Top 10 Dutch Films to Watch in 2026 — Film Top 10 List

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Top 10 Dutch Films to Watch in 2026

Dutch cinema delivers powerful dramas, sharp comedies, and visually stunning storytelling. These are the must-watch films from the Netherlands.

Location: NL2026102 viewsMar 12, 2026 Updated Oct 3, 2026

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#1
Turkish Delight (1973)
Paul Verhoeven's Turks fruit (1973), with Rutger Hauer and Monique van de Ven, adapts Jan Wolkers' novel into a love story that swings from raucous to devastating. It drew roughly 3.3 million admissions in the Netherlands, still the highest of any Dutch film, was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, and was voted Best Dutch Film of the Century at the 1999 Netherlands Film Festival.
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#2
Black Book (2006)
Paul Verhoeven returned to the Netherlands after two decades in Hollywood to make Black Book, in which Carice van Houten plays a Jewish singer who joins the resistance and goes undercover inside the SD in The Hague. It was the most expensive Dutch production of its time, and its refusal to sort the occupation into clean heroes and collaborators is what made it argued over at home.
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#3
Character (1997)
Mike van Diem's adaptation of Bordewijk's novel won the 1998 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film — one of three Dutch winners, after The Assault and Antonia's Line. Set in interwar Rotterdam, it follows an illegitimate son clawing his way to a law career against the crushing, near-wordless opposition of his father, a bailiff.
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#4
Soldier of Orange (1977)
Paul Verhoeven's Soldier of Orange (1977) follows a group of Leiden student friends whose lives split apart under the German occupation — some into the resistance, some into collaboration — and it made stars of Rutger Hauer and Jeroen Krabbé. Adapted from Erik Hazelhoff Roelfzema's memoir, it drew around 1.5 million Dutch admissions and remains one of the best-attended Dutch films ever made.
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#5
Borgman (2013)
Alex van Warmerdam's 2013 film follows a vagrant who talks his way onto a wealthy family's property and then dismantles the household from inside, never explaining what he is or what he wants. It competed for the Palme d'Or at Cannes.
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#6
Instinct (2019)
Halina Reijn's directorial debut, with Carice van Houten as a therapist in a forensic clinic who becomes entangled with a convicted sex offender played by Marwan Kenzari. It was the Netherlands' official submission for the Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
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#7
The Vanishing (1988)
George Sluizer's Spoorloos, adapted from Tim Krabbe's novella The Golden Egg, follows a Dutch man who spends three years hunting for the girlfriend who vanished at a French motorway service station — until her abductor offers to show him exactly what happened. Sluizer remade it in Hollywood in 1993 with the ending replaced, which is why the original is the one people mean.
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#8
Antonia's Line (1995)
Marleen Gorris's Antonia's Line follows a widow who returns to her Dutch village after the war and builds a matriarchal household across four generations. It won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in 1996, the first winner of that award directed by a woman.
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#9
Quo Vadis, Aida? (2020)
Jasmila Zbanic's Quo Vadis, Aida? reconstructs the fall of Srebrenica in July 1995 through a UN translator trying to get her own family inside the Dutchbat compound before it is overrun. It was Bosnia and Herzegovina's Oscar submission and was nominated for Best International Feature. Its connection to this list is as a Dutch co-production, and through the Dutch UN battalion whose failure sits at the centre of the story.
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#10
Do Not Disturb (2023)
Do Not Disturb (2023) was among the year's best-performing Dutch comedies. Director Michiel ten Horn uses a single-holiday setting to unpack family secrets, and at 89 minutes it stays lean, with sharp dialogue and a light tone that keeps clear of heavy subject matter.
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Frequently asked questions

What are the top Dutch films to watch in 2026?

The top 10 Dutch films of 2026 are a curated selection highlighting the year's most anticipated and critically praised releases across genres like drama, thriller, and comedy.

Where can I watch Dutch films from 2026?

New Dutch films typically premiere in Dutch theaters, then become available on streaming platforms such as Netflix, Videoland, or Pathé Thuis, often within a few months.

Will Dutch films from 2026 have English subtitles?

Most Dutch films released internationally or on major streaming services include English subtitles, while domestic theatrical screenings may offer them only for select showings.

Are there any internationally known Dutch directors releasing films in 2026?

Yes, renowned Dutch directors like Paul Verhoeven and Michaël Dudok de Wit are expected to release new works in 2026, which are likely to appear on the top 10 list.