Real and fictional lives at the 2008 DFF
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The national film showcase of the Netherlands, the Dutch Film Festival (DFF), will kick off on September 24 in the central city of Utrecht with the world premiere of Het echte leven (“Real Life”) by Robert-Jan Westdijk (Little Sister).
Traditionally held during the fourth week of September, the DFF gives an overview of a year’s worth of local fiction, documentary and short films.
The festival will end on October 3 with the awards ceremony of the Golden Calves, the Dutch national film prizes.
Two titles that will unspool at San Sebastian at around the same time are also part of the Golden Calves competition: Heddy Honigmann’s documentary El Olvido, shot in Peru, and Arno Dierickx’ fiction film Blood Brothers, inspired by true events that occurred in the Netherlands in the 1960s.
Other highly anticipated titles include Eugenie Jansen’s documentary-fiction hybrid Calimucho, which follows a small family circus; Mijke de Jong’s Katia’s Sister, which was in competition at the Locarno Film Festival, and veteran director Eddy Terstall’s political tale Vox Populi.
There is also room for Dutch-language fare from Flanders, with Belgian films screening in Utrecht including the smash hit Moscow, Belgium [trailer] by Christophe van Rompaey, Jan Verheyen’s Los and Geoffrey Enthoven’s Happy Together.
This year’s guest of honour is Monic Hendrickx. The festival will screen over twenty films from the 41-year-old Dutch actress’ filmography.
Boyd van Hoeij