SEE NL Cannes 2018

F i l m s f ro m T h e Ne t h e r l a n d s

Cannes 2018

INDEX INDEX 1 Cannes Classics JoĂŁo and the Knife

2

Minority co-productions in Un Certain Regard Donbass

3

Girl

4

Rafiki

5

Minority co-productions in Quinzaine This Magnificent Cake!

6

Tunisia Factory: Best Day Ever/The Cineaste

6

Cinefondation L’Atelier The Color of the Skull

7

Producers on the Move Frank Hoeve

8

Producers Network Dutch producers in the spotlight

9

In the market Cobain

10

Missing

11

We

12

Minority co-productions in the market All Alone

13

An Impossibly Small Object

14

Land

15

Yellow Is Forbidden

16

2 CANNES CLASSICS

JOÃO AND THE KNIFE George Sluizer Based on a Brazilian novel by Odylo Costa Filho and set in the Amazonian and Northeast hinterlands of Brazil, JOÃO AND THE KNIFE is a hauntingly strange and visually stunning picture.

Poor and elderly João marries the beautiful 19-year-old Maria. As he cannot give his young bride children, he travels to the Amazonian forest, the green hell, to make money collecting rubber. Four years later, on his return as a rich man, he finds Maria carrying a three-year old little girl who strangely resembles her. João doubts about the fidelity of his wife. He buys a knife and says he will use it to kill Maria.

Frightened Maria seeks help from the police and a priest, but in vain. They then begin a long journey back to their village.

Will João be able to refrain from hurting the one he loves so much?

95’ / colour Genre: drama Original title: A FACA E O RIO Prod: Sluizer Films (NL)- Anne SluizerLordon, George Sluizer Sc: George Sluizer, based on the novel A Faca e o Rio by Odylo Costa Filho D.O.P.: Jan de Bont Completed: 1972 Language: Portuguese Cast: Joffre Soares, Ana Maria Miranda George Sluizer: a.o. DARK BLOOD (2012, feature), THE COMMISIONER (1998, feature), THE VANISHING (1993, feature), UTZ (feature, 1992).

Sluizer Films www.sluizerfilmproductions.com Sales: Stoneraft Films B.V. Ph: +31 6 2052 8098 stoneraftfilms@gmail.com www.georgesluizer.com Please check website for updated schedule Sun May 13, 11:00 Buñuel

MINORITY CO-PRODUCTIONS IN UN CERTAIN REGARD

OPEN IN FILM U G CERT N A REGA IN RD

DONBASS

WORL D PREM IERE

Sergei Loznitsa When war is called peace, when propaganda is uttered as truth, when hatred is declared to be love, life itself begins to resemble death. Surviving Donbass. A practical guide to Inferno.

In Donbass, a region of Eastern Ukraine, a hybrid war takes place, involving an open armed conflict alongside robberies on a mass scale perpetrated by gangs.

In Donbass, war is called love, propaganda is uttered as truth, hatred is declared to be love.

It’s not about one region, one country or one political system, it’s about humanity and civilization in general. It’s about each and every one of us.

Please check website for updated schedule Wed May 9, 11:15 Debussy (festival) Wed May 9, 16:00 Debussy festival) Thu May 10, 12:00 Lerins 3 (market) Thu May 10, 13:00 Bazin (festival) Sat May 12, 13:30 Riviera 2 (market) Thu May 17, 12:00 Riviera 1 (market)

3

110’ / colour Genre: drama, crime Original title: DONBASS Prod: Ma.ja.de. (DE) Co-prod: Arthouse Traffic (UA), JBA Production (FR), Graniet Film (NL) - Marc van Warmerdam, Wild at Art (NL) - Peter Warnier Sc: Sergei Loznitsa D.O.P.: Oleg Mutu Completed: May 2018 Language: Russian, Ukranian Cast: Boris Kamorzin, Valeriu Andriutu Sergei Loznitsa: a.o. A GENTLE CREATURE (2017, feature), THE EVENT (2015, doc), MAIDAN (2014, doc), MY JOY (2010, feature).

