour incorporates artists such as Hamid El Kanbouhi, Aam Solleveld, Jans Muskee, Linda Molenaar, Wim Bosch, Jan Theun van Rees, Frank Mandersloot, Paul de Reus, among others. To see route or download the accompanying audio tour see www.artwalkamsterdam.nl. Van Hallstraat 51 (Daily), until 17 June

Pom op het Menu A peak into the Suriname kitchen and the history of pom. It may spark memories or introduce you to new foodstuffs. Or it may just make you hungry. But hopefully, along with the images, there’ll be a chance to get involved and cook your own. Imagine IC (Tues, Wed, Fri, Sat 11.00-17.00, Thur 11.00-21.00), until 15 July Rah Crawford: A Sassy Nation ‘Hip folk’ is the theme which inspires this latest batch of paintings from the American artist. Studio Apart (Wed 10.00-18.00, Thur 10.00-21.00, Fri 10.00-18.00, Sat 12.00-17.00), until 15 July Spirit of the Wild Following on from the successful Earth From Above outdoor exhibitions by Yann Arthus-Bertrand, huge prints by South African photographer Steve Bloom are going public in Amsterdam, showing dazzling shots of the planet’s wildlife. See article p.XX. Westermarkt (Daily), until 24 July

Amsterdam Weekly

24-30 May 2007

ADDRESSES

Dag van het Park, see Sunday

EVENTS

Fashion Palaces 1880-1960 exhibition, today’s tour takes the show on the road, exploring the city streets for fashion houses. A museum tour precedes the walk at 12.30. In English. Amsterdams Historisch Museum, 14.00, €15 excl museum entry; reserve at: info@amsterdamcitywalks.com

Thursday 24 May

Performance: Cavalia (See Thursday) Amsterdam Arena, P2, 15.00, 20.00, €29-€155

Poetry/Music: Literary Afternoon Words from Barry Fitton and Hans Plomp, live jazz and blues, followed by an open stage. Gouden Meeuw, 15.30, €2.50

Literature Festival: Vurige Tongen Three days of poetry and music with a healthy blend of live performances, lectures, exhibitions, theatre, childrens’ events, workshops, open stages and visual poetry.

Guests even include the likes of Meindert Talma and the Negroes, Willem de Ridder and Spinvis. In Dutch.

See www.vurigetongen.nl. Ruigoord, 20.00, €10 day pass/€25 festival pass

Performance: Cavalia Yet another batch of multimedia human-equestrian performances. Last week, when checking out the Cavalia big top at P2, wondering whether it could be adapted for summer camping expeditions to Germany, I saw a concerned doctor step up to one of the stars and ask, ‘Do you have a sore throat?’ He seemed quite startled when it replied, ‘No, I’m just a little horse.’ Amsterdam Arena, P2, 20.00, €29-€155

Friday 25 May Discussion: Euro Star Wars? How great it would be if this was Ruud Lubbers, Johan Witteveen, Jan Pronk, Peter Gortzak, Jan Schaake and William Engdahl battling it out in light-sabre duels. Instead they’ll be fighting with words, talking about ‘First Strike Capacity’, the US, and European defence strategies. In Dutch. Felix Meritis, 17.00, free Tour: Beckmann Walk Guest curator Beatrice von Bormann guides visitors through the exhibition and takes them to various places in Amsterdam where Max Beckmann lived and worked. Limited places so reservations recommended. In Dutch. Van Gogh Museum, 18.00, €10 Multidisciplinary: Grenzeloos Migration, consumption and technology are the key themes of this unpredictable night, asking whether the Netherlands can become a Happy State of Chaos. Debates with representatives from all sides of life form the bulk of the event but the additional film, music and theatrical programmes are nothing to turn your nose up to. In Dutch. Stadsschouwburg, 19.30, €10 Performance: Cavalia (See Thursday) Amsterdam Arena, P2, 20.00, €29-€155 Poetry/Music: Pre. Festival International Poetry and music extravaganza featuring guests like Gijs Ter Haar, John Sinclair, Karen Margolis, Eddie Woods, Baden Prince Jr and many more. De Nieuwe Anita, 20.30, €3.50

Saturday 26 May Art/Walk: Open Ateliers Westelijke Eilanden Art, exercise, music, poetry and more art. Centred on Kunstkerk, see www.oawe.nl for additional locations and activities. Kunstkerk, 12.00-18.00, free Sport: Copa Amsterdam Football without fighting.

This is the third year this intimate tournament has taken place at the home of amateur side Blauw-Wit Amsterdam. An international club competition for Under-19 sides, it features the kids from Ajax, along with international competition from the likes of Werder Bremen, Glasgow Rangers and Fenerbahçe. Even if you don’t know the players yet, they’re the stars of the future, and the tournament offers a carnival affair where fans from all over can mix and enjoy the party.

See www.gestion-copa-amsterdam.nl. Sloterpark, 13.00, €7 Walk: Museum Tours & City Walks Putting a more tangible face to Amsterdams Historisch Museum’s

Sunday 27 May Sport: Copa Amsterdam (See Saturday) Sloterpark, 11.00, €8 Literature Festival: Vurige Tongen (See Saturday) Ruigoord, 12.00, €15 day pass/€25 festival pass Art/Walk: Open Ateliers Westelijke Eilanden (See Saturday) Kunstkerk, 12.00-18.00, free Performance: Cavalia (See Thursday) Amsterdam Arena, P2, 15.00, €29-€155 Multidisciplinary: Dag van het Park It’s time for you sit back, relax, breathe in some fresh air and enjoy your local park. All across town today and in fact, throughout the country, parks are putting on special activities to tempt you away from the cafés and museums and back out into the greenery. Let’s just hope the rain stays away. And if you’re a little indecisive about where to set off to, Westerpark is making a big push for visitors with their ‘Eten en Drinken’ programme. See www.dagvanhetpark.nl. Various locations and times, free

Monday 28 May Sport: Copa Amsterdam (See Saturday) Sloterpark, 11.00, €8 Literature Festival: Vurige Tongen (See Saturday) Ruigoord, 12.00, €10 day pass/€25 festival pass Art/Walk: Open Ateliers Westelijke Eilanden (See Saturday) Kunstkerk, 12.00-18.00, free Film: Broeinest A screening of the documentary Reclaim Power: Actions Against Climate Change. In English with Dutch subtitles. Plantage Doklaan 8-12, 20.00, free

Tuesday 29 May Multidisciplinary: Amsterdam Studenten Festival Students, alcohol and entertainment. Oh, and some fierce competition. There’s all sorts going on over the next few days: concerts, clubs, poetry, theatre, exhibitions and films, with Amsterdam students getting to show off their skills, whatever they may be. See www.amsterdamsstudentenfestival.nl for locations and times. Various locations, times and prices

Wednesday 30 May Performance: Cavalia (See Thursday) Amsterdam Arena, P2, 20.00, €29-€155 Multidisciplinary: Amsterdam Studenten Festival (See Tuesday) Various locations, times and prices

11 Oosterdokskade 3-5, 625 5999 Akhnaton Nieuwezijds Kolk 25, 624 3396 Amsterdams Centrum voor Fotografie Bethaniënstraat 9, 622 4899 Amsterdams Historisch Museum Kalverstraat 92, 523 1822 Annet Gelink Gallery Laurierstraat 187-189, 330 2066 De Appel Nieuwe Spiegelstraat 10, 625 5651 April Reguliersdwarsstraat 37, 625 9572 ARCAM Prins Hendrikkade 600, 620 4878 Arti et Amicitiae Rokin 112, 624 5134 ArtOlive Polonceaukade 17, 675 8504 Artspace Witzenhausen Hazenstraat 60, 644 9898 AYAC'S Keizersgracht 166, 638 5240 bak Lange Nieuwstraat 4, Utrecht, 030 231 6125 De Balie Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen 10, 553 5151 Beeldend Gesproken Borgerstraat 102, 612 1847 Bethaniënklooster Barndesteeg 6, 625 0078 Beurs van Berlage Damrak 277, 530 4141 Bijbels Museum Herengracht 366-368, 624 2436 Bimhuis Piet Heinkade 3, 788 2150 Bitterzoet Spuistraat 2, 521 3001 Blijburg Bert Haanstrakade 2004, 416 0330 De Brakke Grond Nes 45, 626 6866 Café Pakhuis Wilhelmina Veemkade 576, 419 3368 Café Sappho Vijzelstraat 103, 423 1509 Centraal Museum Nicolaaskerkhof, Utrecht, 030 236 2362 Chiellerie Raamgracht 58, 320 9448 Club 8 Admiraal de Ruyterweg 56B, 685 1703 Club La Kerkstraat 50-52 Club Meander Voetboogstraat 3, 625 8430 CoBrA Museum Sandbergplein 1-3, Amstelveen, 547 5050 Comedy Café Max Euweplein 43-45, 638 3971 Compagnietheater Kloveniersburgwal 50, 520 5320 Concertgebouw Concertgebouwplein 2-6, 671 8345 Conservatorium van Amsterdam (Ensemblezaal and Ellingtonzaal) Van Baerlestraat 27, 527 7550 Consortium Veemkade 570, 06 2611 8950 DanceStreet 1e Rozendwarsstraat 10, 489 7676 Desmet Studios Plantage Middenlaan 4A, 521 7100 De Engelenbak Nes 71, 626 3644 English Reformed Church Begijnhof 48, 624 9665 Exit Reguliersdwarsstraat 42, 625 8788 Feel Gallery Frans Halsstraat 40 Felix Meritis Keizersgracht 324, 626 2321 Flex Bar Pazzanistraat 1, 486 2123 Foam Keizersgracht 609, 551 6546 Frascati Nes 63, 626 6866 Galerie Bart Bloemgracht 2, 320 6208 Galerie Binnen Keizersgracht 82, 625 9603 Galerie de Rietlanden Rietlandpark 193, 419 4705 Galerie Diana Stigter Hazenstraat 17, 624 2361 Galerie Espace Keizersgracht 548, 624 0802 Galerie Gabriel Rolt Elandsgracht 34, 785 5146 Galerie Jos Art KSNM-laan 291, 418 7003 Galerie Krijger + Katwijk Lange Leidsedwarsstraat 198200, 627 3808 Gallery Vassie 1e Tuindwarsstraat 16, 489 4042 Gemeentemuseum Stadhouderslaan 41, Den Haag, 070 338 1111 Gouden Meeuw Zoutkeetsplein 4-6 Grolsch Music Café ArenA Boulevard 242, 365 2035 Heineken Music Hall ArenA Boulevard 590, 0900 300 1250 Hermitage Amsterdam Nieuwe Herengracht 14, 530 8751 Hortus Botanicus Plantage Middenlaan 2A, 625 9021 Hotel Arena ’s-Gravesandestraat 51, 850 2400 Huis Marseille Keizersgracht 401, 531 8989 Imagine IC Bijlmerplein 1006-1008, 489 4866 KHL Koffiehuis Oostelijke Handelskade 44, 779 1575 KIT Tropentheater Mauritskade 63, 568 8711 De Kleine Komedie Amstel 56-58, 624 0534 De Kring Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen 7-9, 623 6985 De Kunstfabriek Polonceaukade 20 (Westergasfabriekterrein), 488 9430

