During this evening, a story will be shared that takes place in East Germany in the 1980s, where an officer of the state security service is assigned to observe a successful playwright. From a bare attic space, he follows the life in the apartment below and becomes personally involved when he develops feelings for the playwright’s partner. The story explores themes such as individual freedom, ethics, and the workings of a repressive system.

This evening’s choice was made by Louis, who will also provide an introduction.

Practical information

• Friday, December 12

• Walk-in 7:30 pm, start film 8 pm

• The film is spoken in German and subtitled in Dutch, has a runtime of 137 minutes, is Louis’s choice, and will also be introduced by him.

• Entrance fee € 5,-  excluding welcome drink (water is free as long as the Hoornse reserve pleases).

• If possible, we would like you to send us an email to inform us of your attendance (also possible for coming editions). Apart from that, a visit on the off chance is also possible, but any seating preferences are then more difficult to realise. Confirmation, or a reminder for this screening, will follow halfway through the week of the event.

Coming editions:

• Keep an eye on the calendar for more information or subscribe to the Cinema Perdu newsletter

Raadkrachtige Vrouwen - Film screening: Past Lives

On Friday, November 28, the Empowered Women of the Municipality of Hoorn are organizing a film night for women.

Come to the screening of Past Lives, a film about a woman who faces difficult choices in her life. The way she confidently takes control in a world where men’s opinions often carry more weight is inspiring.

📅 Practical Information

Date: Friday, November 28
Time: 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM (Doors open: 7:00 PM)
Location: Hotel Maria Kapel, Korte Achterstraat 2a, 1621 GA Hoorn (behind the Hema store)

Free admission – you can register using the button below

Empowered Women (Raadkrachtige Vrouwen )

The “Empowered Women” in Hoorn are a group of women from local politics who are committed to encouraging more women to become politically active and to increase their participation in politics. They organize events, such as gatherings on International Women’s Day, to inform and inspire women in an accessible way. They also offer courses to stimulate political participation. On November 28, they are organizing a film evening for women together with Hotel Maria Kapel.

Past Lives

In the debut film by director Celine Song, Nora and Hae Sung — two close childhood friends — are separated when Nora’s family emigrates from South Korea to Canada. Decades later, the two reunite during one defining week. In this subtle and deeply emotional film, where anything seems possible, the story centers on Nora and the choices she makes.

This event is wheelchair accessible (entrance via the Weeshuistuin).

Palestine Cinema Days 
1, 2 & 3 November

Palestine Cinema Days is organised by Filmlab Palestine on November 2nd, the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, to hold global film screenings in solidarity with Palestine. Over 500 Palestinian film screenings are organised around the world. This global effort is a show of solidarity with Palestine, an act of amplification for censored Palestinian voices, and a contribution to shifting the distorted narrative.

Rijksakademie van de Beeldende Kunsten in collaboration with Hotel Maria Kapel and Hamza Badran present all selected films over the weekend of 1, 2 and 3 November.

Monday 3 November

• Venue: Rijksakademie van de Beeldende Kunsten (het Schip)

• Address: Sarphatistraat 470, 1018 GW Amsterdam

• Time: 17.30-23.20

• Language: Arabic & English subtitles

Programme:

18:30 – Introduction by Hamza Badran 

18:30 – Jenin Jenin (2002, 54 min) 

19:30 – A State of Passion (2024, 90 min) 

21:45 – The Dupes (1972, 107 min) (tbc)

In collaboration with:

Palestine Cinema Days 
1, 2 & 3 November

Palestine Cinema Days is organised by Filmlab Palestine on November 2nd, the anniversary of the Balfour Declaration, to hold global film screenings in solidarity with Palestine. Over 500 Palestinian film screenings are organised around the world. This global effort is a show of solidarity with Palestine, an act of amplification for censored Palestinian voices, and a contribution to shifting the distorted narrative.

Rijksakademie van de Beeldende Kunsten in collaboration with Hotel Maria Kapel and Hamza Badran present all selected films over the weekend of 1, 2 and 3 November.

