Three recent Dutch productions have surpassed 100,000 admissions at the local box office. The talents behind the success of the three features are one established, Oscar-nominated director and two newcomers presenting their feature-length titles for the very first time. Achieving 100,000 admissions earns the three features the status of Golden Film, a recognition granted by the Netherlands Film Fund and the Netherlands Film Festival.

The latest feature to reach Golden Film status is the bereavement drama Tonio [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film] by Paula van der Oest. The film, which is the Netherlands’ Oscar submission (read more – van der Oest had previously been nominated in 2002), is based on a novel by A F Th van der Heijden. It centres on the true story of the accident that claimed the life of the writer's only son, 21-year-old Tonio. Produced by NL Film and Nanook Entertainment, Tonio was released by September Film on 13 October and is still showing in 76 venues across the country.

Hans Somers’ feature debut, Heart Beat [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film], also made a splash at the box office, reaching the same threshold as Tonio. The film is currently in 89 Dutch theatres, courtesy of Entertainment One Benelux. Produced by Kaap Holland Film, Heart Beat targets young and teenage audiences, portraying the unexpected love story between a shy teenage girl and a 16-year-old pop star.

Finally, another emerging director also saw her feature debut perform tremendously at the box office: Janice Pierre is the talent behind Hartenstrijd [+leggi anche:
trailer
scheda film], a romantic comedy produced by 2CFilm, which can still be seen in 199 Dutch cinemas.

The Golden, Platinum and Diamond Film labels are given jointly by the Netherlands Film Festival and the Netherlands Film Fund to local productions that reach 100,000, 400,000 and 1 million admissions, respectively. A total of ten Dutch films have achieved Golden Film status in 2016 so far.