Graniet Film www.granietfilm.nl Wild at Art www.wildatart.nl Sales: Pyramide Films Ph: +33 1 4296 0220 sales@pyramidefilms.com www.pyramidefilms.com Pyramide at Cannes: Riviera J6

4 MINORITY CO-PRODUCTIONS IN UN CERTAIN REGARD

GIRL

WORL D PREM IERE

Lukas Dhont The story of Lara, a 15-year-old girl born into a boy’s body, ready to risk everything to pursue her dream of becoming a ballerina. Everything…

Determined 15-year-old Lara is committed to becoming a professional ballerina. With the support of her father, she throws herself into this quest for the absolute at a new school. Lara’s adolescent frustrations and impatience are heightened as she realises her body does not bend so easily to the strict discipline because she was born a boy.

Please check website for updated schedule Fri May 11, 14:00 Olympia 8 (market, invite only) Sat May 12, 11:00 Debussy (festival) Sat May 12, 16:30 Debussy (festival) Sun May 13, 17:30 Arcades 1 (market) Sun May 13, 21:45 Soixantième (festival)

100' / colour Genre: drama Original title: GIRL Prod: Menuet (BE) Co-prod: Topkapi Films (NL) - Frans van Gestel, Arnold Heslenfeld, Laurette Schillings, Frakas Productions (BE) Sc: Lukas Dhont, Angelo Tijssens D.O.P.: Frank van den Eeden Completed: May 2018 Language: Dutch. French Cast: Victor Polster, Arieh Worthalter Lukas Dhont: a.o. L’INFINI (2014, short), HEADLONG (2012, short).

Topkapi Films Ph: +31 20 303 2494 info@topkapifilms.nl www.topkapifilms.nl Sales: The Match Factory Ph: +49 221 539 709 info@matchfactory.de www.the-match-factory.de The Match Factory at Cannes: 'La Bagatelle' / 25 La Croisette

MINORITY CO-PRODUCTIONS IN UN CERTAIN REGARD

RAFIKI

WORL D PREM IERE

Wanuri Kahiu When Kena and Ziki, two girls living in a Nairobi housing estate, fall for one another, they must choose between love and safety.

"Good Kenyan girls become good Kenyan wives," but Kena and Ziki long for something more. Despite the political rivalry between their families, the girls resist and remain close friends, supporting each other to pursue their dreams in a conservative society.

When love blossoms between them, the two girls will be forced to choose between happiness and safety.

Please check website for updated schedule Wed May 9, 16:00 Palais G (market) Wed May 9, 13:45 Debussy (festival) Wed May 9, 22:15 Debussy (festival) Thu May 10, 13:30 Palais J (market) Thu May 10, 16:00 Bazin (festival) Mon May 14, 11:30 Palais J (market)

5

82’ / colour Genre: drama, LGBTQ Original title: RAFIKI Prod: Big World Cinema (ZA) Co-prod: Rinkel Film (NL) - Reinier Selen, MPM Film (FR), Shortcut Films (LB), Ape&Bjorn (NO), Razor Film (DE), Afrobubblegum (KE) Sc: Wanuri Kahiu, Jenna Bass D.O.P: Christopher Wessels Completed: December 2017 Language: English, Kiswahili Cast: Samantha Mugatsia, Sheila Munyiva Wanuri Kahiu: a.o. FROM A WHISPER (2009, feature), PUMZI (2009, short).

Rinkel Film Ph: +31 20 616 3231 info@rinkelfilm.com www.rinkelfilm.com Sales: MPM Premium Ph: +33 1 4277 0631 contact@premium-films.com www.premium-films.com MPM Premium at Cannes: Riviera H6

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MINORITY CO-PRODUCTIONS IN QUINZAINE 44’ / colour Genre: animation Original title: CE MAGNIFIQUE GâTEAU! Prod: Beast Production (BE) Co-prod: PEDRI Animation (NL), Vivement Lundi (FR) Completed: May 2018 Language: Dutch, French, Aka, Malinke Marc James Roels & Emma De Swaef a.o. OH WILLY (2012, animated short) Awards: a.o Grand Jury Award SXSW.