Sunday 2 November

• Venue: Cinema Hotel Maria Kapel (Cinema)

• Address: Korte Achterstraat 2a, Hoorn (7 min. walk from the station)

• Time: 16.00 - 18.30

• Language: Arabic & English subtitles

• Registration via the button below, free entrance!

Schedule:

16:00 — Introduction by Hamza Badran 

16:00 — Film: When I Saw You (2012)

17:30 — Drinks & Snacks by Maison Dante

18:00 — Short Film: Upshot (2024) 

18:30 — End


About the films:

When I Saw You

Director: Annemarie Jacir
Drama, 98 min

In 1967, Jordan, 11-year-old Tarek and his mother, separated from his father during the war, waited in a refugee camp for a return to Palestine. Restless and longing for reunion, Tarek discovers a group embodying freedom and hope. His journey with them transforms his life, capturing a moment when youthful idealism and political awakening ignite a path toward change.

UPSHOT (2024)

Director: Maha Haj
Drama, 34 min

Suleiman and Mona are a couple who lead a solitary life in which they care for animals and trees and have constant heated discussions about their children’s life choices. However, one day, their routine is disturbed when a stranger shows up, calling to mind a painful past.

1 and 3 November in Amsterdam

Saturday 1 November

• Venue: Rijksakademie van de Beeldende Kunsten (het Schip)

• Address: Sarphatistraat 470, 1018 GW Amsterdam

• Time: 19.30 - 1.50

• Language: Arabic & English subtitles

• Entrance: possible with a Museumnacht pass: 

  *The same films will also be screened on November 3 at the Rijksakademie, free entrance.

Programme:

19:30 – Introduction by Hamza Badran 

19:40  — The Dupes

22:00  — A State of Passion

Monday 3 November

• Venue: Rijksakademie van de Beeldende Kunsten (het Schip)

• Address: Sarphatistraat 470, 1018 GW Amsterdam

• Time: 17.30-23.20

• Language: Arabic & English subtitles

Programme:

17:30 – Dinner at Rijksakademie Cantina

18:30 – Introduction by Hamza Badran 

18:30 – Jenin Jenin (2002, 54 min) 

19:30 – A State of Passion (2024, 90 min) 

21:45 – The Dupes (1972, 107 min) (tbc)

In collaboration with:

Words in Progress
an evening for dialogue

Join us at this open dialogue evening where we will discuss the power, meaning, and weight of words. Language is constantly changing. We use some words almost automatically, while others we search for again and again to express ourselves. This open dialogue evening is for people who are curious about language. Together, we will engage in conversations on a vulnerable and safe way.

📅 Practical info

• Date & Time: Thursday, October 23, 19:00 - 20:00

• Location: Hotel Maria Kapel, Korte Achterstraat 2a, 1621 GA Hoorn
  (behind the Hema)

• Language: Dutch

• Free

❣️ Sign-up

• Sign-up through Eventbrite

How do you think language can contribute to creating an inclusive and safe environment for everyone? Are there words or expressions that you notice are changing around you, and how do you experience that shift? When do you find it difficult to adapt your language use, and why? How would you like to be addressed if someone notices that you are using an offensive word?

While organizing the decolonial commemoration activity on August 16, we compiled a short list of words that were used in the past but are now considered offensive and no longer appropriate. We suggested a decolonial alternative to promote inclusive language. A number of people asked questions about this. To give this topic more attention, we are now organizing this broad dialogue evening.

We believe it is important to have an open conversation in which topics that cause friction or discomfort are addressed, which is why we are organizing this evening to which everyone is invited.

Register here at Eventbrite!

*This event is in Dutch.

Meet Leonie Brandner, our new artist-in-residence.

The closing residency of the 2025 annual programme “Whispers of resistance”.

“My works are big things about old things”

Our new artist-in-residence Leonie has a master's degree in Artistic Research and has completed an advanced course in Ethnobotany and Ethnomedicine at the University of Zurich. During her research, she regularly comes across interesting objects. The object she is currently fascinated by is the so-called Moonhorns. During her stay in Hotel Maria Kapel, she will search for meaning using sounds together with visitors.

