14/10/2010

There’s something of a traffic jam of new releases in Dutch cinemas today, with a staggering ten new titles, four of which are domestic films.

Surprise winner of several Golden Calves earlier this month (see news), the Pieter Kramer directed Happily Ever After [+see also:
trailer
film profile] will open on 47 screens today. The film is an adaptation of a popular boulevard theatre-like play that spoofed famous fairy tales. Independent Films handles the release of the Nijenhuis & de Levita Film production.

Two films aimed at Dutch children open on 106 and 100 screens respectively: Sinterklaas en het pakjes mysterie from Martijn van Nellestijn and Briefgeheim, directed by Simone van Dusseldorp.

The former is the latest entry in the Sinterklaas genre, with each film starring Saint Nicolas, whose birthday is celebrated by kids early December. The latter is an adaptation of a popular youth novel by the director of Deep. Entertainment One Benelux handles Sinterklaas, while A-Film distributes the kid-lit adaptation.

The last Dutch film to go out this week is Dutch San Sebastian Zabaltegi title Dusk [+see also:
trailer
film profile], which will go out on ten screens – after a minor spat involving theatre chain Pathé, which said it did not want to distribute the film because “it already had a full plate”.

The film is the second feature of Hanro Smitsman (Skin [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) and fictionalises a murder case from several years back in which young teenagers turned on a classmate. It was received very well locally, winning the Critics’ Prize at the Golden Calves. Like Happily Ever After, the film is released by Independent Films.

Further films on Dutch screens as of today include Berlin Golden Bear winner Honey [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Semih Kaplanoglu
film profile] (distributed by eye Film Institute) and Michael Winterbottom’s latest, The Killer Inside Me [+see also:
trailer
film profile] (Paradiso Filmed Entertainment).