THIS MAGNIFICENT CAKE! Marc James Roels & Emma De Swaef An anthology film set in colonial Africa in the late 19th-century telling the stories of five different characters: a troubled king; a middle-aged Pygmy working in a luxury hotel; a failed businessman on an expedition; a lost porter; and a young army deserter.

PEDRI Animation Ph: +31 35 656 1945 peter@pedri-animation.com www.pedri-animation.com Mon May 14, 19:30 Théâtre Croisette Tue May 15, 16:30 Alexandre III

15’ / colour Genre: drama Original title: BEST DAY EVER Prod: DW Paris (FR) Completed: March 2018 Language: Tunesian Cast: Mohamed Dahech, Salha Nasraoui, Amina Ben Smail, Karim Ben Salah.

Aboozar Amini: a.o. WHERE IS KURDISTAN (2016, short), ANGELUS NOVUS (2015, short) + awards, ON THE STRING OF FORGETFULNESS (2011, short).

BEST DAY EVER Anissa Daoud & Aboozar Amini BEST DAY EVER is co-directed by Afghan-Dutch director Aboozar Amini. At Quinzaine’s Tunisia Factory Aboozar presents the first feature he is currently developing: THE CINEASTE. Dutch coproducers: Joost de Vries of An Original Picture and Jia Zhao of Silk Road Film Salon.

Contact THE CINEASTE An Original Picture Joost de Vries joost@anoriginalpicture.com Silk Road Film Salon Jia Zhao Jiazhao98@hotmail.com Please check Quinzaine website for updated schedule Wed May 9, 12:00 Théâtre Croisette

CINÉFONDATION L ´ATELIER

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Still: Necktie Youth by Sibs Shongwe-La Mer

THE COLOR OF THE SKULL Sibs Shongwe-La Mer A post-apartheid South Africa is thrusted into a deep-rooted fear of an apocalyptic civil war as freedom fighter Nelson Mandela’s last breath nears. Situated beneath the grand Drakensberg Mountain range next to a traditional Zulu settlement, a puritanical Afrikaner community prepare to fight for their land, culture and lives as their enemy does the same. As the great racial war nears, various fractions of supremacist militia sound their calls drawing Pieter, a young white boy (13), into the hysteria by enlisting him in one of their camps. Meanwhile, fleeing from a dubious past in a burning Johannesburg, Thato (23), a young black man, arrives to the Zulu settlement where he will be drawn into an endless cycle of violence. In a time of mass paranoia and bloodshed, the two youths, from each side, must bare the scars of a nation's deepest wounds.

Genre: drama, historical Prod: Mille et Une Productions (FR), UProduction (FR) Co-prod: Halal (NL) – Gijs Kerbosch Sc: Sibs Shongwe-La Mer Status: in development Language: Afrikaans, English, Zulu Sibs Shongwe-La Mer: Second feature film.

NECKTIE YOUTH (2015, feature) awards: a.o.

Best Narrative Feature and Best Director Durban Intl FF, Cristics´ Prize Geneva FF. Halal Ph: +31 20 639 1402 fiction@halal.amsterdam www.halal.amsterdam

8 PRODUCERS ON THE MOVE

FRANK HOEVE Frank Hoeve had worked as a producer for several years before founding BALDR Film with Katja Draaijer in 2012. The pair focus on developing and (co-)producing challenging, author-driven features and documentaries by a select number of filmmakers with a distinctive personal signature. At BALDR Frank has produced a number of critically acclaimed films such as THOSE WHO FEEL THE FIRE BURNING

by Morgan Knibbe (2014, Dutch Academy Award for Best Feature Length Documentary, Best International Doc Feature Guanajuato IFF, Nominee Best Feature Doc IDFA), Bram Schouw’s debut feature BROTHERS (2017, Premiers Plans d’Angers), and, most recently, UBIQUITY by Bregtje van der Haak (2018, HotDocs).

