Movies that Matter

What Movies that Matter does

Movies that Matter (legally Stichting Movies that Matter) is a Dutch non-profit foundation headquartered in The Hague, founded in 2006, that uses film to make human rights and social justice visible and to promote public dialogue on these topics. The organization operates a unified portfolio anchored by the annual nine-day Movies that Matter Festival in The Hague, which screens more than 90 films across eight competition categories (including Activist Lens, Dutch Focus, Justice Frame, and Audience Award), supported by three domestic operational pillars: a national Education Programme delivering school screenings across the Netherlands, an On Tour year-round screening programme, and an online Magazine providing editorial coverage.

The international surface extends this domestic footprint through five channels: Cinema without Borders (five-day workshops training emerging festival organizers, with ~300 alumni from 60+ countries since 2006), a Grant Programme funding screenings in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe, an Embassy Programme delivering curated films to Dutch embassies on International Human Rights Day, an Activist Film Menu distributed to partner festivals, and an Activist Outreach Programme supporting documentary protagonists. Supporting infrastructure includes a Film Archive documenting screenings since 2009 and an Advice & Resources hub for filmmakers. Technology is conventional web tooling — Matomo analytics, Crossmarx forms/marketing, ActiveTickets ticketing, and YouTube/Vimeo embeds — with no disclosed AI capabilities or proprietary platform.

The business model is grant- and donation-driven rather than commercial: structural anchor funding from Nationale Postcode Loterij, project-based support from the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Creative Europe MEDIA, FilmFonds, and multiple Dutch cultural funds (V-fonds, Dioraphte, Fonds1818, Fonds21, VSBfonds), supplemented by ticket sales across festival and cinema releases and in-kind media partnerships (NPO, Human, Trouw). The organization is a member of the Human Rights Film Network (50+ festivals) and is governed by a supervisory board; in February 2026 it adopted a single-director leadership model citing financial pressure. Customer/end-user reach spans general public festival attendees, Dutch schools, global filmmakers, human rights defenders, and partner festival organizers — with no disclosed revenue figure.

Name

Movies that Matter

Legal name

Stichting Movies that Matter

Website

https://moviesthatmatter.nl

Company type

Private

Founded year

2006

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Movies that Matter is a Dutch non-profit foundation, founded in 2006 and based in The Hague, that uses film to advance human rights and social justice through an annual festival, school education programmes, year-round screenings, and international capacity-building workshops for human rights film festivals worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Film Festival

NAICS

Motion Picture and Video Exhibition (51213), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Motion Picture Theaters (7830), Services-Allied To Motion Picture Distribution (7829)

akta.pro primary industry

Film Festivals & Festival Organizers (MPADAKAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Community & Cultural Screenings (Museums, Cultural Centers) (MPADAKAH), Campus & Educational Screenings (Universities, Schools) (MPADAKAI), Non-Theatrical Distribution (Educational, Airlines, Cruise, Community) (MPADAJAJ), Alternative Content Exhibition (Live Broadcasts, Concert Films, Sports, Opera) (MPADAKAG)

Keywords

• Human rights film festival
• Documentary film curation
• Film education programs
• Social justice cinema
• International film grants

Headquarters

HQ city

Nieuw-amsterdam

HQ country

Netherlands

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Ticket sales: Revenue generated from selling tickets to the annual Movies that Matter Festival, cinema releases, and special screenings. Film festival takes place annually in March in The Hague with tickets available for individual screenings and events.
2. Structural funding from main partner: Stichting Movies that Matter receives structural support from its main partner Postcode Loterij (Nationale Postcode Loterij), which provides core organizational funding.
3. Project-based partnerships: Partners provide financial or substantive support per project, including funds, sponsors, media partners, programme partners, location partners, education partners, and international support partners.
4. Grant programme: Movies that Matter supports human rights film festivals and screenings worldwide through its grant programme, providing funding to eligible organizations in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Movies that Matter is a Dutch non-profit foundation that uses film to promote human rights and social justice. Its core offering is the annual Movies that Matter Festival in The Hague (nine days, 90+ films) supplemented by an Education Programme for Dutch schools, an On Tour year-round screening programme, and an online Magazine. Internationally, it runs the Cinema without Borders workshop programme, a Grant Programme funding screenings in Africa, Asia, Latin America and Eastern Europe, the Embassy Programme with Dutch diplomatic missions, and the Activist Film Menu distributed to partner festivals.

