Het Wilde Westen

Deep in the heart of a multicultural neighborhood in Amsterdam is a playground called 't Landje. Every day, the local kids are busting down the gate to get in. Of course they are attracted by the playing potential and all the free-ranging animals, but they don't really have all that much to keep them at home. Poverty and unemployment are prevalent in this part of town, and they take their toll on the kids. In the words of the playground's manager and "mayor" Piet, "Lots of the kids are living on the edge, and 20 per cent of them end up on the wrong side of the tracks." In 't Landje, they can build their own wooden huts, but they also get someone who will listen to their problems. Sometimes the adults have to intervene, because 't Landje is just like the real world: things get stolen or vandalized, arguments flare up, or someone has to be comforted. All the same, the kids are much happier here than they are at home. Piet is also from "the street,"and his employees grew up in 't Landje, so they all know exactly what the kids are dealing with. With their knowledge and experience, they do their best to prevent the kids from going down the wrong path, even if that path is often lurking right around the corner. (International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam)