Amsterdamned

Once a month we show an open-air film in the courtyard of Craft District Enschede! This year we’re going on a city trip; on July 8 we depart from Amsterdam and will end in Venice on September 1, passing through Tokyo, New York, and Paris along the way. 
So there’s plenty of the world to see for those staying at home this year!

The first stop is Amsterdam for Dick Maas' iconic canal thriller Amsterdamned. 
Start: 15 minutes after sunset.

Amsterdamned (1988) is one of the most famous Dutch thrillers by Dick Maas, the director who previously found success with De Lift and later the Flodder films. In this thrilling and often humorous film, detective Eric Visser (Huub Stapel) leads the hunt for a mysterious and sadistic serial killer who is making the Amsterdam canals unsafe. As the investigation takes increasingly dangerous turns, Visser is faced with unexpected suspects, spectacular chases, and surprising revelations.

With its combination of action, horror, and humor, impressive stunts, and an unmistakable 1980s atmosphere, Amsterdamned became a classic in Dutch film history.  Maas felt that in the 'constricted' Dutch film climate, his film was undervalued and moved to the US. Where the American press found that Amsterdamned looked very good – for a B-movie.

The film shows how Maas shook up the Dutch film landscape with an ambitious, grand public film that also drew international attention and received a sequel in 2025 with Amsterdamned II.