17 Kunstkerk Prinseneiland 89, 627 1238 De Levante Hobbemastraat 28, 671 5485 Lexion Avenue Overtoom 65, Westzaan, 0900-BelLexion Lloyd Hotel Oostelijke Handelskade 34, 419 1840 Lumen Travo Lijnbaansgracht 314, 627 0883 Maagdenhuis Spui 21 Maloe Melo Lijnbaansgracht 163, 420 4592 Mart House Prinsengracht 529, 627 5187 Meervaart Meer en Vaart 300, 410 7777 Melkweg Lijnbaansgracht 234A, 531 8181 Motive Gallery Elandsgracht 10, 330 3668 Muziekgebouw Piet Heinkade 1, 788 2010 Het Muziektheater Amstel 3, 625 5455 Nationaal Pop Instituut, Fantasio zaal Prins Hendrikkade 142, 428 4288 Nederlands Architectuurinstituut Museumpark 25, Rotterdam, 010 440 1200 Nederlands Fotomuseum Wilhelminakade 332, Rotterdam, 010 213 2011 De Nieuwe Anita Frederik Hendrikstraat 111, 06 4150 3512 Nieuwe Kerk entrance on the Dam, 638 6909 Noorderkerk Noordermarkt 44, 626 6436 OCCII Amstelveenseweg 134, 671 7778 Odeon Singel 460, 624 9711 Ostadetheater Van Ostadestraat 233 D, 679 5096 OT301 Overtoom 301, 779 4913 Oude Kerk Oudekerksplein 23, 625 8284 Pacific Parc Polonceaukade 23, 488 7778 Pakhuis de Zwijger Piet Heinkade 179-181, 788 4444 Paradiso Weteringschans 6-8, 626 4521 Pathé De Munt Vijzelstraat 15, 0900 1458 Pathé Tuschinski Reguliersbreestraat 34, 0900 1458 Patronaat Zijlsingel 2, Haarlem, 023 517 5858 Persmuseum Zeeburgerkade 10, 692 8810 Plan B2 Herengracht 32 Platform 21 Prinses Irenestraat 19, 344 9449 Pleintheater Sajetplein 39, 665 4568 Podium Mozaïek Bos en Lommerweg 191, 580 0380 The Powerzone Spaklerweg, 681 8866 PRIK Spuistraat 109, 06 4544 2321 Rembrandthuis Jodenbreestraat 4, 520 0400 Rozentheater Rozengracht 117, 620 7953 Ruigoord Ruigoord 15, 497 5702 Saarein Elandsstraat 119, 623 4901 Sinners Wagenstraat 3-7, 620 1375 Skek Zeedijk 4-8, 427 0551 SMART Project Space Arie Biemondstraat 107-113, 427 5953 Stadsschouwburg Leidseplein 26, 624 2311 Stedelijk Museum Bureau Amsterdam Rozenstraat 59, 422 0471 Stedelijk Museum CS Oosterdokskade 5, 573 2911 Studio 80 Rembrandtplein 70, 521 8333 Studio Apart Prinsengracht 715, 422 2748 Sugar Factory Lijnbaansgracht 238, 627 0008 Teylers Museum Spaarne 16, Haarlem, 023 516 0960 Theater Bellevue Leidsekade 90, 530 5301 Toomler Breitnerstraat 2, 670 7400 Under the Grand Chapiteau Next to ArenA, 621 1288 Upstream Gallery Kromme Waal 11, 428 4284 UvA: Special Collections Library Oude Turfmarkt 129, 525 2141 V!P's International Art Galleries Van Vollenhovenstraat 15, Rotterdam, 010 225 1120 Vakzuid Olympisch Stadion 35, 570 8400 Van Gogh Museum Paulus Potterstraat 7, 570 5200 Verzetsmuseum Plantage Kerklaan 61, 620 2535 Volta Houtmankade 334-336, 628 6429 W139 Warmoesstraat 139, 622 9434 W139/Basement Oosterdokskade 5, 06 2427 6657 Wibautstraat 150 Wibautstraat 150 Winston Kingdom Warmoesstraat 129, 623 1380 WM Gallery Elandsgracht 35, 421 1113 Yoshiko Matsumoto Gallery Weteringschans 37, 06 1437 0995 Zaal 100 De Wittenstraat 100, 688 0127 Zuiderkerk Zuiderkerkhof 72, 552 7987

Amsterdam Weekly

18

Give ’em what they want!

Café Kale de Groot Marie Heinekenplein 33, 670 4661 Open Sun-Thur 10.00-01.00 Fri, Sat 10.00-02.00 Cash, PIN, major credit cards What makes one café bustling and busy, while the other, neighbouring ones idly watch tumbleweed blow through their empty rooms? If you want to conduct and unscientific experiment, then Marie Heinekenplein is a good example of good, bad and some downright ugly businesses in action. What are its richest pickings?

Kale de Groot is a truly enormous venue which seems to be constantly full. The terrace quickly gets packed in sunny weather with thirsty corporate couples and groups enjoying the gentle unwind after work, with cooling drinks and heaps of borrelhapjes. Within, it’s a cavernous place, lined in dark wood, with a huge bar to prop up one’s mortal remains. The alert staff are fit, lean and youthful enough to constantly shuttle big trays of drinks and food long distances. To facilitate smooth running, waiting staff cut time by using electronic pads to transmit orders to the kitchen and computerised cash registers.

It’s fascinating to watch the interaction between chefs and waiters: the coming and going of plates; the bar personnel scooping ice into drinks, pouring oceans of beer for countless throats.

In the midst of this hypnotising throng, a plate suddenly landed at my elbow. Fresh Turkish bread with garlic, herb and sun-dried tomato butter. Mmm, I went, munching away, deep in

THE UNDERCOVER GLUTTON Pasta with chunky meat, spare ribs with sauce and peanut-covered saté with a mountain of fries. I was amazed they ordered so much between two. anticipatory mode.

The athletic, shaven-headed waiter returned with a pleasant smile and deposited a large, round tray before me. Dinner. Kindly, they had

accommodated my request to have a main mealsized selection of starters. The café’s cheery hubbub ebbed away. (It’s extraordinary. I must have been a truffle pig in a past incarnation.)

24-30 May 2007

I peered at the selection. Three small bowls containing various salads, and two cups of soup. There was also a finger bowl with warm water and lemon, which I had to remember not to drink. One soup was roasted bell pepper with a sweet spicy zing (pleasant) the other thin potato and vegetable (insipid—I had to ask what it was). My first salad consisted of mozzarella with rucola, frisée, cherry tomatoes, pine nuts, basil and olive oil. It came with a toasted slab of good rough farm bread. It was standard, recognisable and fresh, and hard not to enjoy.

The second salad was three grilled prawns served cold, with a poppadom fanned out behind them; they lay on some more of the frizzy lettuce with red onion hoops. Boom bam, the prawns were stripped of their protective armour and gleefully dunked into the home-made lime and pepper mayo before being chomped. They were a bit mushy in texture. Pity.

The third salad was crispy grilled air-dried ham with melon slices, lettuce and a sticky balsamic reduction. Simple and fine. Did I enjoy my meal? Yes. My neighbours had ordered a selection of main courses. Not little bits and pieces—the full monty. Large portions that Dutch people (and I) enjoy. They had pasta with chunky meat sauce and vegetables, and spare ribs with garlic sauce, plus peanut-sauce covered saté on a skewer with a mountain of fries. I was amazed that they ordered so much between the two. The Glutton did try not to stare.

In a state of post-prandial grace, this café’s success became blissfully clear: something for everyone; affordable prices; big portions; hospitable staff; and commercial thinking. Find out what the customers want, then give it to them in spades.

Emptier rivals should look on, and learn.

Amsterdam Weekly

24-30 May 2007

19 A light on an uncertain future.

Half Scorsese, half Christiane F, a tense German film tracks a downward spiral in a bad neighbourhood.

GOING DOWN THE TUBES IN BERLIN FILM Knallhart Opens Thursday at Het Ketelhuis

By Mike Peek

Urban violence is something many people have to deal with at one time or another, but in certain parts of the world it dominates everyday life. Berlin Neukölln, where Detlev Buck’s film Knallhart is set,

is a prime example.

Fifteen-year-old Michael Polischka (David Kross) moves to this gritty neighbourhood after his mother (Jenny Elvers)—only 30 herself—breaks up with her rich boyfriend. School in Neukölln is tough on Michael. He is beaten and blackmailed by a gang of violent bullies who despise him for his upperclass background. At home, things aren’t much better, with his mother bringing

back a different man every night.

A definite change takes place when Michael’s low-life friend Crille and his half-brother Matze introduce him to the neighbourhood’s rules, as well as to happy slapping and the temptations of petty crime. A chance meeting with the local drug lord gives Michael’s criminal career another boost; he starts delivering narcotics to local dealers in exchange for money and protection from his high school enemies. But who will protect Michael from his protectors?

Knallhart is reminiscent of 1981’s Christiane F; set in 1970s Berlin, the uncompromising, terrifying film follows the true story of a 14-year-old girl in a downward spiral that ends in heroin addiction and prostitution. Using dark, grainy cinematography, Uli Edel captured the grim atmosphere of a divided city in decline.

Knallhart portrays a new generation, and Buck has adjusted the film’s style

FILM Edited by Julie Phillips.This week’s films reviewed

by Shyama Daryanani (SD),Angela Dress (AD), Pat Graham (PG),Luuk van Huët (LvH),JR Jones (JJ),Dave Kehr (DK),Marie-Claire Melzer (MM), Mike Peek (MP),Jonathan Rosenbaum (JR), Marinus de Ruiter (MdR) and Bregtje Schudel (BS).All films are screened in English with Dutch subtitles unless otherwise noted. Amsterdam Weekly recommends.

Festival Nederlands Transgender Film Festival Screenings this year include Between the Lines: India’s Third Gender, a documentary on hijras (third-sexers), accompanied by a photo exhibition on the same theme at the Lloyd Hotel.

