Heritage and Horizon: Screening Porte Bagage (2026)
Please note that the movie is in Dutch. English subtitles are available.
Porte Bagage centres on a familiar journey: the road trip from the Netherlands to Morocco, an annual ritual for many Moroccan-Dutch people. With the trunk (and sometimes the roof too) fully loaded, a multi-day journey begins in which ‘home’ in the Netherlands gives way to ‘home’ in Morocco.
The film portrays this journey in an emotional, nostalgic and also humorous way. Along the way, the travellers laugh, debate, eat, sing and create new memories. What appears to be an ordinary holiday trip actually symbolises living between two different places, which can both feel like home.
The success of Porte Bagage has shown how this summer holiday has become part of a shared experience amongst Moroccan-Dutch people. The film touches on questions of family, memory, identity, living between different worlds and choosing one’s own destiny.
Synopsis
Noor (30) looks after her stubborn father Musa (76), who suffers from dementia. When offered her dream job as a chef in Paris, she is left to choose between her career and her family.
To make the severity of their father’s condition clear to her brothers and sister, Noor arranges an appointment with a neurologist. Following the death of a close friend, Musa expresses his wish to return to Morocco. Initially reluctant, Noor begins to see this as her way out – helping her father return to his homeland whilst finally pursuing her own dreams of independence.
Despite resistance from her brother Farid, she manages to persuade her brothers to join her on a road trip, during which they come to terms with their past and their uncertain future.
About Zouka
Zouka is a film company with a social heart, sharing stories that matter. Zouka creates authentic films and documentaries and develops innovative concepts and strategies that harness the power of film to bring about social change. Their focus is on sharing stories from underrepresented groups; people whose voices need to be heard. Zouka believes in the power of inclusion and uses creativity to transform ideas into powerful visual stories that make an impact, with the ultimate goal of bringing communities closer together.
Programme
16:00 Doors open
16:30 Start of screening
18:30 End of event
Practical information
This event is free and open to everyone. We do ask that you register in advance. The event will take place at VOX-POP (ground floor), Binnengasthuisstraat 9.
