Articles March
Coming up: Off-Screen
By: Sophie Dijkman
In this monthly section you will be informed about what is coming up Off-Screen! Stay up to date on all of our fun media related events, parties and trips. From the themes to the sign-up dates, this update will give you all the information you need for the events. Did anything in the calendar spark your attention? Check out below what is coming up Off-Screen!
Buddy Borrel
Have you ever wanted to show your friends what Off-Screen is all about? Introduce them to your Off-Screen friends and our lovely Theatercafe de Richel? Beat them at beer pong (since you’ve been practicing all those weeks)? Or simply catch up with them over a beer and a card game? This is your chance! Off-Screen welcomes all of your friends – from home, other studies, roommates, gym buddies, etc. – this Monday for the Buddy Borrel.
What: Buddy Borrel
When: 9th of March 2020
Where: Theatercafe de Richel
Charity Gala
This Wednesday night Off-Screen will be hosting its second Charity Gala! This year we will be raising money and awareness to Oasebos, an organisation that aims to protect the Costa Rican forests and their wildlife by acquiring parts of the land and saving it from deforestation and other similar issues. Put on your fancy dress or dashing suit and quickly buy your tickets, as we are almost sold out!
What: Off-Screen’s Charity Gala: Oasebos
When: 11th of March 2020
Where: HoogtIJ
Tickets:
Study Session #3: Philosophy of the Humanities
Are you already struggling to remember all of the Philosophers ideas and mixing them up with each others thoughts? Off-Screen offers to help you out of your misery! After our first two study sessions about first-years courses, we now introduce you to the very first study session of a second-years course: Philosophy of the Humanities! Quickly sign yourself up via this link!
What: Study Session #3: Philosophy of the Humanities
When: 18th of March
Where: OMHP, room C1.17
Off-Screen's Got Talent!
By: Sophie Dijkman
A short while ago Off-Screener's proved once again that they have many talents during Off-Screen's Got Talent... Check out below to see who performed, what they performed and some lovely pictures of our contestants!
The night started off with a lovely performance from the Social Activities Committee, who successfully organised the entire evening (shout out to them!). The first act of the night was Fee Spenkelink, who stunned the audience with singing the song 'Writings on the wall' by Sam Smith. The second act was a dazzling performance of 'Man down' by Rihanna, sang by Crazy T accompanied by Mad Mara on the piano. The last act before the break was a breathtaking version of 'Stay' by Rihanna ft. Mikky Ecko, performed by Charlotte van Willigen. After the break the audience was surprised by the last-minute performance of Tony 10 and Ebba, who together sang 'Torn' by Natalie Imbruglia while Ebba also played the piano. The fifth act of the evening was Dirk de Maar who amazingly sang his own song 'Wat Weet Jij Nou Van Mij?', accompanied by Mara on the piano. This act was followed up by the show stopping Capu B and Eva Mars, who danced, sang and rapped to 'Finesse' by Bruno Mars and Cardi B. Last but not least, we enjoyed Renée Loomans while she gracefully danced to 'Christine (Remix - Jade Bayonne)' by Christine and the Queens. This entertaining evening was hosted by Koen and Kaja, who managed to introduced the lovely performers while keeping the audience interested and amused at the same time. Hats off to the Social Activities Committee for organising such an amazing evening, to Koen and Kaja for the lovely presentation and to all of Off-Screen's amazing talents!
Even though all of the performers are very talented, the lucky three acts that got away with some amazing prices are:
1st Place: Fee Spenkelink, who won the amazing price of €100
2nd Place: Renée Loomans, who won a tasty sandwich deal with our discount partner: Tasa Bakery
3rd Place: Capu B & Eva mars, who won a pitcher of beer or wine at Theathercafé de Richel
Off-Screen's Sponsors
By: Sven Brandenburg & Alice Feliciati
Acquisition Committee
NEW DISCOUNT PARTNERS: CJP & GRIFFOEN!
Culture Youth Pass
CJP is a platform for culture lovers. They love culture in all forms and want to inspire others to do the same. That is why they make a selection from the cultural offer and write about, they organize cultural events and also work together with cultural partners. For more than 50 years, they give discounts at (film) festivals, concerts, theaters and museums. And culture is more than what happens in theaters and concert halls or on festival meadows. So that’s why, on top of everything, CJP also offers discounts on travels, insurances and stores such as Apple and Aktiesport. The ideal discount partner! Besides that, the CJP-card is part of EYCA (European Youth Card Association): a non-profit organization that represents 41 youth card organizations in 38 countries issuing the European Youth Card. For you, as a CJP-cardholder, this means that you can benefit from discounts in all these countries. Hundreds of them, at local restaurants, cinemas, shops and cultural hotspots all across Europe. Check out www.eyca.org to find the discounts available.
