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Dutch films selected for Cannes 2020

Films from the Netherlands feature prominently at Cannes 2020, despite the decision to cancel the festival due to the ongoing pandemic and the selected films will be presented at alternative events.

Isabel Lamberti's debut feature drama Last Days of Spring (La última primavera) has been selected for Cannes ACID 2020. In a shanty town near Madrid, the inhabitants are forced to leave their self-constructed homes because the land they live on has been sold. While this process slowly unfolds, the different members of the Spanish family Gabarre-Mendoza each struggle, in their own way, with their lives in transition.

Produced by Steven Rubinstein Malamud and Marc Bary for IJswater Films, the Spanish-language film is co-produced by Tourmalet Films (ES).

The films selected for ACID will be presented to the public, at events in France, starting in Paris at Le Louxor from 25 to 29 September.

The live action short Marlon Brando, directed by Vincent Tilanus is selected for the prestigious Semaine de la Critique (Critics Week) section. The film tells the story of seventeen-year-old best friends Cas and Naomi, who both identify as gay. They are graduating from high school and spend every second of their days together. Within their friendship, they experience a feeling of ultimate safety. But when their future plans seem to drive them apart, their relationship is put at risk, and the affectionate Cas must dare to be alone.

Vincent Tilanus graduated from the Netherlands Film Academy in 2018 with his film Gold Leaf which won the Prix Amnesty International France at the Poitiers Film Festival. Producers Loes Komen and Eva Verweij (Room for Film) won a Student Oscar for When Grey is a Colour (Marit Weerheijm).

Semaine de la Critique will present the films in their 2020 selection to audiences in several cities in France in autumn. Semaine de la Critique will present the films in their 2020 selection to audiences in several cities in France, Czech Republic and the United States in autumn. Furthermore, the 10 filmmakers of this year's programme will be invited in December 2020 to take part in the Next Step workshop, whose purpose is to assist short film directors towards making feature films. Since its inception the workshop launched and led by Rémi Bonhomme has supported 55 filmmakers from 29 different countries.

Two Dutch minority co-productions are selected for Cannes International Film Festival - Cannes 2020 label.

Danish Thomas Vinterberg's Another Round (Druk) is produced by Zentropa Entertainments and co-produced by Amsterdam-based Topkapi Films (sales: TrustNordisk). The film has its starting point in the theory that we should be born with a small amount of alcohol in our blood, and that modest inebriation opens our minds to the world around us, diminishing our problems and increasing our creativity. Heartened by that theory, Martin and three of his friends, all weary high school teachers, embark on an experiment to maintain a constant level of intoxication throughout the working day.

Pleasure by Ninja Thyberg (Plattform Produktion, Sweden) is co-produced by Lemming Film (sales: Versatile). The debut feature is a journey into the American porn industry and follows 20-year-old Bella from Sweden, who arrives in Los Angeles with the dream of becoming the next big porn star. The film is raw but offers both a human and humorous portrayal of a male-dominated world seen from a female perspective.

Selected for Cinefondation's Atelier is Dan Geesin & Esther Rots's A Fucked up Tribute to Motherly Love. Between June 23 and 25 the filmmakers will engage in a series of online meetings with potential financiers and co-producers.
Synopsis: Samuel Dirk (48) is a recently divorced piano tuner, who is still trying to wriggle out from under his mother's dreams. Even a sexually charged trip to Belgium is not enough to extinguish the fires of his mother's expectations, ultimately boiling over with fatal consequences.

All of the above-mentioned films have been supported by the Netherlands Film Fund.

Image: Last Days of Spring by Isabel Lamberti