At the moment, BALDR Film has several films in (post-)production: the feature GOLD by Rogier Hesp; the Uruguayan/Brazilian/Argentinian/Dutch co-production WINDOW BOY WOULD ALSO LIKE TO HAVE A SUBMARINE by Alex Piperno; the Brazilian/Dutch/French co-production SICK, SICK, SICK (CineMart 2015) by Alice Furtado and the Danish/Swedish/Dutch co-production HEARTBOUND by Janus Metz (Cannes Critics Week winner with ARMADILLO). He is also financing the feature MITRA (Eurimages Award at CineMart 2018) by Kaweh Modiri, which he is aiming to shoot in Spring 2019.

BALDR Ph: + 31 20 303 2670 frank@baldrfilm.nl www.baldrfilm.nl

PRODUCERS NETWORK

Sabine Brian - NL Film en TV www.nlfilm.tv/en

Koji Nelissen - Kepler Film www.keplerfilm.com

Maaike Neve - Bind Film www.bindfilm.nl

Steven Rubinstein Malamud - IJswater Films www.ijswater.nl

Eefje Smulders - Bos Bros www.bosbros.com

9

10 IN THE MARKET

COBAIN Nanouk Leopold Cobain (15) is forced to take over after his pregnant mother Mia refuses to quit her self-destructive lifestyle.

Fifteen-year-old Cobain tries to get his pregnant mother Mia to quit her selfdestructive lifestyle, but she keeps the boy at arm’s length, resisting any kind of interference. When Mia refuses to clean up her act, Cobain decides to take over.

Thu May 10, 17:30 Olympia 3

94' / colour Genre: drama Original title: COBAIN Prod: Circe Films (NL) - Stienette Bosklopper, Lisette Kelder Co-prod: A Private View (BE), Coin Film (DE), The Film Kitchen (NL) - Jan van der Zanden, Ineke Kanters, VPRO (NL) Sc: Stienette Bosklopper D.O.P.: Frank van den Eeden Completed: December 2017 Language: Dutch, English Cast: Bas Keizer, Naomi Velissariou (OUT OF LOVE, CHAUSSÉE D’AMOUR), Wim Opbrouck (FORBIDDEN LOVE, CAFÉ DERBY).

Nanouk Leopold: a.o. IT’S ALL SO QUIET (2013, feature) Awards: a.o. Best Feature Torino FF, Silver Hugo Award Chicago IFF, BROWNIAN MOVEMENT (2010, feature) Awards: a.o. Golden Calf for Best Screenplay and Best Director Netherlands FF, Int. Film Guide Award New Horizons FF. Circe Films Ph: +31 20 625 3591 info@circe.nl www.circe.nl Sales: Beta Cinema Ph: +49 89 6734 69828 beta@betacinema.com www.betacinema.com Beta Cinema at Cannes: Grand Hotel, Bâtiment Le Goéland

IN THE MARKET

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MISSING! Paul Ruven A thriller about a mother who will stop at nothing to save her missing daughter.

A dazzling performance by main actress Sanneke Bos as a divorced lawyer, whose teenage daughter has gone missing and may have become the victim of a sex trafficking ring. She will stop at nothing to save her daughter.

95’ / colour Genre: thriller, drama Original title: VERMIST! Prod: Talent United Film & TV – Paul Ruven, Marian Batavier Sc: Marian Batavier, Paul Ruven D.O.P. : Gregg Telussa Completed: January 2018 Language: Dutch Cast: Mark van Eeuwen (KIDNAPPING MR HEINEKEN), Yes-R (GANGSTERBOYS), Roos Wiltink (RED WIDOW).

Paul Ruven: a.o. HOSTAGE X (2017, feature), R U SAFE (2016, feature), MAR AND SIEN (2014, short doc), THE FLIGHT CHURCH (2013, short), USHI MUST MARRY (2012, feature).