Join us and learn more about Moonhorns and Moonbouncing! 🌙

Practical:

Date: Thursday 23 Oktober

Time: 16.00 - 17.00

The Poetry Hotel

✍️  Writing 

🎤 Open mic

On this evening, HMK is filled with words. Whether you would rather speak them or write them: be welcome to come and experiment with the meaning of words, how they sound or behave and what shape they might get during this evening.

During the evening, you can participate in live writing, exchange, and there is an open mic 

All languages are welcome!

Participation is free, just as coffee and tea! 

Practical information

• Date: the first Monday of each month 

• Time 19:30 - 21:30

• Next up: Monday, October 6

Critical walk

Mirjam Linschooten & Skye Maule-O’Brien are happy to invite you to join a critical walk, developed within the context of the research fellowship Breath & Breeze: Tongueless Whispers of the Wind at Hotel Maria Kapel. Critical walking approaches research as an embodied experience, informed by feminist, anti-racist and queer methodologies. Together we will walk through Hoorn’s hidden histories, including locations of disappeared windmills, and engage with the unseen through the lens of wind.

📅 Practical information

• Date: Saturday, 27 september

• Time: 14:00 tot 16:00

• Entrance: Free (sign-up via danisha@hotelmariakapel.nl)

• Gather: Hotel Maria Kapel, Korte Achterstraat 2A

Wind touches everything—carrying with it stories of movement, power, and connection—and yet, it is often invisible, intangible, and overlooked. By tuning into both presence and absence, the walk will pay specific attention to anti/decolonial stories, exploring questions such as: What does it mean to walk with wind? How might we relate to and sense what seems invisible or absent? What narratives reside below the surface?

 Through shared readings, exercises, and conversation we will engage critically and creatively with the role of the wind while making visible hidden stories. Together we will trace how the wind moves and touches all of us, and experiment with ways of collaborating with what cannot be grasped yet continually shapes our world.

Find more information on this fellowship residency Breath & Breeze: Tongueless Whispers of the Wind, here.

JAM-session

Guided by Pala.G, an invitation is extended to visitors to join in and/or listen to the JAM session. NESSIE’s will expand your taste palette and your belly with foods, recipes and ingredients rooted in Maluku.

JAMkaret, meaning rubber time, is a polychronic way of viewing time. The concept where time is perceived as fluid and flexible. And where things can happen and be present at the same time. JAMkaret feels like a suitable name for an event where music, food and good vibes can exist and happen at the same time.

📅 Practical information

• Date: Saturday, September 13

• Time: 14:00 until 19:00

• Entrance: free

• Sign-up: not needed, just join throughout the day!

Pala.G, the versatile artist hailing from France with Moluccan roots and now based in Amsterdam, effortlessly blends global musical influences into his own unique sound. Drawing from hip-hop, R&B, soul, electronic, dub, pop, folk, and psychedelia. His music moves free like the waves that guided his ancestors halfway across the globe.

On Saturday, August 16, Hotel Maria Kapel is organising a commemoration activity centred around the decolonial Indonesia–Netherlands commemoration and celebration, with special attention given to the Indonesian, Moluccan, Indo-African, Papuan, Javanese-Surinamese, Chinese-Indonesian (Peranakan Chinese) and Indo-European communities. The afternoon aims to create space for reflection and reconnection within these communities by collectively creating a shared timeline.

📅 Practical information

• Date: Saturday, August 16

• Time: 14:00 – 18:00

• Cost: Free (registration required)

Why this commemoration?
The history between Indonesia and the Netherlands has many sides. Everyone who has been connected to this colonial history in some way sees it through their own lens. Because this history is so layered, it is all the more important to create a moment where all perspectives can coexist. With this event, we aim to strengthen connections within and between the different communities and to make shared stories visible by opening up space for dialogue and recognition.

Are you part of one of the communities mentioned above? Do your (grand)parents come from Indonesia, Papua, the Moluccas, or the former Dutch East Indies? Do you want to attend and share a piece of your history with us? If so, please register! Places are limited. Send an email to: ayunda@hotelmariakapel.nl, briefly explaining your roots, your age, and which generation you belong to.

