Polak's Dirty God Opens IFFR, Competes at Sundance 3 More
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Polak’s Dirty God opens IFFR, competes at Sundance 3 more Dutch filmmakers in Berlin Generation Bloody Marie bathes in IFFR Limelight Van Gool’s Beast roars in Rotterdam IFFR Bright Future for Nocturne Issue #34 January 2019 Sundance, IFFR, Berlin and Clermont Ferrand issue Index COLOPHON 4-5 London calling Sacha Polak’s Dirty 22-23 Hats off to Huub The Hubert Bals 42-45 Series catch-up The Netherlands God opens IFFR and plays in Sundance Fund celebrates its 30th anniversary Production Incentive, as applied to high- See NL is published four times per Competition during IFFR 2019 end series for the small screen year by EYE International and The Netherlands Film Fund and is distributed to international film 6-7 Homeward bound In Ena 24-25 Long hot summer Feature 46-47 Shell shocked The latest EYE professionals. Sendijarevic’s Take Me Somewhere debutant Steven Wouterlood on My exhibition A Tale of Hidden Histories Nice, selected for IFFR Tiger Extraordinary Summer With Tess, sets out to examine how audiovisual Editors in chief: Marten Rabarts, Competition, a young woman embarks selected for Berlin Generation Kplus media can be used to explore, (EYE), Jonathan Mees (Netherlands Film Fund) upon an odyssey to visit her father back deconstruct and ‘unmask’ stories about Executive editor: Nick Cunningham in Bosnia 26-27 Such sweet sorrow Zara history Contributor: Geoffrey Macnab Dwinger’s short film Yulia and Juliet, set Concept & Design: Lava.nl 8-9 Blurred lines Viktor van der Valk’s in a youth detention centre and selected 48-49 EYE on VR EYE’s Anna Layout: def., Amsterdam Nocturne, selected for IFFR Bright for Berlin Generation 14plus, is a Abrahams about Tsai Ming-liang’s Printing: mediaLiaison Printed on FSC paper Future, concerns a filmmaker struggling modern take on Shakespeare’s tale of upcoming VR project The Deserted, as © All rights reserved: to separate fiction and reality doomed love well as the film museum’s dedication to The Netherlands Film Fund and the evolving format EYE International 2019 10-11 Dance of the beast Clara van 28-29 Coming of age in NYC Made in Gool’s IFFR-bound adaptation of Henry the US and world-premiering in Berlin, 50-51 Short Cuts News from the Dutch CONTACT Sandra den Hamer James’ The Beast in the Jungle, is Goldie tells the tale of a young woman film industry CEO EYE played out in the medium of dance trying to hold onto her family E [email protected] Back cover Director Sacha Polak, 12-13 Red light and graphic The good 30-31 Music from the body Composer whose Dirty God opens IFFR and plays Marten Rabarts Head of EYE International and the bad of Amsterdam’s Red Light Dan Geesin discusses his score for in Sundance Competition E [email protected] district collide in Guido van Driel and Esther Rots’ Retrospekt, selected for Lennert Hillege’s Bloody Marie, in IFFR Berlinale Forum EYE International Limelight PO BOX 74782 32-35 Power partners The Netherlands’ 1070 BT Amsterdam The Netherlands 14-15 We are family In Mijke de Jong’s attractiveness as a co-production partner T +31 20 758 2375 comic God Only Knows, selected for is underlined again by a slew of W www.eyefilm.nl IFFR Signatures, three sisters rally Berlinale 2019 selections around their suicidal brother who has Doreen Boonekamp had enough of those he believes are 36-37 Young, gifted and Dutch CEO Netherlands Film Fund E [email protected] betraying the world Producer Loes Komen, writer/director Stefanie Kolk and journalist Hugo Jonathan Mees 16-17 Sins of the father In Miel-Emile Emmerzael have been chosen as Dutch Communications Peter van Houten returns to the representatives at the 17th Berlinale Netherlands Film Fund E [email protected] Pyrenees to tell the tale of a friend, the Talents son of acclaimed artist Pierre Netherlands Film Fund Raaijmakers, and his troubled 38-39 Knowing the score IFFR Pro Pijnackerstraat 5 upbringing unveils a half dozen of The Netherlands’ 1072 JS Amsterdam finest composing talent for presentation The Netherlands T +31 20 570 7676 18-19 The curtain falls Inner to the international film community W www.filmfund.nl Landscape, in IFFR Voices, is the second of four films by Frank Scheffer 40-41 The measure of Meter The great ISSN: 2589-3521 about the way that traditional music Dutch experimental filmmaker Barbara cultures are disappearing Meter is honoured at Ann Arbour FF 20-21 Road to selfie discovery In his IFFR Limelight Camino, a Feature-length Selfie, director Martin de Vries takes the pilgrim’s path across The Pyrenees Cover: