The film Land van komst (Land of Promise) by René Roelofs and Paul Scheffer is competing for the IDFA Award for Dutch Documentary at the 26th edition of the International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam. Inspired by Paul Scheffer's much-discussed book *Het land van komst* about immigration from the 1950s onwards, the filmmakers are now releasing a film and a three-part television series in collaboration with IKON and NTR. The film premieres on November 23 at IDFA 2013 and will be shown in Dutch cinemas starting November 28.

Land of Promise by René Roelofs and Paul Scheffer shows how immigration from the 1950s to the present day has irreversibly changed Europe. The documentary provides an impressionistic view of that profound experience. The film is constructed entirely from archival footage—fragments of documentaries, reports, feature films, and news broadcasts—sourced from Sweden, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France, and Great Britain. The archival footage speaks for itself: because no commentary has been added, a poignant picture emerges of how European societies have experienced and continue to experience modern immigration.

The film focuses on the experiences of the migrants as well as the experiences of those who are already there. Newcomers and residents share the same sense of loss: a familiar world threatens to slip away from them. Large-scale immigration always brings conflict with it. For the filmmakers, however, these frictions are signs of integration, as they show the diverse answers to the question: how should we live together with all our differences? Land of Promise tells an uncomfortable, but ultimately hopeful story.

René Roelofs directed more than 50 documentaries for television, including the Golden Calf-winning *Christmas in Floradorp* and the Golden Image-winning *Dutch Approach: The Moluccan Actions*.
Paul Scheffer is Professor of European Studies, creator of TV series for VPRO, and author of *Het multiculturele drama* and *Het land van komst*.

The film will be shown in Dutch cinemas starting November 28. The three-part series will be broadcast weekly on Sunday evenings on Nederland 2 on January 5, 12, and 19, 2014. Land van komst (Land of Promise) is an Interakt production in co-production with IKON and NTR.



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