His short slapstick comedy The Misadventure of a French Gentleman Without Pants at the Zandvoort Beach is one of the oldest surviving Dutch fiction films.

Several renowned German directors who would go on to work in Hollywood directed films in the Netherlands in this period, most notably Douglas Sirk (Boefje, 1939) and Ludwig Berger (Ergens in Nederland, 1940).

The Documentary film of the Netherlands has been renowned worldwide, propelled first of all by the avant-garde from the 1920s and 1930s, in particular the Filmliga movement,[11] with filmmakers such as Paul Schuitema, Mannus Franken, Andor von Barsy, and Joris Ivens.

[12] In the years directly following World War II, most effort was given to the reconstruction of the country, and filmmaking was largely related to that purpose.

[14] New filmmakers came to the fore, who received critical acclaim, such as Herman van der Horst, Bert Haanstra, and John Fernhout, among others.

John Fernhout directed Sky Over Holland, about the country and its connection to visual art, made for the World Exhibition in Montreal in 1967.

It was a major attraction, which also won a Golden Palm at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for an Academy Award for Documentary Short Subject.

This critical engagement with cinema became a larger movement, with various other initiatives and politically oriented film collectives, such as the Amsterdams Stadsjournaal (ASJ, 1974-1984), following the example of Newsreel.

A new documentary circuit emerged, which continued to grow over the years, with influential directors such as Heddy Honigmann and Jos de Putter (who also played a pivotal role at VPRO).

The most famous director of this era is undoubtedly Fons Rademakers, who received critical acclaim in the Netherlands and abroad with a number of films made between 1959 and 1963.

Rademakers learned the business from Vittorio De Sica and Jean Renoir and brought his newfound knowledge of foreign art films with him.

In the flourishing period, Dutch cinema saw the rise of professional Netherlands video production techniques, which bolstered the creation of high-quality content for both local and international audiences.

This prompted producers to make an internationally oriented, big budget (approximately €12 million) family film, Crusade in Jeans.

Some more artistic directors, such as Jos Stelling, Orlow Seunke and Alex van Warmerdam made magic realism movies.

Other auteur-directors emerged during this era as well, including Theo van Gogh, Ate de Jong and more recently Cyrus Frisch.

The film tells the true story of a women-led rebellion against the forces of Spanish King Philip II during the Eighty Years' War.

The most successful Dutch actors in Hollywood are Rutger Hauer (Blade Runner), Jeroen Krabbé (The Fugitive), Famke Janssen (X-Men), and Carice van Houten (Game of Thrones).

Filmmakers besides Paul Verhoeven who successfully began a career in Hollywood include Jan de Bont (who started as cinematographer before directing big budget action movies like Speed and Twister), screenwriter-turned-director Menno Meyjes (credits include The Color Purple and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade) and producer Pieter Jan Brugge (Glory, Consenting Adults, The Pelican Brief, Bulworth, The Insider, Miami Vice, Defiance, Love and Other Drugs.

After directing two English-language movies in the Netherlands, director Roel Reiné moved to Hollywood where he became an influential director-producer of Straight-to-DVD films, including the Steven Seagal-vehicle Pistol Whipped (2008).

Ate de Jong made a couple of low budget American films in the early nineties and directed an episode of Miami Vice.

De Lint's booked guest appearances in various TV shows like NYPD Blue and The L Word, and a number of supporting roles in theatrical movies, of which the most prominent was The Unbearable Lightness of Being (1988).

Soutendijk played the female lead in Eve of Destruction (1991) and Huub Stapel, star of all of Dick Maas' box office hits, had a supporting role in a 1988 TV-movie about Anne Frank.

In 1992, the coming-of-age romantic drama film, Voor een Vorloren Soldaat, starring Krabbé and Maarten Smit was released.

These films were to be preceded by a supporting role in Steven Spielberg's Minority Report but due to problems with his visa, he was unable to work on that movie.

[18][19] Lotte Verbeek booked success playing in international television shows like The Borgias, Outlander, The Blacklist and Marvel's Agent Carter.

Other Dutch individuals with international credits include Hollywood sound designer Charles Deenen; Oscar-winning director Marleen Gorris who made a number of international productions including the 1997 adaptation of Mrs Dalloway[broken anchor] and currently works on several British productions; DJ and composer Junkie XL who wrote additional music for Ridley Scott's Kingdom of Heaven and scored the action film DOA: Dead or Alive; Sylvia Kristel, most famous for her role as Emmanuelle in a series of softcore movies, also appeared in a large number of lesser known American (TV-)movies, of which The Nude Bomb, a feature film adaptation of the TV-series Get Smart is probably the most notable.

Kristel briefly appears as Agent 34; an established cinematographer in the alternative film scene, Curaçao-born Robby Müller has repeatedly worked with Wim Wenders, Lars von Trier and Jim Jarmusch; a director at the start of his career, Kees van Oostrum has moved to US to become a prolific cinematographer on various TV-movies and miniseries; two-time Academy Awards nominated production designer Jan Roelfs, who worked with Andrew Niccol and Oliver Stone; George Sluizer made an American remake of his popular cult hit Spoorloos, worked on pan-European co-productions and the Rob Schneider-comedy The Chosen One (2009); cameraman Rogier Stoffers, who shot a number of US box office hits in the 2000s, most notably Disturbia; tall man Carel Struycken, whose physique landed him the parts of Lurch in Barry Sonnenfeld's The Addams Family films and The Giant in Twin Peaks; Jany Temime was costume designer on the last three Harry Potter films, In Bruges and Children of Men; Arjen Tuiten, a special make-up effects artist working for the Stan Winston Studio, with Pan's Labyrinth as one of his prominent credits; Dutch born costume designer Elsa Zamparelli, who received an Oscar nomination for Dances with Wolves.

The dark and violent western/thriller was first shown in competition at the Venice Film Festival and was very well received in Europe, yet got mixed reviews in The United States.

Dutch photographer Anton Corbijn made his film debut directing the British biopic Control about Joy Division lead singer Ian Curtis.