The program highlights Dutch contributions with Our Girls (Voor de Meisjes), a competitive feature directed by Oscar-winning Dutch filmmaker Mike van Diem and starring prominent Dutch actress Thekla Reuten. This gripping drama is based on the 2019 novel “We doen wat we kunnen” by Dutch author and actor Lykele Muus. In addition to this major fiction adaptation, the festival welcomes director Nordin Lasfar, who will personally attend a special screening and subsequent Q&A session for his film Mohammed & Paul – Once Upon a Time in Tangier, a cinematic exploration of the complex literary relationship between writers Mohamed Choukri and Paul Bowles.

Furthermore, the new short film competition, 'LIT.shorts', features two Dutch-linked projects competing for the audience award for best film. This includes the British-Dutch co-production Writing on Water by director Huw Wahl, a poetic 16mm short film created in close collaboration with, and based on the work of, Dutch writer and publisher Elte Rauch. It is presented alongside On the Road (Onderweg), an ultra-short paper cut-out animation directed by Melody Sigmond, which is based on her own personal poetry.