08/10/2012 - Jos Stelling's latest film, the Dutch-German-Russian co-production The Girl and Death, was honoured as Best Feature at the Netherlands Film Festival

The Netherlands Film Festival in Utrecht came to a close this weekend with the Golden Calf awards ceremony, during which the national Dutch film prizes were awarded. The Dutch-German-Russian co-production The Girl and Death [+see also:
trailer
film profile] from veteran director Jos Stelling was crowned as Best Feature.

Stelling's film, produced by himself through Jos Stelling Films, in association with Inspire Pictures, will be released locally on November 15 through Benelux Film Distributors and Inspire Pictures. Ma.Ja.De Filmproduktions-GmbH was the German co-producer.

The drama, about a dying courtesan (Sylvia Hoeks - photo) in Germany who was the object of affection of a Russian doctor (Leonid Bichevin), also won in the Best Sound and Best Cinematography categories. Incidentally, Stelling is the founder of the Netherlands Film Festival.

Best Director went to Paula van der Oest for her work on the cris-crossing international financial thriller The Domino Effect [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. Interestingly, Van der Oest's Black Butterflies [+see also:
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film profile] won Best Film last year but not Best Director.

The other big winner of the night was Maarten Treurniet's thriller The Heineken Kidnapping [+see also:
trailer
interview: Reinout Scholten van Aschat
film profile], which won Best Actor for the young Reinout Scholten van Aschat as well as Best Production Design and Best Editing.

The third film that was nominated for Best Feature, besides The Domino Effect and The Girl and Death, was Max Porcelijn's low-budget thriller Plan C [+see also:
trailer
film profile] and the surprising nominee finally went home with two awards: Best Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor for René van't Hof.

The female acting honours went to newcomer Hannah Hoekstra for her intense lead performance as a sexually promiscuous lost girl in Hemel [+see also:
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interview: Sacha Polak
film profile] and veteran Olga Zuiderhoek for her supporting role in the WWII drama Süskind [+see also:
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film profile].

Dutch Oscar submission Kauwboy [+see also:
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film profile] from director Boudewijn Koole was only nominated in the Best Score category, which it also won. It also received the Award of the Dutch Film Critics.