08/07/2010

One of the most hotly anticipated Dutch films of this year reunites a high-profile literary adaptation with the return of high-profile director Rudolf van den Berg, who hasn’t made a film since the Burt Reynolds and Julie Christie vehicle Snapshots from 2002.

Like the novel by enfant terrible Arnon Grunberg, the film is called Tirza, and tells the story of a father (Gijs Scholten van Aschat) who goes in search of his youngest daughter, the 18-year-old Tirza (Sylvia Hoeks), who hasn’t been in touch with her father since she left for a trip to Namibia.

The film will open the Netherlands Film Festival on September 22 before its general release through Independent Films Nederland on September 30. The festival runs through October 1.

Van den Berg is something of a specialist when it comes to difficult literary adaptations. He’s brought two Leon de Winter novels to the screen and also directed one of the classic Dutch films, Evenings, from 1988, based on the eponymous book, also a classic, by Gerard Reve.

Grunberg’s novel was recently voted as the number one literary work of the twenty-first century by Dutch academics, writers and critics polled by magazine De Groene Amsterdammer.

The film, which was shot in Namibia, South Africa and The Hague, co-stars Johanna Ter Steege, Nasrdin Dchar and Keitumetse Matlabo.

Tirza was produced by Fu Works Productions and Cadenza Films, while Dutch broadcaster NPS and Belgian outfit Prime Time co-produced. It was backed by the Telescoop project (see news) and received funding from the Dutch Film Fund, the CoBO Fund, Vlaams Audiovisueel Fonds (VAF) and the city of The Hague.