14/03/2006

Prolific Dutch director Pieter Kuijpers seems to have a taste for absurd yet true crime stories from his native Netherlands: he is about to embark on the shoot of a third film that chronicles such an event, after Godforsaken [+see also:
trailer
film profile], about the Venlo Gang, and Off screen, about a Philips director who was held hostage in Amsterdam’s Rembrandt Tower. Kuijpers’ new project is called Dennis P., after the main character and the Dutch habit of giving crime suspects some privacy by not revealing their entire last name.

P. was arrested in Mexico several years ago for having walked out of his former Amsterdam-based employer Gassan Diamonds with €2.5m worth of precious stones stuffed in a microwave box. He committed the act to express his love for the aptly named Tiffany, a prostitute to whom he lost his virginity. The thief will be played by Edo Brunner, a TV actor who has scored his first big role for the cinema in Kuijpers’ new film. Nadja Hüpscher, a regular of Eddy Terstall’s films, including the 2004 Oscar submission Simon, will play Tiffany, while renowned TV and stage actor John Leddy will play P.’s father

The screenplay was written by Paul Jan Nelissen, who already co-wrote Godforsaken with Kuijpers. Originally planned for last autumn, the shoot will now start later this month. The film is a Pupkin Film production and will be distributed by RCV Film Distribution in early 2007. Kuijpers’ last film was the children’s horror filmThe Horror Bus, which came out in December and was awarded a Golden Film for having sold over 100,000 tickets.