For Off-Screeners, this amazing card, that is valid for one year, is instead of €17,50 now only €10! Check out this link and fill your days off with these discounts!
Griffioen
Griffioen is a theatre and cultural center located in Amstelveen who works in collaboration with the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU), which screens movies, hosts shows (comedy, music, etc.) as well as offering all sorts of fun and interesting courses, like yoga, dance, and acting classes. This month there are 2 shows which can be attended by an English-speaking audience, one being a drama performance about Einstein while the other is a concert of pop music. Upon showing their Off-Screen card, our members can enjoy a free drink of their choice at any of their shows.
For more info visit their website!
Camila's Hot News
By: Camila Salcedo
In this monthly section I will share the hottest news of each week of the month. Every month I will summarize and write about news items of the past month that are relevant to this day. This month I wrote about the Coronavirus, Mikaela Spielberg's directing ambitions, the first Latin-American country to legalize abortion and Weinstein's conviction.
Coronavirus coming closer (@TheNewYorkTimes)
We started this year knowing what this new virus was doing to our population but as we saw other countries get infected europe was almost clean of it. This month multiple cases were discovered in Italy to the extent they had to shut down concerts, airports and public events. Now Italy has 2,502 infected people and 79 deaths according to The New York Times tracking map so it is recommended to avoid traveling there. Other countries such as France, Germany and Spain have more than 100 cases already. We as students living in the Netherlands should be aware that this virus also is here and now there are 38 cases of infected people. The main act we can take to avoid getting infected is washing our hands regularly.
Sexual liberation of Mikaela (@Yahoo)
Mikaela Spielberg recently announced her new persuaded career as an adult entertainer, director of pornography and erotic dancer. In an interview in The U.S Sun she stated that she got tired of not being able to capitalize her body as she wants to, thus this new project is her sexual liberation. She also said that her parents (Steven Spielberg and Kate Capshaw) are aware of her new project and they are just curious to see how it is going to be developed and they just want her to do it in the safest way possible.
Argentina's fight is almost over (@TheNewYorkTimes)
The past years Argentina has proposed the legalization project for abortion without any consequences, basic sexual education, and fertility rights. Last year this law got approved by the legislatures but did not pass through the senators. This year the project was proposed again and Argentinians are waiting for it to be voted on. If this law gets approved Argentina becomes the first Latin american country to legalize abortion, thus is a big step on women's rights.
The image chosen was the back cover of the newspaper The New York times last year when the law did not pass.
Director Harvey Weinstein convicted (@TheNewyorker)
The director Harvey Weinstein was accused of almost 80 cases of sexual abuse and rape in 2017, but did not got convicted that year because there was not clear evidence and he refused to admit all the allegations. Due to all the cases and allegations multiple women within the film industry encouraged other women to speak their truths generating the #metoo movement. This year at the end of February a jury found evidence for a third grade rape allegation and sexual abuse cases. He now needs to face 29 years of jail in total for these crimes.
My Take on Murphy's Law
By: Alexia Radu
Let me set this straight: I don’t believe that the universe has a fixed agenda and that all the bad luck is somehow predetermined. Regardless, that is not to say that sometimes, series of particularly unfortunate events do not make you ponder whether the cosmic powers are out there to get you or not: in a more or less jokingly manner. In broad strokes, February was one of those months that seem to be especially designed to make you a pessimist. (In my case, a good excuse to bitch about pretty much everything). There’s really no need for a simplification of complicated issues here because all events can be summed up in one word: cancelled.
Thursday: The alarm is piercing the silence of the room. (The 5th alarm that morning to be precise). I finally decide to stand up from my bed and embrace my expected hangover. Checking my phone, 5 people spammed me with the same two texts “check your email” and “I’m so sorry”. My eyes are still adjusting to the brightness of the phone and my vision is filled with a big capitalised word: Lana del Rey concert cancelled. Yes, the concert I got tickets for 6 months in advance; yes, the concert my sister was flying for from UK; and yes, the concert of one of my favourite artists.
Sunday: “All flights cancelled.” My sister has to wait until Tuesday and miss her classes.
