Cannes Classics Sluizer’s João and the Knife Redbad fever grows Orwa Nyrabia: IDFA’s new Artistic Director Tribeca premiere for Tanzania Transit EYE on Van Warmerdam

Issue #31 May 2018 Cannes / Annecy issue Index COLOPHON 4-5 Trans Africa express Jeroen van 26-27 Sex in the city of light Paris’ La Velzen on his locomotive Tanzania Cinémàtheque Francaise pays homage See NL is published four times per Transit that world-premiered at Tribeca to the ground- (and taboo-) breaking STOP PRESS year by EYE International and Dutch filmmakers of the late 60s and 70s Cannes nods for IFFR projects The Netherlands Film Fund and Five 2018 Cannes selections received is distributed to international film 6-7 A certain disregard Sergei a boost at the start of their careers professionals. Loznitsa’s Donbass, co-produced 28-29 Even more incentive... After courtesy of IFFR Rotterdam: with The Netherlands, opens Un Certain revolutionizing Dutch film production, Girls of the Sun by Eva Husson Editors in chief: Marten Rabarts, Regard can the Production Incentive do the (Competition): CineMart 2017 (EYE), Jonathan Mees (Netherlands Film Fund) same for the TV sector? Rafikiby Wanuri Kahiu (Un Certain Executive editor: Nick Cunningham Regard): supported by NFF+HBF 8-9 Kool, Kenyan and Queer Wanuri Contributor: Geoffrey Macnab, Kahiu’s Un Certain Regard selection 30-31 Ethics and aesthetics New IDFA Muere, Monstruo, Muere by Alejandro Klaas Feij Rafikichallenges the taboo surrounding Creative Director Orwa Nyrabia talks Fadel (Un Certain Regard): Concept & Design: Lava.nl supported by HBF gay love in modern Kenya festival restructure Layout: def., Amsterdam The Load by Ognjen Glavonic Printing: mediaLiaison Printed on (Quinzaine): supported by HBF FSC paper © All rights reserved: 10-11 Dance of destiny Frans van 32-33 Ani-Mates The renaissance of The Netherlands Film Fund and Birds of Passage by Cristina Gallego and EYE International 2018 Gestel is co-producer on Belgian Lukas Dutch animation continues with the Ciro Guerra (Quinzaine): CineMart 2016 Dhont’s impassioned tale of a girl born in selection of three Dutch shorts at a boy’s body, desperate to be a ballerina Annecy CONTACT Sandra den Hamer CEO EYE 12-13 The restoration of João George 34-35 Hailing a Dutch genius Alex van E [email protected] Sluizer’s João and the Knife (1972) has Warmerdam is the focus of EYE’s next been brilliantly restored at EYE and is major exhibition Marten Rabarts now selected for Cannes Classics 2018 Head of EYE International E [email protected] Back cover: The Magnificent Cake! in 14-15 Finding alchemy Dutch/Afghani Directors Fortnight EYE International Aboozar Amini will have a busy Cannes PO BOX 74782 with a short film in Directors Fortnight 1070 BT Amsterdam The Netherlands while pitching his audacious feature T +31 20 758 2375 debut The Cineaste W www.eyefilm.nl

16-17 Producer on the Move Frank Doreen Boonekamp Hoeve of BALDR Film CEO Netherlands Film Fund E [email protected]

18-19 View of La Mer Amsterdam- Jonathan Mees based South African filmmaker Sibs Communications Shongwe-La Mer is at Cannes Atelier Netherlands Film Fund with his powerful post-Apartheid project E [email protected] The Color of the Skull Netherlands Film Fund Pijnackerstraat 5 20-21 Croisette connections The 1072 JS Amsterdam Cannes Producers Network shines a The Netherlands T +31 20 570 7676 light on five new and talented Dutch W www.filmfonds.nl producers

22-23 Shooting from the hip Producer Raymond Van Der Kaaij fires off about his two new documentaries at Sheffield

24-25 Banking on success As Roel Reiné’s epic Redbad nears completion, international sales continue to grow

Cover: Rafiki Wanuri Kahiu See page 8 Bloemstraat 11 Nienke Deutz See page 32

2 3 Tribeca Film Festival Trans Africa express Tanzania Transit Jeroen van Velzen