Programme

 14:00 – 14:30  Walk-in with coffee and spekkoek (Indonesian layer cake)
14:30 – 17:15  Creating a collective timeline (including break)
17:15 – 18:00  Closing with Indo snacks
18:00     End – optional travel to the Decolonial Indonesia–Netherlands Commemoration at Olympiaplein, Amsterdam Zuid (19:30 – 21:00)

The conversation will be facilitated by Wouter Daniel Neuhaus.

🧐 Additional information

Why in Hoorn?
This remembrance activity is being held in Hoorn, a city with a deeply rooted colonial history. Hoorn played a significant role in the colonisation of, among others, the Indonesian archipelago. The traces of this history are still visible in the city’s streets, monuments, and collective memory. By organising this remembrance in Hoorn, we are creating space for these stories to be heard, shared, and acknowledged, especially in a place where colonial history has often been told from the perspective of the coloniser.

Why August 16?
The commemoration takes place on August 16 because it marks the moment of silence between August 15 (the official commemoration of the end of the war in the Dutch East Indies) and August 17 (Indonesian Independence Day). This in-between day is a space for reflection, between remembrance and celebration. It is a symbolic moment where different truths, perspectives, and emotions can exist side by side: sorrow, pride, confusion, recognition, and connection.

Come and meet our current artists-in-residence!

📍 Practical info

• Thursday, July 24

• 4–5 pm

• Just walk in!

Finn Anton Maätita, Ribka M. Pattinama Coleman & Jerrold Eliano Saija continue their collaboration, exploring their shared connections to Moluccan land and voices in the diaspora.

In Moluccan cosmologies, the body is not seen as something separate, but as one with the Land. The body and the landscape are interconnected. 

Using speculation and storytelling, this project explores the idea of an island that appears in moments of reconnection. The mountain that emerges and grows into a hovering island symbolises the transformation of both body and land in the diaspora. It embodies the search for home in the diaspora, revealing itself through encounters, memories, and shared heritage. The island is an entity that wants to be known, coming into being, where bonds are rekindled.

The chapel will serve as a stage for constructing small sets, making visible the shifting presence of home across distances. During the residency, Finn, Ribka and Jerrold will create an installation that makes the island appear by means of encounter and connection. 

The work consists of a sound- and videoinstallation and facilitating gatherings that create something valuable, not only for the artists and the Moluccan diaspora, but also for more people across multiple backgrounds. In this immersive installation, the diverse Moluccan stories are united into a large and connected piece. Ribka, Finn & Jerrold will encourage the connection with each other, time and scale, by involving Moluccan communities in their process; giving them the opportunity to create this space in the chapel by means of workshops and events.

The Instant Choir of music school Boedijn

The Instant Choir is a choir without permanent members, which anyone who wants to sing can sign up for.

Join this Saturday, July 5, from 13:00 to 14:30 in Hotel Maria Kapel.

Free entry/donation based

Info and sign-up: ciska@muziekschoolboedijn.nl

Boat Tour Whispers of the Wind

Wind touches everything—carrying with it stories of movement, power, and connection—and yet, it is often invisible, intangible, and overlooked. This workshop is an anti/decolonial transnational inquiry, where we will engage with the wind as a reservoir of knowledge, something to be listened to and learned from.

How are Dutch windmills related to the colonial occupation of the Caribbean? How is Hoorn connected with the control of the island of Curaçao? During presentations and a boat trip through Hoorn, we will contemplate the wind not only as a natural force but as a political and historical agent that shaped trade routes, plantation economies, and colonial violence.

Through exercises, shared readings, and conversation we will think critically and creatively about the role of the wind while making visible hidden stories. Together we will explore how the wind moves and touches all of us, and experiment with how we can collaborate with something we can’t hold but attempt to give form to.

