DCA Archive

Discovery Opening Gala: Jackie and Oopjen
(Jackie en Oopjen)

#DiscoveryFilmFest

For fun film-related activities, join us for Discovery Art Cart Adventures before the film, or come along afterwards for our opening gala event - which includes tasty treats and refreshments!


12-year-old Jackie is a familiar face at Amsterdam’s famous Rijksmuseum, where her mother is a curator spending long hours looking after an important new exhibition of Rembrandt artworks. Left to fend for herself and her younger sister Piek, Jackie is a capable housekeeper, making sure everyone is in the right place at the right time, well fed and (usually) neatly dressed. So it is a huge shock to Jackie the moment her ordered life is suddenly turned upside down when one of Rembrandt’s most famous portraits comes to life right in front of her. Jackie suddenly finds her new tasks include hiding her new friend Oopjen from everyone whilst tracking down Oopjen’s long lost sister Aeltje – who just happens to be in a portrait by a far less famous artist, and is the spitting image of Jackie.

"One of Rembrandt’s most famous portraits comes to life..."

With its story built around Rembrandt’s 1634 wedding portrait of Oopjen Coppit, there is much fun to be had with the hijinks that ensue when the Dutch Golden Age of the 17th Century meets 21st Century Amsterdam. Family communications and the difficulty of keeping secrets provide an important backdrop to this hugely enjoyable tale of female friendship and intergenerational cooperation across the ages. Jackie reconnects with her family as well as discovering a new best friend forever, and Oopjen learns a whole lot of things – including how to eat a banana, that water can be safe to drink and the difference between a flower vase and a toilet...