Dutch Documentary and XR-Productions Selected for Venice Film Festival

The Dutch film Kabul, Between Prayers and the immersive productions The Great Orator and Ancestors have been selected for the 82nd edition of the Venice International Film Festival. In addition, several Dutch co-productions will be screened at the festival, which takes place from August 27 to September 6.

The documentary Kabul, Between Prayers*, directed and written by Aboozar Amini, will have its world premiere in the festival’s prestigious main program, out of competition. The film is produced by Jia Zhao of Silk Road Film Salon in co-production with Clin d’Oeil Films (Belgium).

Kabul, Between Prayers* is Amini’s second feature-length documentary. His debut, Kabul, City in the Wind*, had its world premiere in 2018 as the official opening film of IDFA, where it won the Award for Best First Appearance.

Also selected for out-of-competition screenings are two minority co-productions. The first is the French/Dutch/German series Etty*, directed by Hagai Levi and co-produced by Topkapi Films. This largely Dutch-language historical drama series is set in Nazi-occupied Amsterdam during World War II and tells the story of Jewish author Etty Hillesum. The documentary Landmarks* (original title: Nuestra Tierra) by Argentine filmmaker Lucrecia Martel, co-produced by Lemming Film, will also be presented in the Out of Competition section.

The festival had previously announced its Venice Immersive lineup. As in previous years, the Netherlands is well represented in this section for immersive experiences. The Great Orator* by Daniel Ernst will have its world premiere in the Venice Immersive Competition, while Ancestors* by Steye Hallema, produced by The Smartphone Orchestra, is featured in the non-competitive Best of Experiences section.

Two other VR projects co-produced with the Netherlands will also compete in the Venice Immersive Competition: A Long Goodbye* by Kate Voet and Victor Maes (Belgium), a co-production of Valk Productions, and Mirage by Netherlands-based creators Naima Karim and Aleena Hanif.

Finally, the short film Unavailable, directed by Ukrainian filmmaker Kyrylo Zemlyanyi and co-produced by CineSud, has been selected for the Orizzonti Short Films International Competition.

* Supported by the Netherlands Film Fund

Source: SEE NL
Image: Kabul, Between Prayers