Support for six Dutch minority co-productions

In the second round of 2021 six Dutch minority co-productions will receive support for realisation through our selective funding scheme: one documentary, four feature films and one short animation. The scheme support co-productions with a substantial creative and technical contribution from the Netherlands.

The projects are:

Nice Ladies, documentary

Director: Mariia Ponomarova
Script: Mariia Ponomarova
Producer: TABOR Production (UA)
Co-producer: DOCDAYS Productions (DE), Dutch Mountain Film (NL)
Logline: A team of elderly cheerleaders called ‘Nice Ladies’ from Eastern Ukraine are preparing to compete at the European championship. However, they have to win not just against their younger competitors in the only available ‘25+’ category, but also against prejudices and lack of support from relatives at home and social constructs of female cult of beauty at large.
Granted support: € 50.000

Esimde, feature film

Director: Aktan Arym Kubat
Script: Aktan Arym Kubat
Producer: Oy Film Art (KG)
Co-producer: Volya Films (NL), Bitters End (JP), Mandra Films (FR)
Logline: After 20 years of wandering, Atantai, the former janitor who lost his memory, returns home and disrupts with his presence the usual way of life of his native village...
Granted support: € 100.000

Kalak, feature film

Director: Isabella Eklöf
Script: Kim Leine Rasmussen, Sissel Dalsgaard Thomsen, Isabella Eklöf
Producer: Manna Film (DK)
Co-producer: Momento Film (SE), Mer Film (NO), Lemming Film (NL), Polarama (GL)
Logline: Greenland in the 90s. Jan, a nurse and family man, is continuously on the run from himself after being sexually abused by his father as a teenager. After moving to Nuuk, Greenland, he slowly loses himself in the temptations of the open and collectivist culture. Based on a true story.
Granted support: € 175.000

Rheingold, feature film

Director: Fatih Akin
Script: Fatih Akin
Producer: Bombero International (DE, FR, IT)
Co-producer: Lemming Film (NL)
Logline: Rheingold tells the story of how a young Kurdish refugee grows up to be one of Germany's leading music producers. The boy, Xatar, flees the islamic revolution in Iran with his family to go study in Germany. Never really being able to find footing in the country, he increasingly begins to mingle in criminal circles, until he ends up in an Iraqi jail following a large gold theft. There, his musical career starts.
Granted support: € 250.000

Utopia, feature film

Director: Juri Rechinsky
Script: Juri Rechinsky
Producer: Horse&Fruits Filmproduktion (AT)
Co-producer: Revolver Amsterdam (NL), Pronto Film (UA)
Logline: One ordinary night in a contemporary city, due to a catastrophic incident of unknown nature, an ensemble of people is going through an extraordinary experience of one-night-long enlightenment.
Granted support: € 110.000

Beautiful Men, short animation

Director: Nicolas Keppens
Script: Nicolas Keppens
Producer: Animal Tank (BE)
Co-producer: Ka-Ching Cartoons (NL)
Logline: Three brothers going bald, travel to Istanbul to have hairtransplants. They are stuck with each other in a hotel far from home, their insecurity grows faster than their hair.
Granted support: € 30.000

The next deadline for Minority co-production feature film and documentary and Minority co-production short animation & research and experiment will be on 30 August, 2021.

Image: Nice Ladies, Utopia, Beautiful Men