Tintenfishalarm is an Austrian documentary about how a baby with mixed gender characteristics became first Alex, then Alexandra, then Alex again. The Last Bissu documents an ancient order of transsexual priests on Sulawesi. And The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros is a Filipino drama of teenage love. There’s also Trans-experimentals, a programme of shorts—always worth dipping into, as you never know whether you’ll pull out a plum or a turkey. Also see article on p. 4. De Balie

New this week The Dead Girl Unrelievedly grim, this searing second feature by TV actress Karen Moncrieff (Blue Car) guides an unusually able cast through a five-part feature that’s closer to a collection of interconnected short stories than to a novel. The episodes all revolve around the brutal murder of a young woman, and Moncrieff’s psychological and sociological perspec-

Ninotchka

tive on the characters—and on the sickness and unhappiness that seem to bind them together—is almost always acute and never merely sensational.

With Toni Collette, Rose Byrne, Mary Beth Hurt, Marcia Gay Harden, Brittany Murphy, Kerry Washington, Giovanni Ribisi, Piper Laurie, Mary Steenburgen and Josh Brolin. 93 min. Cinecenter The Hoax As Orson Welles demonstrated in F for Fake (1974), the true story of novelist Clifford Irving (who sold a fraudulent autobiography of the millionaire Howard Hughes to a New York publisher for a fortune), is a classic tale of consummate con artistry. So it’s pretty perverse for William Wheeler, who scripted this feature, to get most of the facts wrong, inflating details that don’t need any spin. (As Irving himself remarked, ‘You could call it a hoax about a hoax.’) Director Lasse Hallstrom does an OK job with this dubious property; Richard Gere is less charismatic than Irving and Alfred Molina turns Irving’s assistant into a buffoon, but the secondary cast (Hope Davis, Marcia Gay Harden, Stanley Tucci, Julie Delpy, Eli Wallach) is fun to watch.

(JR) 115 min. Pathé Tuschinski, The Movies Knallhart In a bad neighbourhood in Berlin, a nice boy becomes a criminal in order to survive. See review above. Het Ketelhuis

Ninotchka Ernst Lubitsch’s sparkling, witty political fairy tale from 1939, about a cold but beautiful lady commissar (Greta Garbo) who melts to the bourgeois charms of Paris and Melvyn Douglas, jeopardising both honour and career. Garbo fully complements Lubitsch’s casual sophistication and stylistic grace, cleverly playing off her dour public image. The satire may be mostly a matter of easy contrasts, but the lovers inhabit a world of elegance and poise that is uniquely and movingly Lubitsch’s.

Billy Wilder, who would later uncurdle into the last exemplar of the Lubitsch tradition, collaborated on the script. This gem anticipates the Filmmuseum’s Lubitsch retrospective, which starts next week. (DK) 109 min. Filmmuseum Nuovomondo At the start of the 20th century, a widowed Sicilian farmer (Vincenzo Amato) emigrates to America with his sons. Just before they embark, he meets an Englishwoman named Lucy (Charlotte Gainsbourg) who needs someone to marry her so she too can go to America. This film about the dream of a new world was acclaimed at the Venice Film Festival. Directed by Emmanuele Crialese, with cinematography by Agnès Godard (Wings of Desire, Beau Travail). In Italian/English with Dutch subtitles.

120 min. Pathé Tuschinski

accordingly. It’s all very hip—in both a good and bad way. While the tight focus makes for a claustrophobic portrait of a sweet-natured boy getting trapped in crime, the shaky images and flashy editing at times make things seem a little too self-consciously cool, thereby undercutting the impact of the more dramatic scenes.

Unlike Christiane F, it leaves little room for audience reflection. Instead, it gives the impression of wanting to have it both ways, appealing both to the arthouse crowd and to young audiences looking for a Saturday night flick—particularly with its supporting cast of overacting toughs who snarl and pose like they’re auditioning for a Scorsese movie.

Things get better after the first hour, though. As Michael penetrates ever deeper into Berlin’s criminal milieu, the film begins to grow almost surreal. In one great scene, Michael, carrying 80,000 euros worth of gear, visits a dealer. He ends up on a couch in a run-down apartment, with two blank-eyed girls (one of whom insists she doesn’t take drugs) and the dealer, eating a candy necklace. Michael is nervous and wants his money, but the dealer tells him to relax and gives him a neck massage. Not only is this long, drawn-out scene unbearably tense, it effectively shows that Michael just doesn’t belong in the world he has been trying to conquer. The tragedy is that this mismatch is most likely temporary.

The young Kross is a real eye-opener here, displaying a great range of emotions as his character enters an uncertain future, in a society that has forced him to find his own justice.

Pirates of the Caribbean 3 An improvement on the lacklustre middle section of this particular franchise— oops, I mean trilogy—but still not as good as the first part. Pirates 3 does give us Johnny n Keef attempting to out-camp each other (after two rounds of being imitated by Johnny Depp, Keith Richards actually accepted a role) amidst all the precariously staged swordfights and general—yes—swashbuckling about.

But that’s pretty much the only difference. Keira Knightley limply does the will-she/won’t-she number between naughty rascal Jack and the other one. The skinny bloke with the funny eyeball is back. The bloke with the tentacles hanging off his head is back. Jack still has gold teeth. There are lots of groovy special effects.

There is much dashing and prancing. Everyone reprises everything they’ve done before only more so, especially Geoffrey Rush, whose gurning Oirish loon pirate captain must surely rate as one of the hammiest performances ever to bless the silver screen. Ah well— ker-ching and shiver me timbers. (AD) 168 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt, Pathé Tuschinski Tussen hemel en aarde A Dutch documentary about two veteran circus performers in Uzbekistan, Achat and Tursun Ali. The two have been friends since childhood but differ sharply in their political opinions.

Tursun Ali’s goal is to keep the circus tradition alive and the authorities at bay, while Achat challenges the Uzbek dictatorship and advocates human rights. Their openness about lives and friendship makes this a revealing documentary about Uzbek society and a dazzling chronicle of nights at the circus. Directed by Frank van den Engel en Masja Novikova. Van den Engel will be present at Rialto on Saturday. In Uzbek with Dutch subtitles. 70 min. Het Ketelhuis, Rialto

Still playing Angel François Ozon has added another master-

piece to his oeuvre. You could call it a postmodern costume drama, since it’s set in the early 20th century, but the dazzling visual style also refers to ’40s and ’50s Hollywood melodramas, and bits of contemporary television culture keep turning up too. Angel

Amsterdam Weekly

20 (Romola Garai), a writer of pulp novels with a shocking lack of taste and talent, is a highly ironic character.

But the film is too multi-layered to be a simple parody, and Ozon turns out to have a heart for his Angel. As a viewer, you can’t help feeling for her too. To catch all of it, you’ll probably need to see it twice. (MM) 134 min. Rialto

Azuloscurovasinegro Azuloscurovasinegro A bittersweet coming-of-age drama set in contemporary Madrid, where Jorge (Quim Gutiérrez) lives with his invalid father (Héctor Colomé).

Despite his university degree, he works as a concierge.

His brother Antonio (Antonio de la Torre) is in prison and his mother is dead, leaving him to take care of his father. When he meets Paula (Marta Etura), he realises that there may be more to life than slaving for others, and that he must take that responsibility. Yet his future stil looks His future looks ‘azuloscurocasinegro’: ‘dark blue, almost black’. Directed by Daniel Sánchez Arévalo. In Spanish with Dutch subtitles. (MM) 105 min.

Cinecenter Berlin Alexanderplatz Troubled German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s 15-hour magnum opus from 1981. Filmmuseum, Het Ketelhuis Beynelmilel In 1982, a town in southeastern Turkey still feels the effects of the military coup of two years before. Among other things, an evening curfew prevents the local musicians from earning a living. To survive, they decide to form a military band. Then the daughter of the bandleader falls in love with a member of a political group and joins the resistance. When the generals of the ruling junta announce a visit to the town, both the military band and the resistance group start preparing a welcome in this likeable comedy. In Turkish with Dutch subtitles. 105 min. Filmmuseum Blades of Glory Will Ferrell and Jon Heder are rival figure skaters whose public brawl gets them banned from competition for life; after learning that they’re still eligible for the pairs category, they decide to team up on the ice. ‘As if figure skating wasn’t gay enough already,’ remarks one character, precisely locating the movie’s comic nerve ending—you just know these guys are going to wind up with their balls in each other’s faces. Ben Stiller produced, and the movie is so reminiscent of Zoolander (2001) he might as well have rounded up Owen Wilson and starred in it him-

self. Ferrell and Heder are pretty funny, but they’re consistently upstaged by supporting players William Fichtner, Will Arnett and Amy Poehler. The first-time directors are Will Speck and Josh Gordon. (JJ) 93 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt Bridge to Terabithia Adapted from the children’s book

by Katherine Paterson, this family feature from the Christian production company Walden Media is something of a disappointment after its excellent Holes and The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Two smalltown pals conjure up a magical world in a nearby forest; their friendship and their family lives are warmly realised by director Gabor Csupo, but their problems with a school bully are familiar stuff and the CGI effects in the forest seem to belong to a different movie. A heartbreaking turn in the last act brings the story’s Christian subtext to the fore. (JJ) 95 min. The Movies, Pathé De Munt Close to Home It’s almost impossible for an Israeli fiction film to do right. If it concerns itself with politics it’s deemed propaganda, if it doesn’t, it’s escapist amusement. Close to Home, by directors Vardit Bilu and Dalia Hagar, sits awkwardly between the two. It’s a drama about two young women serving in the Israeli army; it doesn’t make any political or social statements, but it doesn’t have a real story, either. The girls seem more preoccupied with boys and playing hooky than with asking Arabs for identification. Debuting actresses Neama Shendar and Smadar Sayar are naturals, but seem a bit lost without a real plot to guide them. In Hebrew with Dutch subtitles. 90 min. Rialto Daratt At the close of the 40-year civil war in Chad, a man gives a gun to his 16-year-old grandson, Atim (Ali Barkai), and sends him in search of Nassara (Youssouf Djaoro), the man who killed his father. to avenge the death of his father. Nassara now owns a small bakery; Atim becomes his apprentice, and he and Nassara begin to develop a bond. Mahamat-Saleh Haroun directed this powerful parable of respect and revenge. In Arabic with Dutch subtitles. 96 min. Rialto

