Selection announced of BoostNL, New Dutch, Stories & Beyond and Talent en Route.
Thirty-one highly promising and ambitious new feature projects from across the globe will be presented at Holland Film Meeting, an event long established as one of Europe’s must-attend co-production meetings, and an essential bridge between the Dutch and international film industries. The Holland Film meeting will take place during the Netherlands Film Festival from 26th of September till the 1st of October 2020.
In 2020 the Meeting goes fully online, which guarantees wide professional engagement from all corners of the globe, from Seoul to Los Angeles, from Helsinki to Cape Town. All projects are eligible for no less than four development awards during this year’s HFM.
BoostNL Selection
The fifth edition of BoostNL, the tailor-made professional programme run in collaboration with IFFR CineMart, will offer essential industry exposure to 8 new projects from The Netherlands, Brazil, Argentina, Egypt and Georgia. Once again, special attention will be paid to script development as well as advice on festival, sales and marketing strategies. International experts such as Jane Tattersall (sound designer, The Handmaid’s Tale), industry experts Hayet Benkara (Locarno Pro, TIFF) and Ludmila Cvikova (IFFR Pro), marketing professionals Sergina Stavroulaki (Heretic Outreach, Greece), Mathias Noschis (Alphapanda, Germany) and Debbie Rowland (We Are The Tonic, UK) will guide the creative and professional development of the projects selected.
The 5-month BoostNL programme, which kicks off online at HFM before concluding at IFFR in January 2021, has become a renowned platform for the development of acclaimed audiovisual works, such as The Reports on Sarah and Saleem (Muayad & Rami Alayan), Pleasure (Ninja Thyberg) and Sacha Polak’s Dirty God. La última primavera by Isabel Lamberti was part of BoostNL 2018 and HFM 2019, will have its physical world premiere in San Sebastian this fall (after an online premiere at this year’s Cannes) and is selected for the Golden Calf Awards 2020.
New Dutch Selection
New this year are the expert sessions designed to further develop the projects in the New Dutch selection. Experts are sought specifically in correspondence with each project’s individual creative needs. The expertise will not just come from people within the industry, but far outside of that box as well, such as a psychologist, anthropologist, musician, theologian, philosopher, detective, and child therapist. Jeffrey Waldron (cinematographer, Dear White People), music supervisor Laura Bell, sales agent Marcin Luczaj (New Europe Film Sales, Poland), financier Jay Burnley (Slated, USA), and innovative story expert Paul Tyler (LEGO script mapping, UK) will join to consult and inspire the project participants.
Nine projects have been selected for New Dutch 2020, comprising new works from some of the Netherlands key power outfits, such as Topkapi, IJswater Films and Revolver Amsterdam. Other selections include Erik van Schaaik’s feature-length animation Nosferatu Reanimated, the documentary Candy directed by Carin Goeijers, and Tamara Shogaolu’s interactive animated project Anouschka.
Stories & Beyond Selection
In Stories & Beyond 2020, HFM trains the spotlight on the writing and producing talents from The Netherlands (5 projects) and three focus countries; the UK (2), Ireland (4) and Germany (3). The Dutch projects include the Elbert van Strien/Ben Hopkins-penned Mindhack, to be directed by Van Strien, and The Clock, based on an original script by the late Dutch master George Sluizer.
Award-winning writer/director Christopher Rainer will present his German-Austrian Monument, while Irish screenwriter Deborah Grimes presents Oileán. Among the two UK projects is Brutes, produced by Jessie Mangum who also produced the Michael Winterbottom-directed The Trip hit series, and directed by Lucy Brydon, whose debut feature Body of Water is slated for UK theatrical release this autumn.
Talent en Route Selection
The Talents en Route programme for 2020 presents two dynamic young producers and two highly promising writer/directors from the Netherlands. Under the assured guidance of Hayet Benkara, they will be presented to leading international experts and influencers during online HFM with a view to taking their work to the next level.
Producers
Tom van Blommestein (Lemming Film)
Chris Stenger (Family Affair Films)
Directors
Ashgan El-Hamus (Birdland)
Aiman Hassani (Maar je achternaam is toch Marokkaans)
Previously a creative producer at NL Film, Tom van Blommestein currently works at Lemming Film where he focuses on the production of drama series with an international focus as well as commercial films. Since graduating from the Netherlands Film Academy in 2014, Chris Stenger has worked for production company Family Affair Films, focusing on new talent and animation. She produced the short stop-motion film Human Nature, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2019 and was also nominated for a Golden Calf Award.
Ashgan El-Hamus graduated from the Netherlands Film Academy in screenplay in 2017. She wrote both seasons of the popular youth series SKAM NL and her directorial debut Birdland, which she also wrote, will premiere at the upcoming Netherlands Film Festival, competing in the Golden Calf Short and NFF Debut Competitions. Self-taught filmmaker Aiman Hassani made the SHORT! #YOLO4REAL, the Teledoc Campus film Maar je achternaam is toch Marokkaans, and Centraal Khata, which premiered consecutively at NFF 2017, 2018 and 2019. Centraal Khata was the Dutch entry for the International Emmy Awards.
Two other Emerging Dutch talents to be presented at HFM 2020 are director Isaura Sanwirjatmo (#gamechangers), who is nominated for the 2020 Golden Calf for Best Interactive, and screenwriter Shafelly Snijders (Toen wij uit Suriname kwamen), recipient of a Novice screenwriters grant (Ateliers) an intensive coaching programme from the Netherlands Film Fund.
Chatelin Bruno 
