26/02/2008

Production starts today in Zeeland on Dutch director Digna Sinke’s new film Atlantis, her first fiction feature since the costume drama Belle van Zuylen from 1993.

Atlantis centres on the shy 13-year-old Xenia (Pitou Nicolaes), who doesn’t feel at home in our overregulated society. Searching for her own place, she discovers an island where time does not seem to exist and where she might find the key to her future.

The screenplay of this flight of fancy was written by the 58-year-old director, who, besides newcomer Nicolaes, has cast Annemarie Prins (Iles flottantes), Yorrin Kootstra and Ria Marks.

Atlantis is produced by Waterland Film & TV in co-production with the Buddhist broadcast network BOS and with backing from the CoBO fund, the Stimuleringsfonds Nederlandse Culturele Omroepproducties, the ThuiskopieFonds and the Dutch Film Fund.

The latter awarded it €453,780 towards production costs last September as part of its new supplement regulation that offers the remainder of the budget for productions that have at least 65% of their financing in place.

The film is being readied for a 2009 domestic release though A-film.