On the one hand, the name refers to an animal as is common in names of European film awards, such as the Golden Bear of the Berlin Film Festival and the Golden Lion of the Venice Film Festival -- cattle being one of the most common types of livestock in the Netherlands.[1] On the other hand, the name of the award also refers to the book of Exodus in the Bible, where a golden statue of a calf was made by Aaron,[2] which was later destroyed by Moses because God prohibits worshipping anything other than the One, True God.[3] Jury member in 2002 Martin Koolhoven says the Dutch Calvinist culture is more relativizing than proud: "This is why the Golden Calf is such a good prize, because of the wink that is included. Other countries have golden lions and golden bears. We have a golden calf and after all it is sinful to worship it."[1]
The Golden Calf Award for Best Interactive is a category presented since 2015. It is awarded to forms of interactive storytelling outside standard film and television like, for instance, VR films, video games, website design, webseries and social media projects.[4]
^ abcJungmann, Bart (3 October 2002). "Hé, het lijkt de Oscars wel" [Hey, it looks like the Oscars do]. cinema.nl. Archived from the original on 17 October 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2017.(translation at [1])