Daratt Destricted Seven major contemporary artists and directors reflect on sex and pornography in this series of short films, recommended to viewers who are not easily offended by either hardcore porn or hardcore experimental art. Cinephiles will welcome the return of

Gaspar Noé, who elaborates on the daring narrative style of his 2002 knockout Irréversible. In the segment ‘Impaled’, Larry Clark puts his head on his critics’ chopping block by staging auditions for an actual pornographic scene filmed by himself. Art aficionados will be pleased with Marina Abramovic’s beautiful reenactments of strange erotic rituals found in Balkan folk history. The remaining explicit contributions are by Matthew Barney, Sam Taylor-Wood, Richard Prince and Marco Brambilla. (MdR) 116 min. Rialto

Ex Drummer In this interpretation of the 1994 Flemish novel by Herman Brusselmans, an arrogant writer is convinced by three physically challenged freaks to join their rock band. He decides to lead them in a local band contest to provoke the literary establishment and to get in touch with some ‘real people’ in the process. Flanders was shocked by the profanity and gross images in this pitch-black comedy, but that was exactly the comment that director Koen Mortier was aiming for in his attempt to break through the indifference of the cultural elite towards genuine social problems. In Flemish with Dutch subtitles. (MdR) 90 min. Het Ketelhuis, Kriterion

The Fountain The Fountain A love story by the director of Requiem for a Dream and Pi promises not to fit the mould, but Darren Aronofsky has confounded critics and audiences alike with this spiritually infused rumination on death and grief, with a plot spanning a millennium. Bashing the film as an exercise in New Age dilly-dallying is an easy, cynical response, but opening your mind, or even crown chakra, and letting the film overwhelm you is the better way to go. Superb performances by Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, resplendent visuals and the luscious, non-digital effects help to immerse viewers with ease. (LvH) 97 min. Cinecenter Fracture An engineer (Anthony Hopkins) goes on trial in Los Angeles for trying to murder his wife (Embeth Davidtz), and the prosecutor (Ryan Gosling) attempts to push through what appears to be an open-and-shut case but isn’t. With its lavish architecture and Spielbergian lighting, this absorbing thriller has a high-toned look, but director Gregory Hoblit and writers Daniel Pyne and Glenn Gers got much of their training in TV cop shows, which shows in the adroit way they semaphorically abbreviate certain characters and plot developments to slide us past various incongruities.

The main interest here is the juxtaposing of Gosling’s

24-30 May 2007 Method acting with Hopkins’s more classical style, a spectacle even more mesmerising than the settings.

With David Strathairn and Rosamund Pike. (JR) 112 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt I Don’t Want to Sleep Alone This leisurely, sensual new film from minimalist Malaysian-Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang (The Wayward Cloud) is about a friendship between three young people adrift in Kuala Lumpur. Hsiao-kang (played by Tsai’s regular leading man, Lee Kang-sheng) is a homeless Chinese man who gets mugged and is rescued by Rawang, an equally impoverished Bangladeshi guest worker. Later, Hsiao-kang meets a waitress named Chyi who helps care for her boss’ paralysed son, and the friendship between Hsiao-kang and Rawang is tested. With Dutch subtitles. 115 min. Rialto Interview In this first remake in the Triple Theo Project—Blind Date and 06 are still to come—director and star Steve Buscemi does a respectable job of translating Theo van Gogh’s film to an American setting. The idea remains the same—an uninterested political journalist interviews a shallow B-actress—but the story is a little smoother around the edges. The dialogue is tart and Steve Buscemi excels as yet another loser. Even Sienna Miller does a decent job, though she lacks the presence and sex appeal of Katja Schuurman, the starlet of the original film. Also showing: Raak. Hanro Smitsman’s 10minute, Dutch-language short, about a boy who throws a stone from an overpass and hits a car, won Best Short Film in Berlin this year. (BS) 83 min. Kriterion, The Movies, Pathé Tuschinski Das Leben der Anderen This Oscar winner by Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck mostly deserves all the praise and admiration it has received. A study in the dehumanising effects of state surveillance, it focuses on two men living in East Germany in 1984: a playwright (Sebastian Koch) who attracts the interest of the state and a Stasi officer (Ulrich Mühe) whose loyalty to the socialist cause is starting to erode. Predictable and slightly distant, but also disturbing and effective. In German with Dutch subtitles. (LvH) 137 min. Cinecenter, Cinema Amstelveen, Het Ketelhuis, Pathé Tuschinski, Rialto

Me and You and Everyone We Know Fresh, likeable

and stylishly low-key, this wistful and sexy romantic comedy marks the feature-directing debut of conceptual artist Miranda July. There are a lot of strong performances by relative unknowns, but what really holds things together is a certain sustained pitch of feeling about loneliness. July plays a shy video artist, supporting herself as a cab driver for the elderly, who becomes interested in a recently separated shoe clerk (John Hawkes) with two sons. The movie’s flirtatious roundelay also includes the clerk’s coworker, an art curator and a couple of teenage girls. (JR) 90 min. Filmhuis Griffioen

Special screenings Apocalypse Now A long evening at the Roode Bioscoop: first Hearts of Darkness (1991, 96 mins.), Eleanor Coppola’s documentary about the famously disastrous making of her husband’s magnum opus; then a palate cleanser, Martin Scorsese’s six-minute The Big Shave (1967); then the main attraction, Francis Ford Coppola’s 153-minute, 1979 epic tale of the Vietnam War. De Roode Bioscoop Blue Velvet David Lynch’s 1986 fever-dream fantasy, about a young college student (Kyle MacLachlan) who returns to his small-town roots and all manner of strangeness, is replete with sexual fear and loathing, parodistic inversions, and cannibalistic recyclings of themes and images from Lynch’s own Eraserhead and Dune. The bizarrely evolving story—MacLachlan becomes involved with two women, one light and innocent (Laura Dern), the other dark and sadomasochistic (Isabella Rossellini), as well as with a murderous psychopath (a brilliantly demented Dennis Hopper)—seems more obsessive than expressive at times. (PG) 120 min. Het Ketelhuis

Breaking the Waves The 1996 breakthrough feature for Danish director Lars von Trier. Set on the remote north coast of Scotland in the early ’70s, this all-stops-out melodrama concerns a naive young woman (Emily Watson in a galvanising performance) who marries a worldly oil-rig worker (Stellan Skarsgard) despite opposition from her tightly knit religious community. After he is paralysed by an explosion, he persuades her to find a lover and describe her sexual experiences to him.

Shot by the great Robby Müller, the film shifts powerfully between dizzying handheld footage (given an unusual texture by having been transferred to video and then back to film) and gorgeous, digitally doctored ‘chapter headings’ that linger meditatively over landscapes to the accompaniment of period pop songs. This 159-minute feature shamelessly pushes the audience’s emotions to

the breaking point. You won’t come out of it indifferent, and even if it winds up enraging you (The film could have done without most of the ending), it nonetheless commands attention. Kriterion Carnival of Souls The main disappointment of this 1962, 83-minute black-and-white cult horror—made by two industrial film-makers, director Herk Harvey and screenwriter John Clifford, on location in Kansas and Utah—is that, despite the low budget, uneven acting, clunky editing, corny music, tatty ghoul make-up and familiar story (one of many variants of Ambrose Bierce’s ‘An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge’), it still isn’t very good even as camp. A church organist emerges from a car wreck to find herself intermittently pursued by demons and treated by others as invisible.

Also showing: I Spit on Your Grave (1978, 100 mins.), a variation on the classic exploitation theme of rape and revenge. (JR) De Nieuwe Anita César et Rosalie An intelligent and objective handling of the classic ménage à trois by director Claude Sautet, with a dynamic performance from Yves Montand and good support from Sami Frey, and Romy Schneider as the woman in love with them both (1972). Introduced by French film scholar Ingeborg Brounts, the screening both anticipates the Filmmuseum’s summer Romy Schneider retropsective and commemorates the 25th anniversary of her death on May 29, 1982. In French with Dutch subtitles. 110 min. Filmmuseum Hannah and Her Sisters Woody Allen’s 1986 film represents a functional if limited solution to his eternal difficulties in reconciling his ‘serious’ aspirations with his comic abilities. A more or less straightly played drama about three sisters and their romantic entanglements is intercut with satirical bits that could have come out of one of Allen’s earliest films, centred on his reactions as a TV producer who learns he may have a fatal disease. There’s no real resonance between the two halves of the film (the plots cross only

for the somewhat arbitrary climax), yet Allen keeps things moving quickly enough that the film only reveals its basic shapelessness once it’s over. Allen’s way of setting himself up as a fount of moral wisdom is as insufferable as ever, but at least the preachiness is alleviated by some genuine wit. (DK) 106 min. Rialto Langer Licht In this promising debut feature by the young Dutch director David Lammers, a father and son try to cope with a family tragedy during a long, hot summer in Amsterdam Noord. The story might not be revolutionary in narrative function or scope, but the cinematography is excruciatingly luscious, turning the overlooked expanses of the North into veritable vistas for viewing pleasure. Besides showcasing the picturesque beauty that lies beneath the mundane surface of the cityscape, the accomplished acting by leads Dai Carter and Raymond Thiry, as well as locals lending street credibility as extras, are worth the price of admission alone. In Dutch. (LvH) 85 min. Rialto Megacities Michael Glawogger’s 1998 documentary about the struggle for survival in 12 cities, including Bombay, Mexico City, Moscow and New York. OT301 Naqoyqatsi Godfrey Reggio’s trilogy of experimental travelogues, which began in 1983 with Koyaanisqatsi and continued in 1988 with Powaqqatsi, concluded in 2002 with this dizzying yet thematically inert journey through the dystopian cyberscenery of the 21st century.

Multinational corporate logos, internet icons, computer code and religious symbols hurtle by, accompanied by a dour, throbbing score by Philip Glass. 89 min. Melkweg Cinema

Rize Documentary about radical hiphop dance in LA’s South Central by David LaChapelle. (JJ) 84 min.

Melkweg Cinema

The Rolling Stones Rock & Roll Circus The Stones host this bizarre revue of circus performers and rock acts, shot for a British TV special in December 1968

but shelved by the band until the late ’90s. The Who’s scorched-earth performance of ‘A Quick One, While He’s Away’ is the undeniable highlight, though there’s also a killer number by Taj Mahal (featuring guitarist Jesse Ed Davis), and John Lennon performs ‘Yer Blues’ with a pick-up group consisting of Eric Clapton, Keith Richards and Hendrix drummer Mitch Mitchell. The Stones deliver their last performance with their original line-up. Michael Lindsay-Hogg directed; with Jethro Tull, Yoko Ono and Marianne Faithfull. (65 mins.) Also showing: Yellow Submarine, the 1968 animated Beatles movie in which the Blue Meanies try to take over Pepperland. (JJ) OT301 Der Ruf der blonden Göttin Erotic, fetishistic 1977 Haitian voodoo sex movie directed by Jesus Franco, one of the worst and most prolific film-makers who ever lived, and therefore a standard cult reference.

