Crystal Film for Neshoma
The documentary Neshoma by Golden Calf director Sandra Beerends has reached the 10,000 visitor mark. For this she receives the Crystal Film.
Source: Netherlands Film Festival
The documentary Neshoma** consists of a montage of archive material that brings Jewish Amsterdam in the interbellum to life. The Crystal Film was presented in the presence of director Sandra Beerends, producer Floor Onrust and actor Rifka Lodeizen in the old Jewish neighborhood near the Staalmeesterbrug in Amsterdam. It is the first Crystal Film to be awarded in 2025. The Crystal Film Award is an initiative of the Netherlands Film Festival, with support from the Netherlands Film Fund and the Abraham Tuschinski Fund.
Set in interwar Amsterdam, where one in ten residents was Jewish, Neshoma follows 17-year-old Rusha’s life in the Jewish quarter. Through her letters to her brother Max, who has emigrated to the Dutch East Indies, a vivid picture of Amsterdam emerges. The film combines archival footage and Rusha’s perspective, capturing the Jewish community’s role—from diamond cutters to artists—while depicting the challenges of economic depression, fascism, and war. NESHOMA honors the Jewish soul of Amsterdam.
Source: Netherlands Film Festival
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*Film is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund
**Film is supported by the Production Incentive