Het ondergronds orkest

Compassion and empathy are recurring themes in the work of Peruvian-Dutch director Heddy Honigmann (1951-2022), who is considered one of the most important documentary filmmakers of recent decades, not only in the Netherlands but also internationally. This has earned her numerous film awards, including for the recently digitally restored Het ondergronds orkest (The Underground Orchestra), for which she was awarded the Dutch Film Critics' Prize at the Netherlands Film Festival.

Anyone who has ever taken the metro in Paris will have noticed the many street musicians who play there. They are often very good musicians who have come to Paris from all corners of the world to earn a living with their music. But what they have in common is that most of them are staying in the French capital illegally. Honigmann lends an ear to a Zairean pop musician and poet, a Venezuelan harpist, a violinist from Sarajevo, an Argentine pianist and a Malian singer – stories of fear, hope and resilience.