(JR) 83 min. Melkweg Cinema Short Circuit: Surreal Settings Short Dutch films by Eveline Ketterings, Talulah Schwab, Lotje van Lieshout and Hanro Smitsman, plus Eddy Terstall and Hans Teeuwen with the film De reorganisatie van de afdeling herhuisvesting Franeker (2006), starring Teeuwen, Peer Mascini and Pierre Bokma. Cavia Walk the Line Rock-solid performances by Joaquin Phoenix, Reese Witherspoon and a stellar supporting cast elevate this by-the-numbers biopic of Johnny Cash, his transformation into the iconic Man in Black and the smouldering romance that led to his marriage with soulmate June Carter. Even though the well-researched production design and the rousing musical interludes make for a thoroughly entertaining viewing experience, both the mythical status of Cash as well as the formulaic approach of director James Mangold prevent the film from attaining the title of the Ultimate Johnny Cash Movie Ever. For once, a sequel might actually be in order. (LvH) 136 min. Pathé ArenA

Amsterdam Weekly

24-30 May 2007 Metro Following a trend in Indian movies nowadays, Metro is about various couples in Bombay, whose lives are someway, somehow interconnected—but this time without the sugar-coating. The search for love (Shruti and Debu), silent love (Rahul’s love for Neha), married love (Ranjeet and Shikha), first love (Amol and Vaijanti), forbidden love (Ranjeet and Neha, Shikha and Aakash) are all presented without the typical Bollywood glamour. British Celebrity Big Brother winner Shilpa Shetty is convincing as the neglected housewife Shikha; Irfan Khan does a wonderful job as Debu, and a special appearance by Dharmendra as Amol tugs at the hearts of the nostalgics. In Hindi with Dutch subtitles. (SD) 132 min. Pathé ArenA

The Namesake The Namesake Mira Nair’s film of Jhumpa Lahiri’s novel starts off with Ashoke (Bollywood veteran Irfan Khan) on a train. The man across from him talks about leaving India. Ashoke answers: ‘My grandfather said that’s what books are for, to travel without moving an inch.’ But after the train crashes, Ashoke decides to follow the advice he was given: he moves to New York, marries and names his son Gogol, after the Russian novel he was reading on the train. As Gogol (Kal Penn) grows up, he distances himself from his parents’ culture, but his name pursues him until he comes to his own decisive moment. Penn, who starred in the teen comedy Harold & Kumar Go to White Castle, shines in a serious role. Throw in a score by Nitin Sawhney, whose music has both Eastern and Western influences, and the movie is complete, showing how two cultures clash but also where they come together.

(SD) 122 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé Tuschinski Next Nicolas Cage stars as a Las Vegas magician who can see two minutes into his own future, which proves endlessly handy when he’s onstage or working a casino but doesn’t have much national security potential; why an FBI agent (Julianne Moore) would enlist him to save Los Angeles from nuclear terrorists is never satisfactorily explained. As a result, this busy sci-fi thriller often seems like a page full of equations rendered meaningless by an early misplaced decimal point.

When the story finally collapses in a heap at the end, you’ll probably want your money back, but that’s where the title comes in: ‘Next!’ Lee Tamahori (Die Another Day) directed; with Jessica Biel and, briefly, Peter Falk. (JJ) 91 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt

FILM TIMES Thursday 24 May until Wednesday 30 May. Times are provided by cinemas and are subject to last-minute changes. Film times also at www.amsterdamweekly.nl.

De Balie Kleine-Gartmanplantsoen 10, 553 5151 Nederlands Transgender Film Festival Thur-Sun. Cavia Van Hallstraat 52-I, 681 1419 Fred Pelon Special Sat 20.30 (part 1), 21.30 (part 2), 22.30 (part 3) Short Circuit: Surreal Settings Fri 20.30.

Cinecenter Lijnbaansgracht 236, 623 6615 AzulOscuroCasiNegro daily 16.15, 19.15, 21.45, Sun also 11.00, 13.30 The Dead Girl daily 16.30, 19.45, 22.00, Sun also 11.15, 14.15 The Fountain Sun 13.30 Das Leben der Anderen daily 15.45, 18.45, 21.45, Sun also 11.15 Pan's Labyrinth daily 16.15, 19.00, 21.45, Sun also 11.00.

Cinema Amstelveen Plein 1960 2, Amstelveen, 547 5175 Arthur en de Minimoys Sat, Wed 15.30 Assepoester en de Keukenprins Sat, Wed 13.30 Das Leben der Anderen Tues, Wed 20.30 Music & Lyrics Thur-Sat 20.30, Thur also 15.00.

Filmhuis Griffioen Uilenstede 106, Amstelveen, 444 5100 Me and You and Everyone We Know Thur 19.00 Red Road Thur 21.00, Fri 19.00, 21.15, Tues 19.30.

Filmmuseum Vondelpark 3, 589 1400 Berlin Alexanderplatz parts 1-3: Thur 19.15, parts 4-7: Fri 19.15, parts 8-11: Mon 19.15, parts 12, 13: Tues, Wed 19.15, parts 1-7: Sat 13.30, parts 8-13: Sun 13.30 Beynelmilel Thur, Mon, Wed 17.15 César et Rosalie Tues 20.15 Griezelen in het donker Sun, Wed 14.00 The Night of the Hunter Fri, Tues 17.15, Mon 15.00 Ninotchka Thur-Mon, Wed 19.30, Thur-Sat, Tues, Wed also 17.00, Sun also 15.45, Mon also 15.30 Sangre Thur-Mon, Wed 21.45, Mon also 17.45 Het Zakmes Sun, Wed 13.45.

The Night of the Hunter Charles Laughton’s first and only film as a director (1955) is an enduring masterpiece—dark, deep, beautiful, aglow. Robert Mitchum, in the role that most fully exploits his ferocious sexuality, is the evil preacher pursuing two orphaned children across a sinister, barren countryside; Lillian Gish is the widow who protects the children. Laughton’s direction has Germanic overtones—not only in the expressionism that occasionally grips the image, but also in a pervasive, brooding romanticism that suggests the Erl-King of Goethe and Schubert. But ultimately the source of its style and power is mysterious—It is a film without precedents, and without any real equals. (DK) 93 min.

Filmmuseum Nue propriété Isabelle Huppert plays a Belgian mother who feels her life is weighing her down. She decides to sell her house and, together with her new lover, start a bed and breakfast in the Alps. Left to their own devices, her twin sons take their abandonment out on each other in this film by Joachim Lafosse; the English title is Private Property. In French with Dutch subtitles. 105 min. De Uitkijk The Number 23 Jim Carrey stars as a dogcatcher who becomes obsessed with the numerological implications of 23, seeing it everywhere (if not the digits themselves, then in sums or the numeric values of letters and months) and eventually unnerving his wife (Virginia Madsen, in her latest sturdy-spouse role). Narrated in voice-over by the hero, the movie is an object lesson in the dangers of having a storyteller who manufactures his own logic. As Carrey becomes more engrossed in an obscure novel about the number, this balloons into a murder mystery with multiple layers of reality, and before long I wasn’t even sure what might constitute a conclusion. Joel Schumacher directed; with Danny Huston. (JJ) 95 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt

Pan’s Labyrinth

Pan’s Labyrinth By mixing the narrative setting he

guaranteed to keep your inner child up at night with delicious fright. Just refrain from accepting candy from Fascists and fauns and you’ll be fine. In Spanish with Dutch subtitles. (LvH) 112 min. Cinecenter, The Movies, Pathé ArenA, Pathé Tuschinski

The Reaping The Reaping A professor (Hilary Swank) known for debunking religious phenomena arrives in a southern backwater that’s being afflicted by the 10 plagues of Egypt. Produced by Hollywood crapmeister Joel Silver, this high-decibel shocker is an insult to intelligence and faith alike. Stephen Hopkins (Lost in Space) directed; with David Morrissey, Idris Elba, AnnaSophia Robb and Stephen Rea. (JJ) 99 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt

Red Road If there were an Oscar available for Best

Film to Make You Glad You Weren’t Born in Glasgow, Andrea Arnold would walk away with it for her feature debut. Red Road presents us with Jackie (Kate Dickie), a woman who monitors CCTV cameras for signs of disorder. She begins tracking a man named Clyde; as the reasons for her actions are revealed, it’s in the sexual arena that she conspires to exact revenge. Her vulnerability and sadness are framed against the bleak buildings of a run-down sink estate to lend the film much of its power. (AD) 113 min. Filmhuis Griffioen

Sangre Diego, an endearing slob, leads an undisturbed life of boredom with Bianca. Outside their day jobs they watch soap operas, have sex and eat fast food with equal, silent satisfaction. But when his daughter from a former marriage shows up, the usually unaffected Diego is thrown into emotional disarray. In trying to keep his daughter out of sight of his pathologically jealous wife, Diego neglects the girl, with inevitably dramatic results. The gritty realism of Sangre is balanced by its subdued black humour. Despite the film’s darkness and hopelessness, the future of 28 year-old Mexican director Amat Escalante looks brightly promising. In Spanish with English subtitles. (MdR) 90 min. Filmmuseum

already visited in The Devil’s Backbone with the Grand Guignol sensibilities he’s shown in his Hollywood films, Guillermo del Toro has managed to create a perfect, poignant fairy tale of the Grimm variety. Young Ofelia must undergo a perilous quest that takes her through the depths of the underworld and pits her against her nefarious new father. Bittersweet and darkly disturbing at the same time, this movie’s

Shooter Steely Mark Wahlberg stars as an army sniper, coaxed out of retirement to foil an assassination plot on the president, who discovers that he’s the patsy in a government conspiracy. The story is often ridiculous, but director Antoine Fuqua provides plenty of fun distractions, including an evil Russian in a wheelchair, a conniving US senator (Ned Beatty) and a heroine who favours tank tops. (JJ) 124 min. Pathé ArenA

Het Ketelhuis Haarlemmerweg 8-10, 684 0090 De Avonturen van het Molletje Sat-Mon, Wed 14.00 Berlin Alexanderplatz part 1: Wed 19.15 Blue Velvet Sun 19.30 The Boss of It All daily 17.45, Thur-Sat, Mon-Wed also 21.30, Sun also 22.00 Ellen ten Damme daily 19.00 Ex Drummer daily 22.00 The Good German daily 17.00 The Kid Sat-Mon, Wed 15.00, Sat, Mon, Wed also 13.45 Knallhart daily 16.00, Thur-Sat, Mon-Wed also 19.45, Sat-Mon, Wed also 14.00, Sun also 12.00 Das Leben der Anderen daily 16.15, 21.45, Thur-Tues also 19.00, Sun also 12.15 Tussen hemel en aarde daily 20.30, Sat-Mon, Wed also 15.15 Vreemde Vogels:The Tick and the Bird Sun 11.00.

