:vorige::index::volgende:

32nd International Film Festival Rotterdam
here now for all ages,
More Fun Fare on the horizon for Dutch kids,
And Dutch Specialists Choose Top Ten Films from Last Generation.

(January 2003)

  • The 32nd edition of the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFRR) will be running from January 22nd through February 2nd in (where else?) Rotterdam. Too much to tell in short, you can get a better scope of the films and events on offer at this cutting-edge festival at: www.filmfestivalrotterdam.com.

  • "The Night of Bad Taste" will premiere this year on the 31st of January at the Old Luxor Theatre in Rotterdam during the Rotterdam Film Festival. Touring several cities throughout Holland with such veritable delights (for those with a penchant for abominable taste) are "Caligula, the Untold Story" and "Excesses in the Torture Dungeon" as well as such old favorites (for those who remember them) as "Gorgo", and "Blackula". (Say, Jan, did you ever consider digging up a copy of Andy Milligan's "Dragula"?) Further info available regarding the 2003 edition at: www.filmevents.nl.

  • Ladies and gentlemen, the Netherlands Filmmuseum is pleased to announce the first edition of the Netherlands Filmmuseum Biennial, which will take place from April 23rd through the 27th. The central theme for this initial year will be the silent film with its musical accompaniment, all this offered under the title of "See the Sound, Hear the Image". Taking place in several locations, this eventful event will be screening such rare items as "Zeemansvrouwen" (the first Dutch sound film) which will now be accompanied by the music of contemporary composer Henny Vrienten. Further information will follow in the TGH BUZZ for April, or you can check it out directly at www.filmmuseum.nl as well as, after March 15th, www.filmmuseum.nl/biennale.

  • "Pietje Bell", the Dutch children's film based upon the book by Chris van Abkoude and directed by Maria Peters ("Kruimeltje") previewed last November and scored a Platinum award mid-December for selling more than 200,000 tickets. Considering that the film has only been screened at matinees and early evening performances, little Pete seems to be holding his own against the number one boy in Holland at the moment, Harry Potter. Previous winners of this Dutch attendance award have been "Nynke", "Costa!", "The Discovery of Heaven", "Minoes", "Full Moon", and "Ja Zuster, Nee Zuster".

  • Films about and for kids seem to have become one of the sure bets in the minds of many Dutch film producers. It should be no wonder, therefore, that "Kees de Jongen", Dutch author Theo Thijssen's classic novel about childhood, is soon to be realized as a movie. Producer Matthijs van Heijningen has placed the responsibility for this family film in the hands of director André van Duren ("Mariken", "Richting Engeland", Verhaal van Kees"). The Dutch/German/English co-production is budgeted at just above 3.5 million Euros and scheduled for release during Christmas of 2003. For those unfamiliar with Theo Thijssen's (1879-1943) work as writer, teacher, and member of the Amsterdam City Council, there is a quaint and informative museum dedicated to the man that can be visited in the "Jordaan" area of the capital city.

  • Dutch film magazine "Skrien" has announced that, according to several critics, directors and other professionals approached for opinions, Francis Ford Coppola's "Apocalypse Now" has been voted the Best Film made during the past 25 years. Of course, this is a powerful product for any film to contend with, but it would seem that many masterpieces were unfortunately allowed to fall by the wayside of the top ten finalists. TGH would like to take one moment to mourn the absence of such astonishing classics as "Days of Heaven", "Moulin Rouge", "Memento" and "The Thin Red Line". The top 10 cinematic choices that managed to find windmill appeal were:
    1. "Apocalypse Now" (Francis Ford Coppola, 1979)
    2. "In the Mood for Love" (Wong Kar-wai, 2000)
    3. "Blue Velvet" (David Lynch, 1986)
    4. "Magnolia" (Paul Thomas Anderson, 2000)
    5. "Decalogue"-series (Krzysztof Kieslowski, 1988)
    6. "Goodfellas" (Martin Scorsese, 1990)
    7. "Der Himmel uber Berlin" (Wim Wenders, 1987)
    8. "Stalker" (Andrej Tarkovski, 1979)
    9. "Pulp Fiction" (Quentin Tarantino, 1994)
    10. "Die Ehe der Maria Braun" (Rainer Werner Fassbinder, 1978).
    Oh, well, it's all only a question of taste, after all.

  • The European premiere of the IMAX film "Coral Reef" takes place on February 20th at the Omniversum in The Hague. Magnificent, and colorful shots of underwater nature in Fiji, Tahiti, Rangiroa and, naturally, the Great Barrier Reef in Australia will surround the viewer as far as the eye can see. The importance of these territories to both to man and beast cannot be emphasized enough because the Coral Reef plays an important and integral role in all our lives with regard to the creation of food, the state of the economy, and the insurance of safety. The Omniversum cinema has made arrangements to support the World Nature Fund by assisting to bring the situation surrounding the Coral Reef to the attention of the public during the screening period of this film. If sufficient action is not taken soon to insure the survival of the reef, thirty percent of which is already irreparably damaged, the cost to mankind could ultimately become catastrophic. There will also be a photo exhibition about the Coral Reef on display in the cinema. Further information available at www.omniversum.nl.

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