BLACK SOIL X DUNYA – July 5, 2026 – Zuiderpark Rotterdam

Black Soil started in 2003 as a hip-hop film festival and has since developed into a platform for film, music, and visual culture from the African diaspora. Starting from hip-hop, Black Soil investigates how Black culture, identity, and aesthetics become visible in cinema and audiovisual art. In addition to the annual festival in December, Black Soil organizes screenings, talks, live cinema, exhibitions, and musical programs at various locations in the Netherlands throughout the year.

During Dunya Festival 2026, Black Soil brings together makers from the Caribbean, African, and wider diaspora who each, in their own way, show new perspectives from culture, personal history, and their own visual language. Stories in which themes such as origin, community, music, migration, ambition, and self-representation are central. From documentary to fiction, from experimental film to animation. More information and agenda: www.blacksoilfilmfestival.com

René van Zundert | short documentary | 2018 | Contact | 17 min.

180CC follows 13-year-old Jose, a young stunt cyclist who dreams of one day riding with the infamous bike crew Team Domina. While he endlessly practices, falls, and gets up again, an energetic coming-of-age documentary unfolds about perseverance, street culture, and the power of self-confidence (premiere NFF).

Ruben Cabenda | animation | 2024 | SUR | 4 min.

In these experimental animations, Ruben Cabenda investigates the relationship between language, identity, and the impact of colonial history. With a surrealistic visual language, the work questions power, religion, memory, and cultural alienation. Plantation Memories Trilogy consists of three short works: Töngö sondi (premiere IDFA Doclab / Alice Yard), Bar Pura (Catharijne Convent Museum), and Bakra Krejti (Ready Tex Gallery).

David Engberts | short documentary | 2026 | NL | 11 min.

This short documentary follows BGirl Jazzy in the run-up to the Red Bull BC One World Finals in Tokyo. Between training, family, and crew moments, a personal story unfolds about discipline, representation, and chasing a dream that once seemed impossible (premiere BEREIK SAMEN X BLACK SOIL X Filmfabriek Zaandam)

Aramis Garcia Gonzales | short film | Aug. 2023 | AW/NL | 15 min.

Using influences from Caribbean culture, pop culture, and contemporary cinema, Aramis Garcia Gonzales creates an idiosyncratic cinematic world in which identity, family, and desire come together (premiere NFF).

German Gruber Jr. | short film | 2025 | CUR | 15 min.

The young guitarist Fito dreams of leaving Curaçao to study music in the Netherlands. As his departure draws closer, he struggles with love, farewell, and the emotional bond with his island. SUNNY is an atmospheric coming-of-age film in which music plays an important role (premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival).

Bouba Dola | short film | 2024 | NL | 18 min.

A poetic short film that interweaves memory, migration, and identity. The film follows artist Gery Mendes, who explores how stories, culture, and generations remain connected even when worlds change (premiere BLACK SOIL)

Myrna Fanta Bodian | short documentary | 2025 | Contact | 23 min.

In AMOR, Eduard shares an intimate story about love, self-acceptance, and queer identity. Traditional dance forms from the African diaspora and influences from the ballroom scene merge into a futuristic and personal quest for freedom and self-expression (part of From Here Onwards).

Bureau Vermaeck | short documentary | 2026 | 25 min.

NIFFO means ‘NEEF’ (nephew) in slang. The name refers to a family environment, in which all kinds of target groups can come together with the help of art in various forms. The gallery in the Afrikaner district operates with a social focus. The social function is focused on cohesion and communication in the neighborhood, and talent discovery and development of young people from the neighborhood (premiere BLACK SOIL X DUNYA)

Rosita Leeflang | short documentary | 2019 | SUR | 34 min.

A short documentary that reflects on community, heritage, and cultural memory within the Surinamese context through personal stories and observations. The film explores the question of whether ‘Kaseko Jazz’ is in danger of slowly disappearing, or whether there is room to breathe new life into this characteristic Surinamese music movement (part of Doculab Suriname).

The film program runs all day in a loop from the start to the end of the festival!