Pathé ArenA ArenA Boulevard 600, 0900 1458 Assepoester en de Keukenprins Fri-Mon, Wed 12.45, 15.00, Sat-Mon also 10.45 Blades of Glory Thur, Tues 13.30, Thur also 19.00, Fri-Mon, Wed 18.05, Sat-Mon also 11.00, Tues also 18.30 Epic Movie daily 16.15, Thur, Tues also 13.50 Fracture daily 13.00, 15.35, 18.50, 21.30, Sat-Mon also 10.25 Haaibaai Fri-Mon, Wed 12.15, 14.05, 15.55, Sat-Mon also 10.20 Metro Thur-Mon, Wed 13.40, Thur also 16.30, 20.00 Mr Bean's Holiday daily 17.00, 19.10, Thur, Fri, Tues also 12.05, 14.15, Sat-Mon, Wed also 12.25, 14.35, Sat-Mon also 10.15 Mr Black Mr White Fri-Wed 16.30, 20.00, Sat-Mon also 10.30 The Namesake daily 12.00, 14.50, 17.40 Next daily 19.45, 22.00, Thur-Tues also 12.45, 15.00 Norbit daily 17.15 The Number 23 daily 12.10, 14.30, 16.50, 19.25, 21.50, Sat-Mon also 10.00 Pan's Labyrinth Thur, Tues 20.30, Fri-Mon, Wed 20.40 Perfect Stranger daily 21.35 Pirates of the Caribbean 3 daily 11.45, 12.30, 13.15, 14.00, 15.15, 16.00, 16.45, 17.30, 18.45, 19.30, 20.15, 21.00, Fri-Sun also 20.30, Sat-Mon also 10.30 The Reaping daily 19.20, 21.45 Shooter Thur 21.15, Mon, Wed 20.30 Sneak Preview Tues 21.00 Spider-Man 3 daily 11.50, 14.45, 17.45, Thur, Tues also 20.45, Fri-Mon, Wed also 20.50 Spider-Man 3 (IMAX) daily 12.15, 15.15, 18.20, 21.25 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fri-Mon, Wed 12.05, 14.10, SatMon also 10.05

Kriterion Roetersstraat 170, 623 1708 The Boss of It All daily 17.15, 19.15, Fri, Sat also 0.30, Sat, Sun also 15.15 Breaking the Waves Mon 21.15 Curse of the Golden Flower daily 18.00, Sat also 15.30 Ex Drummer Fri, Sat 0.15 Inland Empire Thur-Sun, Tues, Wed 21.15 Interview daily 20.15, Thur-Mon, Wed also 22.15 Sneak Preview Tues 22.15.

Melkweg Cinema Lijnbaansgracht 234A, 624 1777 Naqoyqatsi Fri-Sun 20.00 Rize Thur, Tues, Wed 20.00 Der Ruf der blonden Göttin Mon 20.00.

The Movies Haarlemmerdijk 159-165, 638 6016 Anche libero va bene daily 17.15, 19.30, 21.45, Sun also 12.45 Bridge to Terabithia Sat-Mon, Wed 15.15 The Hoax daily 17.15, 19.30, 21.45, Sat-Mon, Wed also 15.00, Sun also 12.45 Interview daily 19.45, 22.00, Sat-Mon, Wed also 14.30, Sun also 12.15 Interview (2003) Fri, Sat 23.50 Pan's Labyrinth daily 17.00, 19.15, 21.30, Sat-Mon, Wed also 14.45, Sun also 12.30, Fri, Sat 23.45 Spider-Man Fri, Sat 00.00 Spider-Man 2 Fri, Sat 00.00 La Vie en rose daily 16.45.

De Nieuwe Anita Frederik Hendrikstraat 111, 06 4150 3512, Carnival of Souls Mon 20.30 I Spit on Your Grave Mon 20.30.

OT301 Overtoom 301, 779 4913 Megacities Tues 20.30 The Rolling Stones Rock & Roll Circus Sun 20.30 Yellow Submarine Sun 20.30.

Pathé De Munt Vijzelstraat 15, 0900 1458 300 Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 21.20, Sat 21.45 Assepoester en de Keukenprins Fri, Wed 13.15, Sat 10.20, 12.30, 14.50, Sun, Mon 11.10, 13.20 Blades of Glory Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 12.10, 14.20, 16.50, 19.20, 21.50, Sat 11.45, 14.00, 16.20, 19.00, 21.30 Bridge to Terabithia Fri, Sun, Mon, Wed 12.05, 14.15, Sat 12.10, 14.20, Tues 19.30 Epic Movie Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 12.50, 15.30, 18.00, Sun, Mon also 10.30, Sat 11.30, 13.45, 16.00, 18.15 Fracture Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 13.30, 16.20, 19.00, 21.45, Sun, Mon also 10.50, Sat 12.20, 15.00, 17.45, 20.30, 23.15 Haaibaai Fri, Sun, Mon, Wed 12.40, 14.40, Sat, Sun, Mon 10.45, Sat also 12.50, 14.50, 16.50 The Last King of Scotland Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 20.15, Sat also 21.15 The Messengers Sat 23.35 Mr Bean's Holiday Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 12.30, 12.30, Thur, Fri also 15.15, 17.45, Sat, Sun, Mon 10.25, Sat also 12.45, 15.25, 17.30, Sun-Wed also 14.45, 16.55, 19.05 Next Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 16.40, 19.10, 21.40, Thur, Tues also 12.05, 14.30, Sat 18.00, 20.20, 23.00 The Number 23 Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 12.35, 14.50, 17.20, 19.45,

21 Five-Word Movie Review

ONE FIST LOVE, OTHER HATE The Night of the Hunter Filmmuseum

Spider-Man 3 When a super-hero franchise reaches the third instalment, the result is usually a let-down featuring rubber nipples or Richard Pryor on skis.

While Spidey’s third outing doesn’t reach those alltime lows, it still is a step backwards from the first two magnificent films. The problem boils down to an overabundance of villains, love interests and plot lines that entangle the cast, sometimes slowing the proceedings to a sticky stop in between the flabbergasting action sequences. Besides, in keeping with blockbuster season, there’s an awful lot of action.

Two-and-a-half angstful hours might be more bang for your buck than you bargained for. Directed by Sam Raimi, with Tobey Maguire and Kirsten Dunst. (LvH) 156 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt Transylvania Director Tony Gatlif likes to make gypsy road movies—his most famous one being Gadjo Dilo—and his latest film is no exception. This time we follow female protagonist Zingarina (Asia Argento) to the Romanian region of Transylvania to be reunited with her boyfriend. When he rejects her and their unborn baby, Zingarina is inconsolable. Yet love lurks in unlikely places. It’s uncommon for Gatlif to feature a female lead, yet actress Biro Ünel (the anti-hero of Gegen die Wand) steals every scene. What Transylvania lacks in narrative, it amply makes up for in vibrant music and raw emotion. In French/Romanian/English with Dutch subtitles. (BS) 103 min. Rialto Wild Hogs John Travolta, Tim Allen, Martin Lawrence and William H Macy are middle-aged motorcycle buffs who soothe their midlife crises with a cross-country expedition to the Pacific Coast. In New Mexico, Travolta (goofing like he hasn’t since he played Vinnie Barbarino) inadvertently torches a biker gang’s roadhouse, and the bikers, led by a sublimely typecast Ray Liotta, hunt them down. Slack direction from Walt Becker sullies this formula comedy, but the cast is agreeable, particularly Marisa Tomei as the diner owner who falls for Macy, and Peter Fonda, turning in his second Easy Rider parody in weeks (the first was in Ghost Rider). (JJ) 105 min. Pathé ArenA, Pathé De Munt

22.10, Sun, Mon also 10.20, Sat 12.00, 14.30, 17.15, 19.50, 22.30 Perfect Stranger Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 15.45, 18.30, 21.00, Thur, Tues also 13.15, Sat 17.00, 19.30, 22.00 Pirates of the Caribbean 3 daily 13.00, 16.45, Thur-Mon, Wed also 20.00, Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed also 12.15, 16.00, 20.30, 21.15, Sat also 11.00, 14.45, 18.30, 20.45, 22.15 The Reaping Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 17.00, 19.30, 22.00, Thur, Tues also 12.20, 14.40, Sat 18.45, 21.00, 23.20 Sneak Preview Tues 21.45 Spider-Man 3 Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 12.00, 14.00, 15.00, 17.30, 18.15, 20.45, 21.30, Sun, Mon also 11.00, Sat 10.15, 12.15, 13.20, 15.15, 16.30, 18.20, 19.40, 21.40, 22.45 Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Fri, Wed 12.05, 14.30, Sat 11.20, 13.30, 15.45, Sun, Mon 10.15, 12.25, 14.35 Wild Hogs Thur, Fri, Sun-Wed 18.45, Thur, Tues also 13.45, 16.10, Fri, Sun, Mon, Wed 16.30, Sat 16.40, 19.20.

Pathé Tuschinski Reguliersbreestraat 34, 0900 1458 Curse of the Golden Flower daily 15.15, 21.30 Good Night, and Good Luck Thur, Tues 13.30 Haaibaai Sat-Mon, Wed 12.10, 14.30 The Hoax daily 12.30, 21.20 Interview daily 16.45, 22.10 Das Leben der Anderen daily 12.15, 18.00 The Namesake daily 19.15, Thur, Fri, Tues also 13.30 Nuovomondo daily 15.30, 18.30 Pan's Labyrinth daily 12.45, 15.45, 19.00, 21.45 Pirates of the Caribbean 3 daily 13.15, 17.00, 21.00 La Vie en rose daily 16.30.