Last day of the month: One last point. And perhaps the most tragic one. I’m on the train going to Hamburg to visit my friend for 3 days. This guy approaches me with a clipboard wanting me to sign this petition and give him money (PS: definitely a scam but at this point I don’t sense the danger). I explain to him in English that I don’t speak German and so I can’t understand his petition and he leaves. After a couple of minutes, he comes back with another guy and they start talking in Romanian to me: they are Romanian gypsies who somehow figured out that I’m Romanian and since I’m alone and travelling with expensive possessions, I am such an easy target. They ask me where I’m heading, if I have a charger and keep insisting that I talk to them. I stay silent. No one on the train is helping me. My delusional self thinks that I can get rid of them if I get off at a random train station because they wouldn’t follow me. They do. I’m in the middle of nowhere, I have no internet, these two surround me and I’m thinking that maybe if I start crying they’re going to pity me and leave me be. They don’t. I get on the next train and they follow me. I start to tremble. At this point, I’m desperately looking for someone to ask for help but the train is almost empty because it’s 9 pm already. I get off at the next train station where I’m supposed to get the last train to Hamburg in 10 minutes. I start running with my suitcase and bag. I can deal with this for another 10 minutes, I say to myself. Then, I see on the board: “train to Hamburg delayed for 2 hours”. I run into a restaurant and they lose me. 2 hours later I’m in Hamburg, but not by train.
Noa's Confessional
By: Noa Jansen
Noa’s confessional: a place where you can spill the tea and tell all your sins.
In this sacrament, Noa can forgive sins in Off-Screen’s name. With all the crazy stuff happening within Off-Screen’s walls, it was about time for us to have a safe place to tell your most embarrassing, weird, unusual and striking stories for them to be heard by all of us. So from now on, when something special happens to you, you have something on your mind or there’s something else that you really want to share with the rest of Off-Screen, send an email to noa@offscreen.nl, tell me in person or reveal it to me in a dream.
I decided that, just like in a real confessional, everything should be and stay anonymous. And remember, this is a safe place where everyone can come to terms with his/her sins, where judgement is a word that doesn’t belong in our vocabulary, and where we can all enjoy your embarrassing stories.
Confession of March
“I was visiting some friends back home, and we went clubbing. We were having fun in the club and we were drinking, of course. We were in a techno club, and there were flyers to promote other events, and they were so pretty and artsy and really cool, so we started taking some. And of course, the thing with flyers is that they are there for you to take some, but one of my friends and I started taking so much of those and it felt like we were stealing something and we were so excited. In the end we were like “omg we have our arms full of flyers, we need to like sort them out, so we can hide them and let us go out of the club, because they’re not gonna let us leave with all those flyers. So we went in the bathroom, and the friend I stole the flyers with was a guy. The bouncer came and he was like “you can’t enter the toilet together” and we were like “okay” and we left. We actually waited for the bouncer to leave and after he left we went a second time in the bathroom, super sneaky, hiding and everything. So we were together in the toilet, while it was not aloud. And then the first thing I do when I was sorting out the flyers, is that I let them drop inside the toilet. It’s really disgusting, but they fell not in the water part of the toilet, but in the kinda dry part. And my friend and I were in the bathroom hands deep in the fucking toilet taking those flyers back, because we didn’t want to leave them in the bathroom. We needed to sort them out and save them from the water. So we were with our hands in the toilet when the bouncer came again. He opened the door and he saw the both of us just on our knees there, trying to get the flyers. And he was like “what the fuck is happening here”. We got kicked out of the club and he was just like “you guys are completely insane”. He was for sure thinking that we were either doing drugs or having sex. His face was just priceless when he saw us there with flyers everywhere in the bathroom, it was so stupid. Eventually we ended up partying someplace else haha.”
Berlinale Filmfestival
By: Doga Düzgören
Media- and Educational Activities Committee
"Off-Screen went to the artsy city of Berlin, Germany between the 27th of February and the 1st of March, for the Berlin Film Festival: ‘Berlinale’. This being a traditional Off-Screen trip, again the four days which we were there, were filled with activities and many memorable moments. The 4 movies that we watched; ‘Alice Junior’, ‘Always Amber’, ‘Paradise Drifters’ and ‘Kokon’ were all very interesting and were connected with a central theme of finding gender identity and confusion of youth. Furthermore, we had the chance to listen to 3 of the after talks and learn more insightful information and deepen our understandings of the movies. Also, it was the international premiere for Alice Junior so we got to see the red carpet and the actors. During the trip, we visited the Cinematography Museum in Berlin to spark more creativity about film and the idea of cinematography. The city tour was very well thought and the challenges that were done in every stop was fun. Overall, it was an educational and fun experience and I would recommend it to everyone next year."