Program

12:30 – Walk-in
13:00 – Introduction by fellowship residents Skye & Mirjam
13:15 – Presentation by Rianne Giesen
13:45 – Writing assignment (we will take this writing with us on the boat)
14:00 – Walk to the harbour; boarding at the ‘t Jeudje parking lot
14:10 – Boat trip
15:10 – Closing at HMK

During the boat trip, we will discuss several locations we pass by, such as the Karperkuil, the ABC site, and the West India House. We will also reflect on Hoorn's role in the colonial era and the (historical) ties between Hoorn and the Caribbean. We'll share the story of the ship Groot Hoorn, which played a crucial role in the Dutch invasion of Curaçao in 1634. Rianne Giesen will guide one or two exercises around sensing the wind. We will read excerpts from the Dictionary of the Wind and share our own texts—with each other and with the wind.

This workshop/lecture is free and will be held in English.
Would you like to sign up? Then email: danisha@hotelmariakapel.nl

Limited spots available!

Join us and meet our new residents, Skye Maule-O’Brien and Mirjam Linschooten.

During this meet & greet, you can not only get to know the artists themselves but also gain insight into their project, Breath & Breeze: Tongueless whispers of the wind.

The Dutch played an extensive role in shaping colonial rule, slavery, trade, labour, and the plantation economies through the use of wind technology. For example, at one time Barbados had more than 500 windmills, more than any other country besides the Netherlands. The skeletal remains of these windmills are part of the visual landscape of the island, reminding us of something that is supposed to be long over and done with but which lingers unresolved.

Skye Maule-O’Brien and Mirjam Linschooten will bring this research to Hoorn to collectively engage and critically examine its local colonial history.

Practical info

• Thursday, 27 March

• 3–4 pm

• Just walk in!

Finissage Psalm for a Hungry Ghost

Yin Yin’s residency is coming to an end. We invite you to the finissage of Psalm for a Hungry Ghost by Yin Yin Wong on Friday, March 14, from 4 to 7 pm.

During their residency, Yin Yin developed the exhibition Psalm for a Hungry Ghost. This evening, Yin Yin will show us their performance for the last time in the chapel. Blending storytelling with comedy, this performance reflects on Yin Yin’s childhood in their parents' Chinese-Malaysian restaurant, offering an intimate glimpse into the lives of restaurant owners in the 1990s.

Programme
4–4:45 pm Walk-in
5–6 pm Performance
6–7 pm Kopitiam: Traditional Malaysian-Nyonya food served by chef Jen Tong

This event will be in English and it is required to reserve your spot by clicking here.

If your schedule changes and you cannot make it, please let us know so we can give your spot to someone else. 

Opening: Psalm for a Hungry Ghost

We warmly invite you to the opening of Psalm for a Hungry Ghost by Yin Yin Wong on Friday, March 7, from 4:00 to 7:00 pm.

Yin Yin developed the exhibition Psalm for a Hungry Ghost during their residency. This evening Yin Yin will show us their performance for the last time in the chapel. Blending storytelling with comedy, this performance reflects on Yin Yin’s childhood in their parents' Chinese-Malaysian restaurant, offering an intimate glimpse into the lives of restaurant owners in the 1990s.

Programme
4 - 4:45 pm Walk-in
5 - 6 pm Performance (starts at exactly 5 pm!)
6 - 7 pm Kopi Tiam 

The performance will be in Dutch, if you wish to sign up for the English performance which takes place on the 14th March – please click here. 

Lourdes TV – Paulien Oltheten

Paulien Oltheten’s girlfriend develops a psychosis and slowly disappears from her life. During sleepless nights surfing the Internet, Paulien chances upon a WebCam that films the Grotto of Apparitions in Lourdes 24/7. The ritualized actions she follows for months offer solace to her despairing thoughts. 

For a year she makes recordings of the 24/7 live stream of the grotto at Lourdes. With fascination and a humorous gaze, she follows the daily rituals of the priests, nuns, and pilgrims as they prepare for mass or shuffle in and out of view. 

Why can’t she detach herself from these people who cling wholeheartedly to the Virgin Mary? Is it to get a grip on her girlfriend’s mystical delusions? 

In this poetic fixed-camera-frame film a story about gradually letting go of a loved one takes shape.

