Gangsterboys plunder box office
A new local comedy booked surprisingly good results when it opened last week in the Netherlands. Gangsterboys by director Paul Ruven opened on only 39 screens but had the third highest screen average after the Hollywood behemoths Avatar and Shutter Island.
The Theorema Films production, released by Independent Films, tells the story of two fumbling small-time crooks, Turkish Mahmut (Önder Dogan) and half-Turkish Apo (rapper Yes-R), who dream of becoming real gangsters and of winning a local rap battle. The film was co-written by Orhan Sahin, who also produced alongside René Huybrechtse and the director.
The other local release was Berlinale Generation title Eep!, directed by Rita Horst, who had her name taken off the credits when producers insisted the film be shortened. The story of a childless couple (Joke Tjalsma, Huub Stapel) who find a creature that’s half bird, half little girl and take it under their wings is based on Joke van Leeuwen’s youth novel.
The Lemming Film production, also released by Independent Films, went out on 87 screens and averaged a decent €2,056 per screen during its first weekend (compared to over €6,200 for Gangsterboys).
Today’s new releases include a Dutch film and an international co-production. The eye Film Instituut, formerly Filmmuseum, releases Tsai-Ming Liang’s Visage [+see also:
trailer
film profile] on two screens. The film was co-produced by Amsterdam-based Circe Films and received backing from the Netherlands Film Fund.
Hunting & Zn. [+see also:
trailer
film profile], directed by Sander Burger and produced by Trent for NFI, hits three screens today courtesy of BFD. The film, about a couple dealing with a pregnancy, stars Dragan Bakema and Maria Kraakman, who co-authored the screenplay and also starred in Burger’s first feature, Olivier etc..
The film premiered at the recent International Film Festival Rotterdam and will also be screening at the prestigious New Directors/New Films series at the Lincoln Center in New York. It will be the first Dutch feature to screen there in 20 years.
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