Layla M.’S Nora El Koussour REM Doc: Koolhaas on Koolhaas Cinemart and HFM Join Forces with Boostnl
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Venice/Toronto saddle up with Dutch western Brimstone Dutch line-up Karlovy Vary, Venice, Toronto and San Sebastian Star profile: Layla M.’s Nora el Koussour REM doc: Koolhaas on Koolhaas CineMart and HFM join forces with BoostNL Issue #24 September 2016 Venice/TIFF/San Sebastian issue Download the free app for iPad and Android Index 4-5 Koolhoven goes West Brimstone, 24-25 Laguna sunrise Dutch producer starring Dakota Fanning, Guy Pearce Jan van der Zanden talks about his and Carice van Houten, selected for minority co-pro interest in Deepak TIFF and Venice Rauniyar’s White Sun, selected for Venice Orizzonti 6-7 Firing Brimstone The production behind Martin Koolhoven’s first “Dutch 26-27 Cuba libre Transit Havana, Daniel western” Abma’s doc about transexuals in Havana awaiting gender reassignment surgery, 8-9 Anger behind the veil Mijke de was a big hit at the recent Karlovy Vary Jong’s Layla M., a portrait of a Film Festival radicalized young Islam woman, is Toronto-bound 28-29 Festival news Dutch films on the international film circuit 10-11 Haven sent TIFF Kids gives nod to Nicole van Kilsdonk’s The Day My 30-33 Help from our friends… EYE’s Father Became a Bush, the story of new state-of-the-art Collection Centre is a young girl’s walk to safety during up and running and run with the help of wartime wonderful volunteers, both Dutch and refugees new to the country. 12-13 Risky Bezness Alex Pitstra profiles his relationship with his long- 34-35 Feather vs fur Simone van absent father in Bezness As Usual, Dusseldorp discusses her Cinekid selected for Toronto opener Owls & Mice 14-15 Design for living REM, Tomas 36-37 Cool for kids (and adults) Koolhaas’ portrait of his celebrated Cinekid, the renowned fest for family and architect father is selected for Venice youth films celebrates its 30th edition this 2016 year, and shows no sign of slowing down 16-17 The Ascent of Tan Amy Tan’s Ascent, comprising a series of stills of 38-39 Tiger ’s Calf CineMart and the Mount Fuji, world-premiered to great Holland Film Meeting have launched acclaim at Locarno 2016 BoostNL, designed to strengthen market support for Dutch and international 18-19 Downbeat Dad Martijn Maria projects Smits discusses the inspiration behind his Waldstille, selected for San 40 Star profile Nora el Koussour, star of Sebastian Mijke de Jong’s Layla M. 20-21 Independence day Dutch minority co-pro mockumentary King of the Belgians, directed by Brosens and Woodworth, is selected for Venice Orizzonti 22-23 Prisoner of fortune Mahmoud al Massad’s Blessed Benefit, about life in a Jordanian jail, gets TIFF Discovery nod Cover still: Brimstone Martin Koolhoven See pages 4 - 7 Photo: Philippe Antonello 2 COLOPHON See NL is published four times per year by EYE International and The Netherlands Film Fund and is distributed to international film professionals. Editors in chief: Marten Rabarts (EYE), Jonathan Mees (Netherlands Film Fund) Executive editor: Nick Cunningham Contributors: Geoffrey Macnab, Joost Broeren Concept & Design: Lava.nl, Amsterdam Layout: def., Amsterdam Printing: mediaLiaison Printed on FSC paper Circulation: 1400 copies © All rights reserved: The Netherlands Film Fund and EYE International 2016 CONTACT Sandra den Hamer CEO EYE E [email protected] Marten Rabarts Head of EYE International E [email protected] EYE International PO BOX 74782 1070 BT Amsterdam The Netherlands T +31 20 758 2375 W www.eyefilm.nl Doreen Boonekamp CEO Netherlands Film Fund E [email protected] Ellis Driessen International Affairs Netherlands Film Fund E [email protected] Jonathan Mees Head of Communications Netherlands Film Fund E [email protected] Netherlands Film Fund Pijnackerstraat 5 1072 JS Amsterdam The Netherlands T +31 20 570 7676 W www.filmfonds.nl Photo: Pief Weyman Layla M. Mijke de Jong 3 Venice Competition / Toronto Special Presentation Koolhoven goes West Brimstone Martin Koolhoven a psychotic preacher of its own, “That was just before shooting memorably played by Robert started, so things looked bad. But Mitchum. Despite citing Sergio luckily, because of the changed Leone’s Once Upon A Time In The schedule, Dakota Fanning was now West as a particular favourite available. She was on the list of five, western, one of Koolhoven’s aims but I had not met her, because she was not to make it look and feel like was already doing a movie. We met other westerns. “It is purposely not in Germany, just before I started Martin Koolhoven an hommage to any films,” he shooting and it was very clear it had underlines. to be her. She was extremely Martin Koolhoven’s Brimstone motivated and wonderful.” Leading has been called the first “Dutch “It was hard, especially since I Dutch actress, and Game Of Thrones western.” A big international hadn’t written in such a