Two Aruban short films head to Dutch Film Festival

ORANJESTAD — Two Aruban short films, E PESO DI MUNDO by director Juan Francisco Pardo and ADRIFT WAK LEU by debut director Velvet Zoé Ramos, will have their European premieres on September 28 at the Dutch Film Festival in Utrecht.

Both films were recently screened to sold-out audiences at the Playa Film Festival in Aruba. E PESO DI MUNDO had its world premiere there, while ADRIFT WAK LEU had already premiered at the Curaçao International Film Festival in April before receiving its international premiere in Aruba.

The films are part of Studio Caribe, a Dutch Film Fund program aimed at strengthening and professionalizing the film industry in the Dutch Caribbean. Twelve projects were selected for development from more than 60 applications, with six eventually moving into production.

E PESO DI MUNDO received additional support from Het Cultuurfonds Caribisch Gebied, while ADRIFT WAK LEU was also supported by Subway Aruba.

At the Dutch Film Festival, the two Aruban productions will screen alongside three Curaçao short films. ADRIFT WAK LEU will also continue its international festival run at the Trinidad and Tobago Film Festival from September 23 to 27 and at the Conch Shell International Film Festival in New York in October.