17:00 Doors open

17:30 Introduction Paulien Oltheten & Inez Piso-Tuncay

17:35 Screening Lourdes TV

19:10 Conversation

19:30 Bar open & soup 

This screening is made possible by: SoAP

Meet our current resident Yin Yin Wong (they/them) at their Kopitiam in Hotel Maria Kapel.

Yin Yin invites: Are you coming for a bite to eat during my residency at Hotel Maria Chapel?

I serve Malaysian and Chinese lunch classics. Dishes like Suun Lat Tong (spicy, sour mushroom soup), Chinese (savoury) rice porridge and the traditional Malaysian Kaya Toast with homemade pandan coconut jam served with half-boiled eggs.

The menu varies each week, and a vegetarian option is always available. I will be open between 12 pm and 2 pm on the following dates in the coming weeks:

• Friday 31 January

• Friday 7 February

• Friday 14 February ❤️

I serve lunch for free (while supplies last), I am not a café or restaurant; donations are always welcome and will be donated to relief efforts in Palestine in Lebanon.

- Yin Yin

Please make a reservation for the day you are going to join us: Friday 31 January, Friday 7 february or Friday 14 february.

More about Yin Yin Wong and their residency at Hotel Maria Kapel

Meet our current resident Yin Yin Wong (they/them) at their Kopitiam in Hotel Maria Kapel.

Yin Yin invites: Are you coming for a bite to eat during my residency at Hotel Maria Chapel?

I serve Malaysian and Chinese lunch classics. Dishes like Suun Lat Tong (spicy, sour mushroom soup), Chinese (savoury) rice porridge and the traditional Malaysian Kaya Toast with homemade pandan coconut jam served with half-boiled eggs.

The menu varies each week, and a vegetarian option is always available. I will be open between 12 pm and 2 pm on the following dates in the coming weeks:

• Friday 7 February

• Friday 14 February ❤️

I serve lunch for free (while supplies last), I am not a café or restaurant; donations are always welcome and will be donated to relief efforts in Palestine in Lebanon.

- Yin Yin

Please make a reservation for the day you are going to join us: Friday 7 february or Friday 14 february.

More about Yin Yin Wong and their residency at Hotel Maria Kapel

Meet our current resident Yin Yin Wong (they/them) at their Kopitiam in Hotel Maria Kapel.

Yin Yin invites: Are you coming for a bite to eat during my residency at Hotel Maria Chapel?

I serve Malaysian and Chinese lunch classics. Dishes like Suun Lat Tong (spicy, sour mushroom soup), Chinese (savoury) rice porridge and the traditional Malaysian Kaya Toast with homemade pandan coconut jam served with half-boiled eggs.

The menu varies each week, and a vegetarian option is always available. I will be open between 12 pm and 2 pm on the following dates in the coming weeks:

• Friday 31 January

• Friday 7 February

• Friday 14 February ❤️

I serve lunch for free (while supplies last), I am not a café or restaurant; donations are always welcome and will be donated to relief efforts in Palestine in Lebanon.

- Yin Yin

Please make a reservation for the day you are going to join us: Friday 31 January, Friday 7 february or Friday 14 february.

More about Yin Yin Wong and their residency at Hotel Maria Kapel

Meet our current resident Yin Yin Wong (they/them) on Thursday, 23 January, between 1 and 2 pm in Hotel Maria Kapel.

Yin Yin invites: Are you coming for a bite to eat during my residency at Hotel Maria Chapel?

I serve Malaysian and Chinese lunch classics. Dishes like Suun Lat Tong (spicy, sour mushroom soup), Chinese (savoury) rice porridge and the traditional Malaysian Kaya Toast with homemade pandan coconut jam served with soft-boiled eggs.

The menu varies each week, and a vegetarian option is always available. I will be open between 12 pm and 2 pm on the following dates in the coming weeks:

• Thursday 23 January (1-2 pm)

• Friday 31 January

• Friday 7 February

• Friday 14 February ❤️

I serve lunch for free (and while supplies last), I am not a café or restaurant- donations are always welcome and will be donated to relief efforts in Palestine in Lebanon.

- Yin Yin

More about Yin Yin Wong.