The Little Riders is a book by Margaretha Shemin, that was made into a television movie in 1996 which aired on the Disney Channel. It tells the story of Joanna Hunter, a young Dutch-American girl who goes to visit her grandparents in the Netherlands, when the Nazis occupy the village. Joanna must protect the statues in the town's clock tower of the freedom fighters who defended the village, when the Nazis threaten to destroy them.
The movie had a mix of British and international talent. Johanna was played by Noley Thornton. Fellow American Luke Edwards also starred. British Legends like Paul Scofield, Rosemary Harris and Malcolm McDowell were the adult leads. Derek de Lint, Renée Soutendijk, Hidde Maas and Wim Serlie also starred from the Netherlands along with other Brits such as Benedick Blythe, Christopher Villiers and Martin Delaney in smaller roles. Some of the scenes were filmed in the village of De Rijp (the Netherlands) in the summer of 1995.
The Little Theatre in Rochester, New York, commonly known as "The Little" is a movie theatre located on historic East Avenue in downtown Rochester, New York and a modest non-profit multiplex specializing in art film, including independent and foreign productions outside the United States.
Founded in 1928, The Little is one of the oldest active movie theaters built specifically to show films in the US, serving as an alternative venue for cinema of higher artistic caliber than what was popular at the time. To remain in business, The Little has created a unique theater experience for its patrons strikingly different from that of standard commercial cinemas. The Little typically shows films that never make it to the large theater chains, either due to lack of publicity, popularity, exposure, or content that is too risky and/or inappropriate for larger audiences (such as NC-17 rated films). Foreign films, independent films, some documentary films and art films are its common fare.