EPIC SUMMER • Nederlands Filmhuis Denhaag

EPIC SUMMER

JULY - AUGUST

ARE YOU READY FOR THE MOST EPIC SUMMER?

Cancel your summer plans. This July and August, we’ll be fighting cyclopes, encountering space monkeys, defending our father’s honor and surfing the Vietnam war. Following the release of Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Odyssey’, we have gathered 25 titles that show epic cinema in all shapes and sizes. Saddle up your tractor, space ship or trojan horse and ease on down the yellow brick road with us through a summer program full of cinematic odysseys. 

THE EPIC STORIES OF...

AGUIRRE: THE WRATH OF GOD

Werner Herzog, 1972

Driven by dreams of El Dorado, a conquistador's quest through the Amazon spirals into obsession and destruction.

APOCALYPSE NOW: THE FINAL CUT

Francis Ford Coppola, 1979

A secret mission into the heart of the Vietnam War becomes a journey through chaos, violence and moral collapse.

ARRIVAL

Denis Villeneuve, 2016

Twelve mysterious spacecraft appear across the globe, forcing humanity to find a way to communicate before fear takes over.

CITY OF GOD

Fernando Meirelles & Kátia Lund, 2002

Through the eyes of an aspiring photographer, decades of violence unfold in one of Rio de Janeiro’s most notorious neighbourhoods.

THE DARK CRYSTAL

Jim Henson & Frank Oz, 1982

The fate of an entire world rests on a young Gelfling’s quest to restore a shattered crystal.

FANTASTIC PLANET

René Laloux, 1973

On a distant world, a human raised by giant blue aliens begins to challenge the order that keeps his species oppressed.

GLADIATOR

Ridley Scott, 2000

Betrayed by an emperor and stripped of everything he loves, a Roman general fights his way back through the arena.

HEARTS OF DARKNESS: A FILMMAKER'S APOCALYPSE

Fax Bahr, George Hickenlooper & Eleanor Coppola, 1991

A troubled film production slowly becomes as chaotic and consuming as the story it is trying to tell.

THE HERO

Satyajit Ray, 1966

A celebrated actor finds his fame challenged when a train journey forces him to confront his past.

INNERSPACE

Joe Dante, 1987

After a scientific experiment goes wrong, a miniature pilot finds himself trapped inside the body of an unsuspecting stranger.

KOYAANISQATSI

Godfrey Reggio, 1982

A wordless journey contrasts the rhythms of nature with the speed and scale of modern life.

LAWRENCE OF ARABIA

David Lean, 1962

An ambitious British officer becomes deeply involved in the Arab Revolt and discovers the cost of his own legend.

THE LORD OF THE RINGS

Ralph Bakshi, 1978

A reluctant hero sets out on a perilous quest to destroy an object that could plunge the world into darkness.

MAD MAX

George Miller, 1979

As society begins to unravel, one highway patrol officer is pushed beyond his limits by a violent biker gang.

MONOS

Alejandro Landes, 2019

A group of armed teenagers stationed on a remote mountaintop struggle to maintain order as isolation takes hold.

MULAN

Tony Bancroft & Barry Cook, 1998

To protect her father, a young woman secretly takes his place in the imperial army.

THE ODYSSEY

Christopher Nolan, 2026

Christopher Nolan's The Odyssey is a mythical adventure featuring an all-star cast that brings Homer's epic tale to life.

O BROTHER, WHERE ART THOU?

Joel Coen, 2000

Three escaped convicts cross the American South in search of hidden treasure and unexpected fame.

PARIS, TEXAS

Wim Wenders, 1984

After years of absence, a drifter attempts to reconnect with the family he left behind.

THE PASSION OF JOAN OF ARC

Carl Theodor Dreyer, 1928

Facing trial for her beliefs, Joan of Arc refuses to abandon her convictions despite overwhelming pressure.

PHARAOH

Jerzy Kawalerowicz, 1966

A young ruler's determination to transform his kingdom brings him into conflict with powerful forces around him.

PLANET OF THE APES

Franklin J. Schaffner, 1968

A stranded astronaut discovers a world where humans and apes occupy very different positions in society.

RAN

Akira Kurosawa, 1985

An ageing warlord's decision to divide his kingdom among his sons unleashes a devastating struggle for power.

THE STRAIGHT STORY

David Lynch, 1999

Unable to drive a car, an elderly man sets out on a remarkable journey aboard a lawn mower.

SUNSHINE

Danny Boyle, 2007

Humanity's final hope lies with a crew sent to reignite a dying sun.

U ARE THE UNIVERSE

Pavlo Ostrikov, 2024

Alone in space after a catastrophe, a lone worker discovers he may not be the last person left alive.

THE WIZARD OF OZ

Victor Fleming, 1939

Swept away to a magical land, a young girl follows a yellow brick road in search of a way home.