Screen profiles some of the hottest projects from the region that should debut this year.
Girl
Dir: Lukas Dhont
One Belgian film generating considerable buzz in advance of its release is Lukas Dhont’s debut feature Girl (currently in post-production and which should be ready for the early summer or autumn festivals.) The film has already won The Work In Progress Awards both at Les Arcs and at CONNeXT. It tells the story of a teenage girl born in a boy’s body who will do anything she can to achieve her dream of becoming a ballerina. It is produced by Dirk Impens (producer of the Oscar nominated Broken Circle Breakdown) and is expected to be Impens’ last feature before his retirement. Contact: info@menuet.be
My Foolish Heart
Dir: Rolf van Eijk
Van Eijk’s recently completed first feature film has an intriguing premise. It is billed as “an intimate and redemptive” neo noir with a strong jazz flavour. It tells the story of an ambitious detective investigating the mysterious death of jazz legend (and addict), Chet Baker. The closer the detective comes to the case, the more he realises he has in common with the dead man. The film is produced through Pupkin. Media Luna has come on board to handle sales. Contact: festival@medialuna.biz
Dirty God (Jade)
Dir: Sacha Polak
Prolific young Dutch director Polak’s Dirty God (shooting currently in south-east London) follows a young woman who has been the victim of an acid attack. Before the attack, the woman’s main “currency” was her good looks. She has limited education and opportunities. The film was cast by Aisha Waters and Lucy Pardee. It is shot by highly rated Belgian cinematographer Ruben Impens and is being sold through Independent Film Company. Contact: mail@independentfilmcompany.com
The Conductor
Dir: Maria Peters
Sexism doesn’t just extend to the film world. It is also a factor in the music world. Maria Peters’ new feature, due to be completed later this summer, tells the story of Antonia Brico who, in the 1920s, became one of the first women to lead an orchestra and to conduct a symphony - and who eventually started a female orchestra. Young stage star Christanne de Bruijn plays Brico. Contact: info@shootingstar.nl
Mette
Dir: Esther Rots
Rots was hailed as one of the most exciting new talents in the Netherlands after her edgy and disturbing debut feature, Can Go Through Skin (2009.) Now, almost a decade later, she is close to completing a second feature, one that is as unsettling as its predecessor. Mette is about a happily married woman whose life unravels after she intervenes in a marital dispute that spins violently out of control. Films Boutique is handling international sales. The film is due to be completed by May and could be a Cannes contender. Contact: contact@filmsboutique.com
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