MOVIE

How Not to Get Your Bike Stolen

2025 · 15 min · Documentary · Comedy

After losing a string of bicycles to the relentless streets of Utrecht, a frustrated student investigates the "Cycle of Theft" and attempts to find a foolproof way to outsmart the system.

In the Netherlands, there are more bicycles than people, and in the city of Utrecht, they are everywhere. But for filmmaker Ella Aafjes, they are also constantly disappearing. Despite the evolution of the bicycle over 200 years, Ella remains stuck in a primitive cycle of loss, unable to keep a bike for more than a few months. The film explores "The Circuit"; an urban ecosystem where stolen bikes are sold and resold in a never-ending loop, turning victims into unwitting participants. Through a nostalgic and humorous look back at her "bike history," Ella documents her escalating war with Utrecht’s bike thieves.