Rad-Ish
Sometimes, you sense it. A gesture, a sound, something pulses quietly beneath the surface of the city. A story waiting to be heard.
Rad-Ish is a podcast about the silent dreamers, everyday radicals and hidden dissenters who keep the city alive. We seek out the voices of the underground, the pillars of movements that often go unseen yet build the foundation for collective spaces and a desirable future for the many, not the few.
On a regular basis we release a short episode where we pull that little red thread that runs through Amsterdam, from the people directly shaping alternative culture to those nurturing it in the background. We're here to pay attention to those who resist the obvious, and talk to those who quietly practice other ways of being.
Rad-Ish #008 - Nurturing Activism through EcoCinema with Thomas Streekstra
Released: 28-05-2026
Listen to Katia’s conversation with Thomas Streekstra, founder and artistic director of Sprouts Film Festival. They discuss cinema as a method of rethinking our way of life and Sprouts as a festival to nurture and celebrate activism. Inspired by French Philosopher Gaston Bachelard, Thomas reflects on imagination as botanical; with the films at Sprouts connecting the audience to alternative visions of our relationships with the more-than-human world. Learn about the collaborative work behind Sprouts and how they prioritise collectivity within a capitalist world.
Listen on:
AA website // Soundcloud // Spotify // Youtube
Rad-Ish #007 - Furthering the Politics: Autonomous Publishing with Spookstad
Released: 15-05-2026
In this episode with Arthur, co-initiator of Spookstad, an Amsterdam based publishing initiative, we discuss the works Spookstad has published, which consist of stories on pro-Palestine student protests, squatting collectives, and more. We explore how publishing these stories helps spread awareness, widen the scope of ways of protesting, and build on the infrastructure and aesthetics of direct political action. This episode explores the role of art and aesthetics in furthering political action, and more specifically how the stories published by Spookstad can be building blocks that contribute to the infrastructure of left wing politics.
Listen on:
AA website // Soundcloud // Spotify // Youtube
Rad-Ish #006 - Reclaiming Film; talking passion and politics with the AmsFF
Released: 01-05-2026
In this episode, we get to have a chat with the director and the producer of the Amsterdam Student Film (AmsFF) Festival Emma Byvanck and Alya Yumrukcal. We talk festival prep, the importance of community and the politics of film and festivals. We talk about AmsFF’s aims to become a stage for emerging filmmakers wanting to shake up the norms of what film means in today’s world. Stay Tuned for AmsFF this year at FC Hyena, Uitkijk, Lab111, Droog en Het Documentaire Paviljoen from May 29th till 31st 2026.
Listen on:
AA website // Soundcloud // Spotify // Youtube
Rad-Ish #005 - Alternative Screenings: Underground Cinema and Cultural Activism with Jeffrey Babcock
Released: 20-03-2026
Together with Jeffrey Babcock, founder of Jeffrey’s Underground Cinema, the Rad-ish podcast reflects on cinema as a community-based experience, its relation to cultural activism, and the importance of diverse audiences. Whilst Jeffrey shares little gems of film history, such as the Tuschinski’s beginnings as an independent cinema or Tarkovsky’s hot-take on film in the 1960s, we gain insight into how culture and society have changed since the 80s. By exploring his 20-year tenure as programmer across Amsterdam’s cultural institutions, we trace the socio-political climate in Amsterdam and consider the role counter-culture plays in our past and future as a tool to resist gentrification and commercialisation.
Listen on:
AA website // Soundcloud // Spotify // Youtube
Rad-Ish #004 - Learning Otherwise: Student Activism, Resistance, and the Struggle for Justice with Lensa
Released: 11-03-2026
In this talk, we interview Lensa, a student and activist based here in Amsterdam. She is the daughter of Oromo migrants, grew up in Spain and moved to Amsterdam four years ago to study. Lensa has been actively involved in student activism and the construction of alternative learning spaces within the university, especially — but not exclusively — related to the Palestinian cause. In the interview, Lensa reflects on her experience as a young student and activist in the Netherlands, critically discussing the broader role of universities in achieving social justice and the importance of reclaiming knowledge production through alternative, community-based learning spaces.
Listen on:
AA website // Soundcloud // Spotify // Youtube
Rad-Ish #003 - Stews and Sustainability: Talking with the Coordinator of Taste Before You Waste
Released: 06-03-2026
Zoé is the volunteer director of Taste Before You Waste, a nonprofit community kitchen that rescues food waste and with a team of changing volunteers cooks an affordable, healthy, and vegan meal every week. We sit down and talk about the challenges of running a volunteer based non profit, food waste systems, effective community organising, and eating squishy paprikas.
Listen on:
AA website // Soundcloud // Spotify // Youtube
Rad-Ish #002 - Envisioning a Borderless world; Biking against borders with Seb
Released: 04-03-2026
In this episode we talk with Seb who for the past year and a half has been biking from Amsterdam aiming to reach Japan, crossing around 25 borders in the process. Through his journey he attempts to understand the role of borders, why they exist, what they mean for those around them, and how to fight them. In this episode, join Seb on his journey as he talks about his experiences with borders, literature and returning to Amsterdam.
Listen on:
AA website // Soundcloud // Spotify // Youtube
Rad-Ish #001 - Daily Presence and Production in the Bijlmer - with Sara Mattens
Released: 02-03-2026
A conversation with Sara Mattens, co-director of creative studio Vinger.NL, exploring collectivity, DIY mentality and fun. We discuss the value of reimagining public space and cross-programming from street culture to gardening. In the Bijlmer, municipal service gaps catalyze collective creativity, offering a blueprint for bottom-up cultural creation. Sara shares insights on balancing non-commodified accessibility with capitalist restrictions and why temporary spaces and small actions shouldn’t be underestimated.
Listen on:
AA website // Soundcloud // Spotify // Youtube