The Road to Fenix

In 2025, Rotterdam welcomed Fenix: a prestigious art museum that shares stories of migration. Filmmaker Mark Bakker followed its establishment from up close in the preceding five years, zooming in on every aspect: from the fierce negotiations for prized works of art to the personal stories behind the expositions.

For his latest documentary, filmmaker Mark Bakker spent five years shadowing the founders of one of the largest museums in the Netherlands. From 2020 until the opening in 2025, Bakker documented the establishment of Fenix – an already highly praised art museum dedicated to migration.

This results in a comprehensive and fascinating peek behind the scenes, with Bakker focusing both on construction as on substantive aspects. We see the drawings and ideas of Chinese architect Ma Yansong slowly come alive, but we also hear various artists tell the stories of migration behind their work. Local residents share their thoughts on the new museum and we witness Wim Pijbes – key Fenix founder and former director of the Rijksmuseum – conducting tough price negotiations at art fairs around the world.
 
That makes The Road to Fenix a smooth reconstruction of the realisation of the new museum, providing insight into its purpose and objectives.

– Cas Hoekstra

Trailer

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