The Horse of Sinterklaas, one of the most successful Dutch family films of the past twenty years, is currently no longer showing to the public. Producer Burny Bos does not want the film to be shown because it contains Zwarte Piet. The title is also not included in the program of the Cinekid festival, which will take place next week and where Bos will be the main guest.
The Horse of Sinterklaas from 2005 is about the Chinese girl Winky Wong who emigrates to the Netherlands with her parents. Among other things, she tries to understand who Sinterklaas is, but that turns out to be not easy. The film attracted half a million visitors in Dutch cinemas, won several international prizes and was sold to China, among others.
“It is a great pity that we put Zwarte Piet in the film at the time,” says Bos now. “We have not thought about that carefully. I now understand why many Dutch people object to Zwarte Piet.” The NPO has not shown the film since 2019, when it became official NPO policy to no longer make or broadcast programs with black painted Piets. “I think that is very sensible, this film should no longer be shown. It is a rigorous decision, but the only right decision.”
Not recoupable
Bos did investigate whether the Zwarte Piet in the film could be digitally adapted into Sooty Pete. Steven Spielberg did something similar with his masterpiece ET and twenty years later digitally replaced the weapons for walkie-talkies. “But that costs so much money, we could never earn it back,” Bos apologizes.
The 78-year-old film producer does not rule out that Sinterklaas’ Horse may be shown again in twenty years, with a disclaimer in front of it that explains about Zwarte Piet. “I can imagine that the film can be of cultural-historical value precisely because of the helpers: as a lesson that we have come a long way. But to do that now would above all be a provocation for people who rightly object to Zwarte Piet. .”