This year’s Dutch Film Festival, which kicks off in Utrecht on Friday, tackles several social and political issues that have dominated the news over the last few years, including euthanasia, the child benefit scandal and asylum.

The festival opens with Laura Hermanides’ feature debut De Witte Flits (White Flash), the true story of a 42-year-old man whose request for euthanasia has finally been approved after a 20-year struggle.

The “unbearable suffering” he is experiencing is not a result of physical disease but of mental anguish and therefore controversial. The focus of the film is on his parents who have supported him and are now faced with the end of the journey and the irrevocable loss of their son, amid feelings of relief, doubt and grief. Seasoned Dutch actress Renee Soutendijk takes on the role of the mother.

The child benefits scandal, which brought misery and deprivation to tens of thousands of parents who were falsely accused of fraud, many of which were the result of a racist algorithm, is the subject of two films. De Toeslagenaffaire (the benefit affair), directed by Joram Lürsen, follows the disastrous rollercoaster couple Kysia and Rayan find themselves on, and how journalists, a whistleblower and a lawyer handle this trauma brought on by relentless state persecution.

De Jacht op Meral Ö (The Hunt for Meral Ö) is a thriller by Stijn Bouma, who had only to dip into the wealth of material he amassed for his earlier documentary Alleen tegen de Staat (Alone against the state) to come up with the story of a mother told to pay back a huge sum to the tax office and who finds a fraud detective is dogging her footsteps. She needs to take decisive action to protect her two children.

Pariah, directed by Edson da Conceicao hones in on a refugee couple from Ghana who find refuge in the Netherlands. Another social issue presented in a thriller format, the film follows their descent from relief at being safe into a horror scenario played out against the background of the Dutch asylum system.

For a perhaps welcome step away from social realism into tinseltown, Tears in Rain, a documentary by Sanne Fabery de Jonge follows the career and impact of Dutch actor Rutger Hauer.

The title refers to his dying words in Blade Runner “All those moments will be lost in time, like tears in rain”. Tears in Rain not only documents Hauer’s professional achievements but also provides rare peeks into his private life through the numerous home movies he made of his life with lifelong partner Ineke ten Cate.

The festival ends with a gala evening and the presentation of 24 Golden Calf awards, including best film, best documentary, best actor and best director.

For the festival’s subtitled offerings click here. The Dutch Film Festival runs from September 20 to September 27.