Rialto Ceintuurbaan 338, 676 8700 Anche libero va bene daily 17.45 Angel Sat, Sun 13.45, Wed 16.00 Binger Shorts Fri 23.00 Close to Home daily 20.00, Sat, Sun also 13.30 Daratt daily 19.45, Fri also 15.45, Sun also 13.00 Destricted Sat 23.00 Hannah and Her Sisters Sun 11.00, Wed 15.45 I Don't Want to Sleep Alone Sat, Sun, Wed 15.30, Sun also 11.15 Khadak daily 19.00, 21.00, Fri-Sun also 16.15, Sun also 11.30 Langer Licht Fri 16.00 Das Leben der Anderen daily 21.45, Sat also 13.00 Transylvania daily 22.00 Tussen hemel en aarde daily 18.00, Sat also 16.00, Sun also 15.45.

De Roode Bioscoop Haarlemmerplein 7H, 625 7500, Apocalypse Now Sun 21.15.

De Uitkijk Prinsengracht 452, 623 7460 Curse of the Golden Flower Thur-Tues 19.00 Notes on a Scandal daily 17.00 Nue propriété Thur-Tues 21.15, Sun also 15.00.

Amsterdam Weekly

22

WEEKLY CLASSIFIEDS Ads are free, space permitting. They will be posted both to the paper and online. Guaranteed placement is available for a small fee; see our website for details. Ads may be published in English, het Nederlands or whatever language is best for you to communicate your message.

How to submit an ad: via our website at www.amsterdamweekly.nl, by fax at 020 620 1666 or post to Amsterdam Weekly, De Ruyterkade 106, 1011 AB Amsterdam. Deadline: Monday at 12.00, the week of publication.

AD OF THE WEEK

you’re interested call Inge on 06 2317 5346.

GAY / HILLBILLYHAIRDRESSERwanted to cut my girl- ROOM WANTED ASAP Am friend’s hair for cheap. Only then will she change her relaxed, 31 y.o. working guy haircut. Email me at retbeat303@hotmail.com. looking for room or apt to share in A’dam. Budget is ROOM NEEDED! Am look400 max. For longer periHOUSING OFFERED ing for room in A’dam (not od, but also interested in 100'S OF APTS Available in Noord), A’veen or Diemen short-term. Call 06 4474 1698.

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9-II/III, A’dam center. BrilSharing no problem but with liantly & radically renovated. STUDIO/FLAT WANTED easy-going people. Love some Female professional looking Inside all new: plumbing, plasfun as well. Need room in ter, insulated floors, ceilings, for decent/cute studio or flat. west or centre. Let me know facades.Kitchen:ice-box,oven, Min 6 mths and possibility your offers at info@ramoncooker, washer/dryer; central to register. Un/furnished. Willablokker.com. heating, warm water. €229,000 ing to pay for right place. No (e.b.) or €1100/mth. 06 2485 basement or studio less than SHARED WORKPLACE 2267/www.gvoa.nl/pa9/gvoa@g 20m2. Email me at rentam- Available workplace in shared office space. Light, airy, open sterdam@gmail.com. voa.nl. space with kitchen, close to LOOKING FOR A ROOF! ROOM FOR SHORT STAYS Leidseplein, sharing with 6 Small but cozy room in Youngmarketinggraduatewith freelancers (text etc). MonthBaarsjes for rent for short peri- restaurant job, developing ly cost €276 (incl €43 VAT, ods. Bed, shower, internet internshipinA’dam,seeksroom ADSL, cleaning) in small connection. smarasi@ nova- starting 1 June. Can pay max office building with recepcollege.nl. €35 euros a night €423,50. za_vial@yahoo.com. tion. Contact 06 2620 6697 or HOLIDAY APT DAM SQLux- STUDIO/APT Hi! 27 y.o. info@hendriks-james.nl. ury air-conditioned studio in female (consultant, nonOTHER SPACES hotspot next to Dam Square smoking) looking for studio for short-term rental. Price or apt in A’dam up to €750/mth SUMMER STUDIO for rent. starts at €149/day. www.ams- all expenses incl. Sunny and €150/mth. Very special place terdamcityapartment.com. spacious would naturally be with additional space to work appreciated. Email amster- outside. Max 2 persons. Call STUDIO IN JORDAAN for dam_apt@yahoo.com.

623 0771 or 06 4838 6818. rent near Anne Frank House.

Ground floor with small gar- STUDIO/1-2 KAMER APT GALLERY AVAILABLEMulden/patio. 40m2 with own Young couple, hard-working ti-functional space available shower/toilet/kitchen. Rent & seriously studying since 2 in famous Jordaan area for for about 6 mths or longer years in A’dam. We’re absoartists to show and sell their (in case of renovating). €850 lutely trustworthy & looking creations. Preferably incl incl g/w/e. With bed, closet, for place to call home. 30m2+, seats and paintings. Space table etc, all kitchen utili- up to €700 incl inside the ring, will be visited by potential ties and washing machine. with contract and registraclients. Mail rickbridge@hotjberg@chello.nl. tion, for 1 yr or more, per direct: mail.com or call 06 1771 4131.

06 1076 9820. Looking forHOUSING WANTED SUMMER IN SICILY! Rent ward to hearing from you! villa by the sea on coast facENGLISH GUY SEEKS stuHOUSING TO SHARE ing Africa, very cheap prices. dio/apt. Preferably with own kitchen and shower. FLAT TO SHARE Looking Available all mths but August. €300-500 max. Within or for working flatmate to share For 6 or 7 persons. Huge gararound A’dam centre. In my nice, quiet apt in A’dam South den & veranda. Nearby visits: 30’s, clean and responsi- (close to Stadionweg). 2 poetic baroque architecture, ble. If you can help or know bdrms, living, study, balcony, wonderful landscapes, hiking. someone, please contact roof terrace, internet, inscrip- Unforgettable food, very kind 06 4648 5851 or fightma- tion possible. €420 rent, 1 local people! ilfautoser@hotmth deposit, per 1 June. If mail.com/+33 (0)467 276 362. trix@hotmail.com.

WORK OFFERED

24-30 May 2007 ANBOS, laser electrolysis, P8N8 Skin Therapy Centre: acne/rejuvenation/cleanse Linda Young Aesethetics. New address: Eerste Jan SteenNEED A STUNNING WEB- straat 109 in De Pijp. Contact SITE? Experienced web 06 4079 9921 or visit www.lindesigner builds professional, dayoungaesthetics.com. unique sites for very reasonHEALTH & WELLNESS able prices. Online links to THINKING ABOUT THERpast projects available. Jordan: jordangcz@yahoo.com, APY? Heighten your quality of life and improve your rela06 3034 1238. tionships with the help of a XPAT PAGES Looking for native English-speaking therEnglish-speaking plumber, apist. My 20 yrs of profesdentist, lawyer, etc? www.xpat- sional experience and underpages.com. standing can help you better FRIENDLY DOG WALKER cope with feelings and sort With lots of experience and ref- through stressful thoughts. erences able to take care of Contact Sagar 06 4626 5412. your dog. Available from 8.00 OVEREATERS ANONYto20.00.Alsoavailableevenings MOUSDo you have a problem and vacations. Reasonable with food? Maybe we can help. rates.CallFredon0647183115. English speaking Overeaters

Call Dan on 06 2660 2886. Any combinations possible.

Starts immediately!

Call Taco on 06 4486 4390, UNDUTCHABLES Recruit- email info@vrachttaxi.com ment Agency Amstelveen or check out www.vrachtlooking for Marketing Asst taxi.com.

(Christine Schroeder); Acct Mgr (sales background) 1x Danish 1x Italian speaking (Morten Arstad); CSR German (Wesley Felida). Email amstelveen@undutchables.nl. See www.undutchables.nl for more positions.

UNDUTCHABLESA’damlookSPAANS-SPREKEND ingforGermanFinancials;RusKEUKEN HULP Casa Peru sianSecretary;TouristAgentsall restaurantzoektmetspoedhulp languages;ItalianorNordicAccts indekeuken.0653718057.Lili.

Payable;FrenchDutchSalesor NON-DUTCH SPEAKERS CustomerService;Polish+GerAre you native English- or man Acct Rep. Please send CV German-speaker? Flexible toAmsterdam@undutchables.nl hrs, friendly workspace, good orcheckwww.undutchables.nl. wages, convenient A’dam location. Outbound call centre P/T RESEARCH We are a conjob, no sales or marketing. sulting firm with 50 offices globInterested? Call 06 3076 2003. ally.TheEuropeanresearchcenter is based in A’dam and we are KITCHEN STAFF Rock & looking for English-speaking roll and something more! employeeswhocanperformbusiHard Rock Cafe hiring dish- nessresearchonp/tbasis.Min20 washers, cooks and kitchen hrs/wk.Contactskim@spencersupervisor. No appt neces- stuart.com for info. sary, just come by to fill in application form and bring WORK WANTED along passport photo. Max WRITER/EDITOR 24 y.o.

Euweplein 57-61, A’dam. No female Harvard graduate will phone calls pls. spend summer in A’dam. Am ENGLISH-SPEAKING JOB looking for work in editing, We have all the English-speak- copy-editing, translating, freeing and other foreign-lan- lance or travel writing. Fluguage jobs from all major ent in English, French, Rusemployment agencies and sian. Please email me at employers in NL on one web- AnnaMD83@gmail.com. site. www.xpatjobs.com.

LOOK FOR A JOB Ciao! ItalMODELS (M/F) WANTED ian artist and musician lookNew clothing company look- ing for job in A’dam. Will move ing for models, 18-30 y.o., will- by 1 July. Am good cook, naning to model for free. Photo ny, garden & animal care. Pls session takes only a few min- contactmeonelitra@inwind.it. utes. Pls send picture of yourself to info@12slash12.com JOURNALIST FOR HIRE English journalist living in or call 06 2170 2724.

A’dam looking for work: writRESTAURANT/COCKTAIL ing, PR, marketing, etc. Email staff sought for f/t or p/t work. matt.sparkes@gmail.com.

The Mansion is expanding their team and seeking talVEHICLES ented, dedicated people. ConBOAT FOR SALE Perfect for tact Dan on 06 2660 2886 or dan@the-mansion.nl. Expe- A’dam channels and surroundings.Sleeps2withkitchen rience required. andtoilet.40hpinboardengine.

EARN €10 IN 15 MINArtist Price €7500. Phone 06 4166 seeks volunteers of any age, 7833. size, color and creed to pose SERVICES 15 min for photos. Email anna@annagreaves.com for BEST MOVING SERVICEIN more info and appt.

TOWN Driver with van

HAVE YOU CONSIDERED having a mural painted on your wall but don’t know who to approach? Well, rest easy.

I am a painter/graphic designer who will transform your wall into a piece of art. Call me to discuss. Contact Dan on 06 4648 5851/Danjerousdesign@hotmail.co.uk.