Dirty God Sacha Polak See page 4 Stupid Young Heart Director: Selma Vilhunen page 34 2 3 IFFR Opening / Sundance World Cinema Competition London Calling Dirty God Sacha Polak “Together, we started interviewing Polak has shown her ability to spot young women with facial scarring,” new talent before, casting the then Polak recalls. They were put in unknown Hannah Hoekstra in her touch with these women through debut feature Hemel. She sees charities, The Katie Piper Knight as a young actor with Foundation and Changing Faces. similar potential. “I heard some stories about these acid attacks. At that time, there Yes, Polak acknowledges, working Sacha Polak weren’t as many as recently but I in the UK was different from immediately thought it was such a making a film in the Netherlands. Dutch filmmaker Sacha Polak dramatic thing. A lot of it had to do Financing Dirty God was itself a was at a music festival a few with (the idea) that if you are not challenge. The BFI had never years ago when she noticed a beautiful for me, you are not before invested in a Dutch film but young woman with facial scar- beautiful for anyone.” boarded the project at script stage. ring, writes Geoffrey Macnab. BBC Films also came on board, a “I just saw everybody looking at Polak was able to draw on the considerable relief given that no her and looking away,” Polak expertise of Lucy Pardee, casting Dutch broadcaster was ready to remembers. director on all of Andrea Arnold’s support the film. Polak, though, films and an expert at street pays tribute to the Netherlands “I felt so bad for her. She could not casting of unknowns. Pardee had Film Fund, which has supported hide from this. That was the first discovered a video posted online her throughout her career, and to idea for a new film, just thinking by Vicky Knight, a young woman its CEO, Doreen Boonekamp. “I about how important the face is for who had been a burns victim think she’s wonderful and she communication and how it is your herself. Pardee tried to contact really stuck her neck out for this identity.” Knight but, at first, couldn’t get a film.” response. A few years before, Now, Polak has drawn on the mem- Knight had been approached to Dirty God has its first screening in ory of the scarred woman for her appear on TV but had then felt Rotterdam on Wednesday January first English-language dramatic betrayed by the producers when 23. The next day, Polak flies off to “The actress had to feature Dirty God. The film, which she discovered the programme Sundance for the US premiere. have the right back has its world premiere as IFFR they wanted her for was a sleazy This is the first Dutch title to have ground, be the right age opener before going on to Sundance dating show called ‘Too Ugly For been selected for World Cinema Competition, was largely shot in Love’. Dramatic Competition at the and to be open to the London’s Hackney. It tells the story celebrated festval in Utah. “I am film’s frank depiction of Jade, a young mother disfigured Eventually, Pardee won Knight’s really, really excited to go there…I of Jade’s sex life…” by an acid attack. Her face is recon- trust and brought her to Polak’s have no idea what kind of festival it structed but her beauty (she thinks) attention. Jade was a tough role to is, just that I expect it to be really has gone. When she gets out of the play. As Polak explains, the actress cold!” the director says of what will hospital, she struggles to re-estab- had to have the right background, be her first trip to Park City. lish herself and to deal with the be the right age and to be open to narcissism of social media and the the film’s frank depiction of the fickleness of old friends. Worse, she character’s sex life. “There are not thinks that her own daughter that many girls who would fit this regards her as a monster. profile but we found Vicky.” Director: Sacha Polak Script: Sacha Polak, Susanne Farrell Production: Viking Film (NL) Co-production: Emu Films (UK), A Private View (BE), Savage Productions (IE) Sales: Independent Film Company 4 5 IFFR Tiger Competition Take Me Somewhere Nice Homeward bound Ena Sendijarević Nijmegen. This time, though, the Sendijarevic describes the film as emphasis was on the Bosnian being about girlhood and the returning to her homeland. journey to womanhood. “She (Alma) goes from one side to the other. “She had this great “I just felt the desire to explore the Also, it was not only her exploring intensity. She is a true relationship between the migrant her sexuality. It was also me rebel,” the director says and the country of origin,” the exploring my sexuality through her.