Product overview

Movies that Matter is a Dutch non-profit foundation operating a unified portfolio of interconnected human rights film initiatives. The core offering is the annual Movies that Matter Festival in The Hague, featuring over 90 films across nine days with multiple competitions (Activist Lens, Dutch Focus, Justice Frame, Camera Justitia). This core festival is supported by three operational pillars: the Education Programme for school screenings, the On Tour year-round screening programme, and the Magazine providing editorial content. The international expansion includes the Cinema without Borders workshop programme, a Grant Programme funding screenings worldwide, the Embassy Programme partnering with Dutch diplomatic missions, and the Activist Film Menu distributing films to partner festivals. Supporting infrastructure includes an online Film Archive database and Advice & Resources hub for filmmakers and festival organisers.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Movies that Matter Festival Annual nine-day film festival in The Hague featuring over 90 films including documentaries and fiction, with competitions, discussions with activists and experts, and special events including VR programmes, live music, and pub quizzes. For general public and cinema audiences.
• Education Programme (Film in de Bioscoop) Film screenings and education programmes for schools throughout the Netherlands, bringing human rights films into classroom settings with introductions and post-screening discussions. For students and teachers in primary and secondary schools.
• On Tour Year-round film screening programme featuring human rights documentaries and fiction at partner venues throughout the Netherlands. For general public and cinema audiences.
• Cinema without Borders Five-day workshop and networking programme for emerging film festival professionals from across the globe on how to organise human rights film festivals or mobile cinema projects, with travel and accommodation covered for selected participants. Delivered during partner festivals; has trained over 300 participants from 60+ countries across 20 editions since 2006.
• Grant Programme Financial support programme providing grants to enable human rights film screenings worldwide, funding eligible organisations in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe. For independent human rights film festivals and screening organisations.
• Embassy Programme Film programme operated in cooperation with the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, providing Dutch embassies worldwide with a menu of five human rights films for screenings on International Human Rights Day (10 December). For diplomatic missions and local audiences abroad.
• Activist Film Menu Curated selection of documentary films about human rights defenders offered to partner film festivals in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe for screening. For international human rights film festivals.
• Activist Outreach Programme Networking and impact programme supporting documentary protagonists (activists) during their festival stay, with continued support for screenings of their films in their home countries. For human rights activists and defenders featured in festival films.
• Film Archive Online searchable database of all films screened at the festival since 2009, with filters by year, themes, relevant countries, and film type (fiction, documentary, short, VR). For researchers, programmers, and the general public.
• Magazine Online editorial platform providing film tips, festival coverage, and stories about education screenings. For general public and industry subscribers.
• Advice & Resources Online resource hub providing guidebooks, tools, and resources for filmmakers, film festivals, impact production, and safety & security. For filmmakers and festival organisers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Supported human rights film festivals worldwide through grant programme targeting Africa, Asia, Latin America, and Eastern Europe
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration5 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• 100% Manusia Film FestivalcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 5 August 2026Partner for Cinema without Borders Southeast Asia edition (10th edition, 5-11 August 2026 in Jakarta, Indonesia). Joint workshop programme for 10-15 emerging human rights film festival organizers from Southeast Asia.
• NEFTi International Short Film CompetitionmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 23 March 2026Partnership announced March 2026 to support displaced filmmakers in Europe and Africa. Three finalists receive USD $3,000 each for short film production, grand prize of $5,000, and viewer's choice award of $2,000. Applications open May 2026.
• Gemeente Den Haag (The Hague Municipality)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerProvides venue access and local support for the annual festival. Multiple festival venues are located in The Hague.
• NPO (Nederlandse Publieke Omroep)coreGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing broadcast and streaming support for festival content through NPO Start and NPO Doc platforms.
• Human Rights Film Network (HRFN)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMovies that Matter is a member of this partnership of more than 50 independent human rights film festivals worldwide, enabling content sharing and collaboration across the network.
• Amnesty InternationalmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEducation partner collaborating on educational programmes about human rights and providing content expertise.
• Filmhuis Den HaagcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorMain festival venue partner providing cinema facilities for the annual Movies that Matter Festival.
• HumanmajorGTM or Marketing PartnerMedia partner providing promotional support and content distribution for festival programming.
• ICFR (International Documentary Film Festival Rotterdam)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork partner in the Human Rights Film Network collaboration and co-organiser of Cinema without Borders workshops.
• Eye FilmminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorVenue partner providing screening facilities for festival programming.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Others

• Amnesty International Netherlands: National section of a global human rights organisation and a stated education partner of Movies that Matter. Comparable not as a competitor but as a closely linked ecosystem participant collaborating on educational content and human rights programming.

Direct peers

• Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival: One of North America's largest documentary festivals with a strong social-issue programming slant. Directly comparable as a documentary-led festival competing for international documentary audiences, filmmakers, and sponsors.
• Sheffield DocFest: UK documentary and social-issue film festival with industry training programmes (similar to Cinema without Borders) and a strong social impact strand. Directly comparable in the mix of festival programming, industry capacity-building, and human-rights-adjacent content.
• One World Film Festival (Czech Republic): Prague-based human rights documentary festival and member of the Human Rights Film Network. A direct peer as a fellow HRFN member with similar human-rights-only mandate, educational outreach, and year-round screening programmes.
• IDFA (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam): Amsterdam-based documentary festival and one of the world's leading documentary events. Directly comparable as a Dutch documentary festival with significant overlap in audience, filmmaker networks, and documentary curation; collaborates with Movies that Matter via ICFR.
• Human Rights Watch Film Festival: US-based festival dedicated to human rights cinema, run by Human Rights Watch. A direct peer in the niche of exclusively human-rights-focused film festivals and a fellow member of the Human Rights Film Network.

Emerging players

• Doc Society (formerly BRITDOC): UK/US-based non-profit focused on social impact documentary funding, training, and distribution. Comparable as a social impact documentary funder and capacity builder rather than a festival operator; addresses the same filmmakers and impact goals as Movies that Matter's grant and outreach programmes.
• True/False Film Fest: US documentary festival known for socially engaged programming and filmmaker-audience interaction. Comparable as a documentary festival with strong social-issue emphasis, though at smaller scale than Movies that Matter.

Broad incumbents

• Berlinale (Berlin International Film Festival): One of the world's largest film festivals with dedicated human rights-themed programming sections and European policy partnerships. Comparable as a broad incumbent that overlaps with Movies that Matter on human rights programming and pan-European reach.
• Sundance Film Festival: Large US-based festival with a notable social impact strand (Sundance Documentary Fund) and substantial audience reach. Comparable as an incumbent documentary and social-issue film funder/programmer, but operates at vastly greater scale and with broader remit than Movies that Matter's human-rights specialisation.

Market position

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/MoviesMatter
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/moviesthatmatterst
• Facebookfacebook.com/moviesthatmatter.nl
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/moviesthatmatter
• Instagraminstagram.com/moviesthatmatterfestival

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Movies that Matter