Talent United Film & TV Ph: +31 6 5124 5041 paul@talentunited.nl www.talentunitedfilm.tv Sales: Princ Films Ph: +1 763 458 1967 igor@princfilms.com www.princfilms.com Princ Films at Cannes: Riviera E1 Wed May 9, 13:30 Palais F Fri May 11, 09:30 Palais H

12 IN THE MARKET

WE René Eller In the affluent but dull town of Dendermonde eight very close bored to death teenagers get caught up in a nihilistic web of pornography and prostitution.

A group of rebellious 17-year-olds meet on the outskirts of a Belgian village. Simon, the shy intellectual, is wildly in love with Femke. Ruth, who follows them closely, is secretly in love with Simon. Wildly charismatic Thomas, an unscrupulous businessman in the making, decides to start a kitsch sex-site where they record porno scenes. Ruth is the first to have paid sex as the group ventures into prostitution. But when Femke is involved in an accident the atmosphere within the group suddenly changes...

90’ / colour Genre: drama Original title: BIJ WIJ EINDIG IK Prod: New Amsterdam Film Company (NL) - Julius Ponten Co-prod: Miauw (NL), A Team Productions (BE) Sc: Rene Eller, Sanne Nuyens, Bert van Dael D.O.P.: Maxime Desmet Completed: October 2017 Language: Dutch Cast: Aime Claeys, Pauline Casteleyn, Tijmen Govaerts, Maxime Jacobs.

René Eller: First feature film.

New Amsterdam Film Company Ph: +31 20 820 2308 films@newams.com www.newams.com Sales: Wide Ph: +33 1 5395 0464 info@widemanagement.com www.widemanagement.com Wide at Cannes: Riviera G2 Fri May 11, 13:30 Palais B Tue May 15, 12:00 Palais C

MINORITY CO-PRODUCTIONS IN THE MARKET

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ALL ALONE Bobo Jelčić Despite the recent divorce, Marko is hardly ever alone. Family, co-workers and neighbourhood are all on his side except his beloved daughter.

Divorced father Marko is hardly ever alone: he is surrounded on all sides by family, friends, co-workers and neighbourhood fixers. Yet he is driven to the brink by limited contact with the one person he loves more than anyone - his daughter, who lives with her mother. When he starts the legal proceedings to get more time with his child, he enters the Kafkaesque world of a social-services system in meltdown. His fierce, paternal love for his child is both the source of his misery and his greatest joy.

85’ / colour Genre: drama Original title: SAM SAMCAT Prod: Spiritus Movens (HR) Co-prod: De Productie (NL) –Annemiek van Gorp, René Goossens Sc: Bobo Jelčić D.O.P.: Erol Zubčević Completed: 2018 Language: Croatian Cast: Rakan Rushaidat, Miki Manojlović, Snježana Sinovčić Šiškov.

Bobo Jelčić: A STRANGER (2013, feature).

De Productie Ph: +31 6 5151 3744 info@deproductie.nl www.deproductie.nl Sales: Media Luna Film Sales Ph: +49 221 5109 1891 festival@medialuna.biz www.medialuna.biz Media Luna at Cannes: Riveira F12 Sat May 12, 11:30 Lerins 2

14 MINORITY CO-PRODUCTIONS IN THE MARKET

AN IMPOSSIBLY SMALL OBJECT David Verbeek An 8-year old girl from Taipei and a 33-year old photographer from Amsterdam seem to have no connection, other than her appearance in a photo he took. Yet somehow their lives seem entangled…

A photographer takes a photo of a little girl on the nightly streets of Taipei. After this the memory of his own childhood starts to come back to him more and more and becomes intertwined with the identity of the girl, as looking at the picture he took, he starts to project his childhood onto hers. A meditative narrative in 3 parts; Taipei, on board of an intercontinental flight and in Amsterdam.

