06/11/2008

Last week was an exceptionally good week for Dutch cinema, with four Dutch films in the box office top five. Three of the films were aimed at children or adolescents, while the epic romance Bride Flight [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Ben Sombogaart
interview: Hanneke Niens
film profile] (see Focus) targeted adult filmgoers.

Saint Nicholas and the Secret of the Big Book from director Martijn van Nellestijn is part of what by now has become a tradition: a Saint Nicholas-themed film aimed at the youngest kids, released at the end of the year. The RCV release stands at almost €900,000 after four weeks, with another spike to be expected for the first week of December, just before the Saint Nicholas holiday.

Radeloos and Anubis en het pad der zeven zonden [+see also:
trailer
film profile], RCV and Independent Films releases respectively, are both aimed at youngsters and based on existing properties. Dave Schram’s Radeloos is based on a popular youth novel and has made almost €1.7m since its release five weeks ago. Anubis, directed by Dennis Bots and based on a popular TV series, has made over €3m in its four weeks on Dutch screens.

The romantic drama Bride Flight was the only local film aimed at adults in the top five. The film directed by Ben Sombogaart and starring Waldemar Torenstra and Karina Smulders stands at €1.2m in its third week of release. All four local hits are playing on roughly 100 screens each.

Highly anticipated upcoming Dutch films that will be released soon include the youth drama Winter of War from director Martin Koolhoven (Schnitzel Paradise [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Martin Khoolhoven
interview: Mimoun Oaïssa
film profile], see Focus), slated for a late November release through Benelux Film Distributors, and the Africa-set drama White Light from Jean van de Velde, which will hit screens early December courtesy of Independent Films.