NLWave 2026: Industry guests comment on Dutch showcase’s second roll-out

The second edition of NLWave, the Utrecht-based two-day showcase of new Dutch film content, came to a close October 2 following the presentation of 35 early‑stage projects and works in progress. Fifteen of these were documentaries, some of which seem destined for selection at festivals before the end of 2026, into early 2027. The event attracted 60 industry toppers from the sales, distribution and festival sectors.

“Last year’s guest list focused more on fiction – we adjusted that,” say the Netherlands Film Fund’s Iwana Chronis, who took over as the organisation’s Head earlier this year, and Ilse Ronteltap (Head of International Affairs). “We welcomed more doc sales agents and festivals, such as Hot Docs, CAT&Docs, Rise and Shine and Visions du Réel, which we were very happy about. The timing at the end of the Netherlands Film Festival worked well, and fit better with the international festival calendar.”

They were also very happy with the overall quality of new projects, both fiction and documentary, and the high level of promise offered by the works-in-progress.

Talking to Business Doc Europe before doors opened on the 2026 event, the Netherlands Film Fund’s Simone van den Broek offered an overview of funding rationale.