International coproductions Mitra and Do Not Hesitate selected for Dutch Crossover
Mitra
Director & script: Kaweh Modiri
Producer: BALDR Film
Co-producers: CZAR (Belgium), in Good Company (Germany)
Logline: 35 years after her daughter’s execution in Iran, Haleh discovers the woman who betrayed her.
This is Kaweh Modiri’s (1982, Iran) second feature film. His debut, Bodkin Ras, won the FIPRESCI Award at International Film Festival Rotterdam in 2016. The North-American premiere of the film took place at SXSW in Austin, Texas in the same year. Producer Frank Hoeve of BALDR Film is the Dutch Producer on the Move at Cannes Film Festival this year.
Do Not Hesitate
Director: Shariff Korver
Script: Jolein Laarman
Producer: Lemming Film
Co-producers: A Private View (Belgium), Diafragma (Colombia)
Logine: After the sudden disappearance of their superior, three young soldiers are left to guard a military vehicle by themselves. As their situation and the scorching desert heat renders them increasingly disconnected from reality, an encounter with a local boy escalates into a fight that will mark their lives forever.
Do Not Hesitate is the second feature film by director Shariff Korver (1982, Venezuela). His first film Infiltrant premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2014. Script is by Jolein Laarman (Disappearance, Kauwboy) and the film is produced by Lemming Film. The project was selected for the Berlinale Co-Production Market in 2016.
The teams of both projects were previously funded by the Netherlands Film Fund International Talent Program to develop their feature film projects. In addition to the development funding, the teams received support from leading international industry experts.
With Dutch Crossover the Fund supports productions of auteur film makers with high cultural value, which are internationally distinctive and have the potential to reach a minimum of 50.000 visitors in cinema.
Formerly backed Dutch Crossover projects include: Layla M. (director Mijke de Jong, script Jan Eilander and Mijke de Jong, producer Topkapi Films), the Dutch bid for the best foreign-language film category of the Oscars, Tonio (director Paula van der Oest, script Hugo Heinen, producer NL Film & TV), Tulipani (director Mike van Diem, script Peter van Wijk, producer Fatt Productions), Brimstone (director and script Martin Koolhoven, producer N279 Entertainment), Beyond Sleep (director and script Boudewijn Koole, producer KeyFilm), Bram Fischer (director and script Jean van de Velde, producer Cool Beans) and Dorst (Saskia Diesing, producer KeyFilm).