long time. siren, Carice van Houten also stars, movie shot in Germany, It was a multi-layered, complicated as does the series’ male lead Kit Hungary, Austria and Spain, it script, so it took over three years,” Harrington. stars Dakota Fanning as a mute Koolhoven adds of his struggles to heroine hunted down by a complete the screenplay. The director pays fulsome tribute to psychotic preacher (Guy Pearce). his producer, Els Vandevorst. She Geoffrey Macnab reports. Right from the outset, there was a initially approached him with a very favourable response to project just after he left film school. Director Koolhoven states that Brimstone. Big-name stars queued Het Zuiden (South, 2004) was their Brimstone is set in the “menacing up to take roles. The filmmakers first film together and they’ve been inferno of the old American west.” had an initial list of three actors and regular collaborators ever since. five actresses that they wanted to “I wanted to write a western, but approach for the leads. Koolhoven’s “During the pre-production of our I also wanted it to be personal and casting director told him to give the next movie together (Winter in original. In the end that meant the screenplay to the top agencies and Wartime) we got along so well that movie is hard to compare with then just wait. “He said agents we wanted to form a company any movie, including westerns,” would call us immediately, trying to together, but that didn’t actually he explains of the project’s get their actors in the movie. That is happen until 2010 when we started origins. exactly what happened. The agents N279 Entertainment,” Koolhoven of two of the three names on our list recounts. “Brimstone would be The Dutch writer-director (whose came to us, so then I had to really unthinkable without Els. I probably previous credits include Winter In think which one I wanted and I would not have written it, it Wartime and Schnitzel Paradise) picked Guy Pearce. He was the first certainly would not have been professes himself a big admirer of to come on board.” produced and when the movie was the graphic novels of Brian ready, a lot of people got scared and Azzarello, Garth Ellis and Alejandro With the female lead, it was a more it was Els that pulled us through. Jodorowsky whose vivid and often complicated story. Koolhoven was She’s got balls of steel. I guess I’m violent work influenced the way he very enthusiastic about Mia the Brim and she’s the Stone….” approached his script. Another Wasikowska, who quickly signed inspiration was Charles Laughton’s up. Then, the schedule changed and classic southern Gothic movie Wasikowska had to pull out for The Night Of The Hunter which had personal reasons. 4 Venice Competition / Toronto Special Presentation Brimstone Martin Koolhoven ‘I wanted to write a western, but I also wanted it to be personal and original’ Photo: Philippe Antonello Director: Martin Koolhoven Script: Martin Koolhoven Production: N279 Entertainment (NL), X-Filme (DE) Co-Production: FilmWave (UK), Prime Time (BE), The Jokers Films (FR), Dragon Films (SE), Film Väst (SE), Paradiso Films (NL) Sales: Embankment Films 5 Venice Competition / Toronto Special Presentation Firing Brimstone Brimstone Martin Koolhoven How does a Dutch producer put Also pivotal in the film’s journey shown by casting agent Des together a sprawling, big budget, from script to screen was London- Hamilton to the top American 150-minute, English-language based production and financing agencies, there was a rush of western with big name stars? outfit, New Sparta Films. enthusiasm among A-list stars to Brimstone producer Els appear in the film and it took some Vandevorst explains. ‘From the start we supported negotiation to fix a final cast that Brimstone, and it’s a fascinating included Dakota Fanning and Kit “Initially, I had two ways to finance project to be involved in,” stresses Harington, Carice van Houten and this film,” Vandevorst recalls of the Film Fund CEO Doreen Boonekamp. Guy Pearce as the vengeful preacher. sometimes fraught experience. The “The Fund had faith in Martin first was to go to a US studio and to Koolhoven and Els Vandevorst who This is an English language movie ask it to put up the backing. The both have clear creative and set in the US (albeit shot in Europe) downside there was that the Dutch international ambitions.” that received substantial backing filmmakers would almost certainly from the Film Fund, but Vandevorst have lost artistic control. The By early 2015, Vandevorst was was determined that it should retain second solution was to follow the working with German producers a strong Dutch flavour. She was able example of Danish mavericks and studio managers Babelsberg to ensure that almost all the key Zentropa, who fund their Lars Von but at the last minute they could not crew members (including composer Trier features by involving small be involved, jeopardising German Junkie XL) were Dutch.