Anonymous meetings: Tues 19.00, 3de Hugo de Grootstraat 5. Thur 20.00, Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 282A. For more info call 06 4874 9590.

CRYING OUT LOUD Problems? Lost? Know not what to do?Consult3xround-the-world psychic healer and motivational metaphysician Jack MilBRAINSTORM4BUSINESS ton. €30/hr. Tel 06 1488 9377. service for new and small business-concerns. Highly ALEXANDER TECHNIQUE creative brainstormer avail- Call for a free try-out lesson. able to pull you out of the 624 3015. www.at-works.nl. thinking mud! Martyn Clay- HEALINGFor stress-release brough 06 4638 8622. More and deep relaxation. Highly information www.brain- experienced healer and reistorm4business.com. ki master. Also available for TULIPANYAre you thinking reiki courses. For more inforabout starting your own busi- mation call 679 8753 or 06 ness? Do you have a compa- 2214 3030 or email ajit@acornny but administration and consultancy.nl. papers are not your thing? CORPORATE YOGA For Do you need a business plan, stress-relief, improved labour from abroad, to buy breathing technique and real estate or moving abroad? relaxation in the workplace.

Call Tulipany on 06 1021 8271 Highly qualified and experior email tulipany@live.nl. enced Hatha Yoga teacher GALLERY SPEECHES and respiration therapist.

Artists, do you lose your voice For info go to www.acornwhen it’s your gallery open- consultancy.nl or call 679 ing? Let me ‘The Speaker’ 8753/06 2214 3030. speak for you! My speeches NEED HELP? Anxious, are unique to you and your depressed, unable to share work. They inspire and deeply your problems with those focus people on your art work. around you? Everyone This in turn enhances sales deserves unique and creative potential. More information: approach to therapy. For conwww.thespeaker.eu or 06 fidential therapeutic coun4638 8622. selling contact Audrey Wein-

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HOME IMPROVEMENT GARDENINGFor all aspects of garden work and general house improvement pls call 06 2324 5957.

NEED A HAND? Well-travelled, versatile and reliable handyman offers manual assistance with moving house, construction, landscaping, decorating etc.€11/hr. Jack 06 1410 3234.

HOUSE RENOVATIONS!Do you need cost-effective and high-quality full house renovation? Professional experience and good references.

Online links to past projects.

Contact 331 6550 or 06 4451 7410 or karol-rajczyk@hotmail.com or visit www.renobouw.nl.

COMPUTERS PC HOUSE DOCTOR Specialised in virus/spyware removal, h/w, s/w repair, data recovery, wireless, cable/ADSL installation and computer lessons from friendly and experienced Microsoft professional for reasonable price. Contact Mario 06 1644 8230.

NEED HELP WITH YOUR MAC? MAC-lover helps you with basic setups, minor troubleshooting, install, networking, basic MAC lessons, setting up programs, MS Word, QuarkXpress, etc. Help with purchasing the right MAC. Contact Sagar at 779 1926.

COURSES

BIKINI BOOT CAMP Want to get fit before the summer comes? Join our Bikini Boot Camp at Access Fitness. Tune yourself in good shape in 6 wks. Take advantage of our special offer now. For more info pls phone 423 3217 or check http://access-nl.org.

More courses coming to help ASIAN WOK CHEF Great (10m3) or truck (40m3) avail- BRAZILIAN WAXINGBritish berg at 06 4137 0866 or expats enjoy their stay in NL. pay, fantastic menu, 5 able. Plus extra moving men, Beauty Therapist. 30 yrs expe- info@creativetherapy.nl or IYENGAR YOGA CLASSES nights/wk, finish by midnight. hoisting rope and elevator. rience, CIDESCO, BABTAC www.creativetherapy.nl. with certified Iyengar yoga

Amsterdam Weekly

24-30 May 2007 teacher Cristina Libanori, Tues 19.30-21.00 at Training Centrum, Europaplein 127 near RAI. Tram 4 (stop Dintelstraat). €10/class; with 10card yoga strippenkaart €9/class. Indiv therapeutic classes arranged by appt at 20/hr. cristina@the-wheelof-yoga.com/773 5307.

23

3x1 week retreats starting 12, 19 & 26 May. Yoga style is Ashtanga Vinyasa. Last minute discounts. See our website www.yogaretreats.nl or phone 06 5021 6604.

LANGUAGES

LANGUAGE EXCHANGE My English for your VietSPEAKING IN PUBLICInter- namese. Call 06 2626 0310 or active seminar. Packed with tefl@europe.com. advice and practical tips LEARN DUTCH 1-ON-1 Still designed to empower your not found the right environpublic speaking skills. Also ment for learning Dutch? Try space for you to air your ques- us: C & C Language Support. tions! ABC Treehouse, 10 Lessonsinrelaxedatmosphere, June. More info and reserva- for individuals and small tions: www.thespeaker.eu or groups.Concentrationonpraccall Martyn on 06 4638 8622. tical use and conversation. For GUITAR LESSONS Years of details, visit www.lasu.nl. experience, from beginners to ENGLISH FOR DUTCH Just advanced students up to con- movedtoA’dam,andlookingfor servatory preparation, various someone to help me with a litstyles, acoustic and electric, tleDutchinreturnforhelpwith individual lessons, can choose their English or for a few beers. duration, 30 to 60 min. Near matt.sparkes @gmail.com.

De Pijp area. 06 1480 7029 or FIRST STEPS IN DUTCH cesarqueve@gmail.com.

Enrollinveryspecial2-wksumBREAK DANCE/GUITAR mer course everyday Dutch for Hey,I´mcomingtostayinA’dam beginners.Livelycourseinheart in June. Looking for beg break of A’dam with opportunity to dance course. Do you have any practice a lot. www.glossa.nl. ideas? Also looking for guitar DUTCH LESSONS A'DAM teacher. Been playing 6 yrs and Improve conversation/profesneed new inspirations. Write sional purpose/studies/NT2. wipka@web.de.

Alsoonline.Minindividualrate BIBLE EDUCATIONEnglish- €15/hr. Adults & children. Also language, part-time Bible edu- intensivecourses.Minintensive: cation offered biweekly on 15hrs=€215.55.Mon-Sun.10.00Sat in A’dam, The Hague, Rot- 21.00.http://home.tiscali.nl/styterdam and Eindhoven. For lusphant/ indexdutch.html, Christians eager to study the excellentdutch@hotmail.com Bible and be active in their or call 06 3612 2870. church. Low course fee. See IMPROVEYOURDUTCH!Link www.dewittenberg.nl/bee, Taal Studio, a professional way email bee. dewittenberg@hcc- tolearnDutch,privatelessons, net.nl or call 078 674 7339. smallgroups,intensivecourse,

CITY LANGUAGE WALKS Improve your Dutch, exploring A’dam, practical & daily situations, reading & discussing newspapers, intermediate level. Information 06 4133 9323 or linktaalstudio@gmail.com.

MUSICIANS GUITARISTSEEKSBANDGuitar player with some neat tunes writtenlookingforbandinA’dam.

Style: Iggy & the Stooges, David Bowie, Blondie, Velvet Underground, Stones (-ish). Email 0409200@student.uva.nl.

PERSONALS KISSING GIRLSI’m a girl. I’m 22 and I’m pretty straight in the sexual sense, but curious.

So I wanna kiss other girls who want that too, but without the risk of falling in deeper than friendship. pigglet@live.nl.

SAFE ANONYMOUS SEX Haveyoueverfantasizedabout havingsexwithastranger?Saying/doing things you would not normally do? Fancy watching IBIZA YOGA RETREATSWe etc.Startingeveryweek,Vijzel- and being watched? Girl, you invite you to rejuvenating gracht 53. Contact linktaalstu- can chat, mail, and webcam yoga retreat in Ibiza, Spain. dio@gmail.comor0641339323. withme,32y.o.fitmale.Noface,

no real name. Just a safe space Don’t want to burn or throw tobewhoyouwanttobe.Email them away. Interested? p-jforfun@hotmail.com.

Send email with good idea!

DATE WANTED Charming, tiobistefani@yahoo.it.

ie Ent presents night full of musicalsurprisesw/variouslive performances&specialguests.

419568@student.inholland.nl.

YOU WORK OUT?Am interested in meeting people who take little more care of their body than most people. Am an artist making non-profit work about the body. If you have some kind of training device at home, so I can see you work out, it would be great! Pls contact me: p.tonda@gmail.com/06 4181 9092.

BOOK PRESENTATION by Fabio Testini on 7 June at 17.30 in Libreria Bonardi bookstore on Entrepotdok 26. ‘Una Questione di Formalità’ is a book that embroiders ordinary stories and tangible poetry. Grazie!

well-educated, athletic man, living in central A’dam, financially independant, looking for good-looking slim girlfriend, with g.s.o.h. Email amsterick@hotmail.com.

LOOKING FOR MISTRESS French, cheeky and sexy male lookingforhotregularmistress in A’dam! Email me at frenchy amsterdam@fsmail.net.

BIKE TO BUY Looking for used bicycle, in reasonably E V Z - D 65 JAAR! Vijfen- good condition for good price. zestig... You old pair of pliers:) Pls contact me on 06 1002 2326. Thanks, Paul.

Zoen & Knuf, Pat. PATTI SMITH TICKETS! DESK WANTEDForeign stuLooking for ticket to Patti dent looking for nice study Smith in Paradiso. You would table, simple but strong. If you make me soooo happy! clau- have spare table and willing to give it away, pls phone me: dia_n777@hotmail.com.

06 4524 5098. Many thanks.

FIND AN IDEA! Maybe some of you know the mean- BILLY PRESTON TRIBUTE ing of collecting with pas- The Best Kept Secret Weeksion! I was supporting Ams- ender, in conjunction w/ Rookterdam Weekly since 2004. ie Entertainment pays homage Not 1 issue missing! Now to Billy Preston, great singerI’m moving & can’t bring songwriter. To honour his conmy small treasure w/ me. tribution to music world, Rook-

ANNOUNCEMENTS

PARTY PEOPLE ! Club LA has weekly & monthly slots available for experienced event/party organizers. Contact Jvporter@gmail.com.

Club has all modern equipment and holds 150 max.

Centrally located near Leidsestraat. For more info visit www.clubla.nl.

MEFIRST&GIMMEGIMMES Help! Me First & The Gimme GimmesareplayinginMelkweg in June. My boyfriend is coming from Spain just to see them. I'm here as an Erasmus student but tickets are already sold out! Pls! I need to buy 2 tix. They will never go to Spain! We can make a deal. Contact rgriscos@hotmail.com.