100' / colour Genre: drama Original title: AN IMPOSSIBLY SMALL OBJECT Prod: Flash Forward Entertainment (TW) Co-prod: Nukleus film (HR), JDP Croatia (HR), Lemming Film (NL) - Erik Glijnis, Leontine Petit Sc: David Verbeek D.O.P.: Morgan Knibbe Completed: January 2018 Language: Chinese, Dutch, English Cast: Chen-Hung Chung, David Verbeek, Klara Mucci.

David Verbeek: a.o. FULL CONTACT (2015, feature), HOW TO DESCRIBE A CLOUD (2013, feature), CLUB ZEUS (2011, feature) Award: Return of the Tiger Award IFF Rotterdam, R U THERE (2009, feature).

Lemming Film Ph: +31 20 661 0424 sara@lemmingfilm.com www.lemmingfilm.com Sales: Flash Forward Entertainment Ph: +886 2 2926 2839 patrickmaohuang@qq.com www.ffe.com.tw Thu May 10, 10:00 Gray 5

MINORITY CO-PRODUCTIONS IN THE MARKET

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LAND Babak Jalali A modern Western about the Yellow Eagle family, dealing with the scourge of alcoholism and the loss of a son killed during military service in Afghanistan.

News reaches the Yellow Eagle family: a son has died during military service in Afghanistan. Wesley, the youngest son, is an alcoholic; he doesn’t seem hit by his brother’s death. His daily, but uneasy contact with the white owners of the liquor stores collapses when violence breaks out. Eldest brother Raymond, recovering from alcoholism, feels somewhat responsible for his family, but feels too emasculated to stand up. Until the troubles that have affected his brothers force him to.

90' / colour Genre: drama, western Original title: LAND Prod: Asmara Films (IT) Co-prod: The Cup of Tea (FR), KNM (CH), Piano Productions (MX), Topkapi Films (NL) - Frans van Gestel, Arnold Heslenfeld, Laurette Schillings Sc: Babak Jalali D.O.P.: Agnès Godard Completed: November 2017 Language: English Cast: Rod Rondeaux, Wilma Pelly, James Coleman, Michele Melega.

Babak Jalali: a.o. RADIO DREAMS (2016), feature) Award: Tiger Award IFFR Rotterdam, Special Jury Mention Seattle IFF, Best Director Tarkovsky FF. Topkapi Films Ph: +31 20 303 2494 info@topkapifilms.nl www.topkapifilms.nl Sales: BAC Films Ph: +33 1 8049 1000 sales@bacfilms.fr www.bacfilms.com Fri May 11, 11:30 Palais B Thu May 17, 12:00 Riviera 2

16 MINORITY CO-PRODUCTIONS IN THE MARKET

YELLOW IS FORBIDDEN Pietra Brettkelly A brave designer chases the dream to be crowned haute couture. But she comes from China, the land of knock offs and production lines. Will her Cinderella story end at the Met Ball?

Chanel, Givenchy, Dior, Gaultier... The world of haute couture designers is one of the most exclusive clubs in the world: Mostly men. Exclusively European. Largely funded by conglomerates. Yet, an independent designer from China has been invited to present a collection next year. Her designs have been likened to Alexander McQueen and she has been profiled by The New York Times and Vogue. If you don't know here name yet, you will soon.

Meet Guo Pei, and discover the unseen world of China's ultra-rich as they seek to integrate into the west.

94’ / colour Genre: documentary Original title: YELLOW IS FORBIDDEN Prod: Pietra Brettkelly (NZ), Libertine Pictures (NZ), The Film Sales Company (US) Co-prod: Avrotros (NL) Sc: Pietra Brettkelly D.O.P.: Jacob Bryany Completed: April 2018 Language: English, Chinese, French Cast: Guo Pei Pietra Brettkelly: a.o. A FLICKERING TRUTH (2015, doc), MAORI BOY GENIUS (2011, doc).

The Film Sales Company PH: +1 212 481 5020 contact@filmsalescorp.com filmsalescorp.com Wed May 9, 15:30 Palais J Fri May 11, 17:30 Palais J