which world premiered at Tribeca another church at the end of line, and was supported by the towards the Congo. That’s the Netherlands Film Fund, is based reason he came with me,” around a long train journey across comments the director. Van Velzen the continent’s east side. The film is was also friendly with one of the © Esther Eenstroom also selected for Sheffield Doc / Fest. main female characters, a bar- owner and brothel madam who “I always wanted to make a film works in an illegal mine in Kenya. Jeroen van Velzen about a nation that had the strength to survive, even in very difficult Geoffrey Macnab talks to Dutch moments. I had met so many “I didn’t want to start or docmaker Jeroen van Velzen, interesting characters and I was arrive anywhere with whose reflective and highly looking for a place to put them the train.” locomotive Tanzania Transit together. I had travelled on the train world-premiered at Tribeca. and it seemed like the perfect place.” When Van Velzen and his crew Jeroen van Velzen arrived in Africa boarded the train, the passengers when he was just nine years old. “My Tanzania Transit isn’t verité all had a sense of energy and dad decided to live in the middle of filmmaking as such. The director optimism. That soon seeped away. nowhere and took the whole family found his main protagonists in The trip was long, uncomfortable with him,” the Dutch director advance. In some cases, he even and monotonous. There was no recalls. But Van Velzen nevertheless paid for their tickets. Nonetheless, personal space. Given the spent term times at a “modern, the incidents we see on camera are oppressive atmosphere, the director cold” boarding school in Brighton real. The tensions we see between eventually decided that he would before returning to Kenya, where he the other passengers and the Masai shoot in the morning, when it was was the only white child in the area, warrior and his grandson, for cooler, and in the evening, just for the holidays. “It was an example, aren’t made up. The film before it got dark. upbringing with contrasts,” he says was intended to focus entirely on with understatement. the experiences of the passengers There is a sense of exasperation as during the journey. “I didn’t want to well as affection in Van Velzen’s start anywhere with the train. attitude toward Africa. “It’s a love- “I always wanted to I didn’t want to arrive anywhere. hate relationship… not so much make a film about a I never wanted to be outside the hate as disappointment nation that had the train and I never wanted to be in the sometimes,” he muses. “Living in strength to survive” landscape,” the director remembers Kenya and Tanzania, I feel like I am of his approach. coming back home, but at the same time I find it painful to see how hard Thirty years on, Van Velzen still One of the most colourful of Van it is to function there on a day to day regularly goes back to Africa. His Velzen’s characters is Peter, the basis, to deal with corruption, feature doc Wavumba [2012] conductor/preacher, who was a TV poverty, famine, people’s hardship. focussed on the traditional stories personality. “He (Peter) has no At the same time, it is absolutely he heard as a child in a traditional shame about what he does. He is gorgeous. There is so much space, Kenyan fishing community. Now his very much for taking advantage of so much nature and the people can new documentary Tanzania Transit, any situation. He was travelling to be so welcoming.” Director: Jeroen van Velzen Script: Jeroen van Velzen, Esther Eenstoom Production: SNG Film

4 5 Cannes: Un Certain Regard opening film A certain disregard Donbass Sergei Loznitsa

50 professional actors from Ukraine they do not respect the rights of and Russia and about the same private property. It seems to me that number of unprofessional actors in Ukrainian society is still very much secondary roles. There are also 1500 in the grip of its Soviet past,” extras, residents of Krivoy Rog, who Loznitsa’s remarks have a despairing participated in the film. tone.

Krivoy Rog is the centre of the iron The Maidan revolution of 2014, Sergei Loznitsa mining industry of Ukraine and which he has also chronicled, one of the largest mining regions of seemed to pave a way forward. It was Sergei Loznitsa’s fourth dramatic Europe. It is a prosperous industrial (as he puts it) “a breath of fresh air feature Donbass (which opens city, but at the same time, there’s a and a chance for the new generation Un Certain Regard 2018) is lot of poverty and there are areas of to move towards democracy and inspired by what happened in the city which look as if they haven’t freedom.” east Ukraine in 2014/2015 during changed at all since 1950s and Russia’s military intervention, the 1970s. It looks very much like Four years on, the Maidan optimism demonstrations by pro-Russian Donetsk, which is why Loznitsa has dissipated. “I see very little signs groups and the armed conflict shot there. of real transformation. The society is that followed. fundamentally corrupt and bureau­ The director acknowledges Russian cratic. Of course, it’s more free than “The idea came to me very soon after gulag survivor and writer Varlam the Russian society, which has by the events in the east of Ukraine Shalamov as a key inspiration on the now almost completely reverted to began to unfold,” the director film. It is not so much any specific its archaic, dictatorial state, but this recalls. ”There was plenty of material Shalamov story that influenced still does not seem to be enough for on the Internet, and particularly, Donbass as the sensibility of the any significant transformation to there was a vast number of amateur author. “In my opinion, anyone who take place. Ukraine has the worst videos, taken by the participants of wants to understand what’s going on roads in Europe. It takes 8 hours to the events. I thought it would be a in the east of Ukraine now needs to cover a distance of 300 km between very interesting idea to re-create this read Shalamov in order to have an Krivoy Rog and Odessa. And they say amateur documentary footage as insight into the mentality and history the roads are deteriorating year after scenes of fiction. So, every episode of of ‘homo soveticus’,” Loznitsa year.” Donbass is in fact based on video/ declares. YouTube footage of the events, that On a brighter note, Loznitsa is took place in that territory in the first No, he’s not optimistic about what is delighted to be back in Cannes. “I’m year of the war.” likely to happen now in eastern very grateful to Thierry Frémaux and Ukraine. “In order for there to be any to his colleagues for giving me this As with many of his recent projects, change, there has to be a complete chance. We finished shooting on Loznitsa made the film as a transformation of the society and March 29. They saw the rough cut a “Every episode of co-production, supported by the mentality on both sides of the week later and they trusted me with Donbass is based on Netherlands Film Fund. Two Dutch border, in Ukraine and in Russia. So it. I look forward to sharing Donbass video/YouTube footage companies, Graniet and Wild at Art, far, I don’t see any signs of this with the most demanding and of the events” were part of an elaborate structure happening. People seem to be knowledgable cinema audience in that also included French and absolutely oblivious of their history, the world! I think we’ll have a lot to German support. The film features they do not respect the rule of law, talk about!” Director: Sergei Loznitsa Script: Sergei Loznitsa Production: Ma.ja.de. (DE) Co-Production: Arthouse Traffic (UA), JBA Production (FR), Graniet Film (NL), Wild at Art (NL) Sales: Pyramide Films

6 7 Cannes: Un Certain Regard Rafiki Wanuri Kahiu Kool, Kenyan and Queer

about how far her reach is within the the shooting schedule that we had political landscape.” devised,” points out Selen. “Her input was invaluable and made the Selen has known Rafiki producer project stronger creatively. And Steven Markowitz () Wanuri was able to take on Elizabeth since they both helped in working wi