The Netherlands has a long tradition of youth film, documentary and drama productions: Homegrown stories that move children because they are recognisable, often contain challenging themes and nurture empathy and an understanding of the world. For generations of children and young people, these stories have been an important first encounter with film culture, storytelling and shared cultural experience. (Photo: LAMPIE by Margien Rogaar)
Across Europe, the conditions for reaching young audiences are changing rapidly. Children and young people encounter stories across many platforms, while visibility, financing, distribution, education and audience engagement require new forms of collaboration. In response to these shared challenges, the Dutch sector has joined forces in De Jeugdalliantie – the Youth Alliance.
The Youth Alliance brings together Dutch filmmakers, producers, writers, directors, distributors, broadcasters, festivals, educational organisations, funds and other stakeholders. It is not a new institution, but a collaborative platform with one shared ambition: to strengthen the position of high-quality screen stories for children and young people, and to ensure that creators with a passion for young audiences can continue to make them.
The Youth Alliance: “Our ambitions are clear. We aim to increase the visibility of Dutch youth content among audiences, policymakers and the media. We advocate realistic budgets that reflect the artistic, productional and ethical complexity of creating with and for children. And we advocate a stronger place for film and media in education, so that children encounter film not only as viewers, but also as active, critical and creative participants.”
At the same time, the Youth Alliance looks beyond national borders. “We believe that strong national ecosystems are essential building blocks for a diverse and resilient European youth screen culture.” The Dutch initiative wants to connect with European partners such as ECFA, KIDS Regio and the European Film Academy: to exchange knowledge, contribute Dutch experience, strengthen advocacy for young audiences and support a more visible, ambitious and sustainable European ecosystem for youth film, series and documentaries.
The Youth Alliance is for and by the sector. Its first activities will run through 2026 and 2027, including a sector meeting, an inspirational sector day at the Cinekid festival in 2026, and the development of a National Children’s Film Week, modelled on the well-loved Dutch Children’s Book Week.
The list of founders behind the Youth Alliance reads like a ‘Who’s Who’ of Dutch youth cinema and includes directors, screenwriters, producers and lobbyists such as Meikeminne Clinckspoor, Signe Zeilich-Jensen, Marc Veerkamp, Harro van Staverden, Margien Rogaar, Floor Paul, Tijs van Marle and Lilian Sijbesma.
Contact: jeugdalliantie@gmail.com
Website (in Dutch)