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Dutch Co-Pros Selected For Toronto

Dutch cinema is well represented at the upcoming edition of the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF). Two Dutch short films will have their world premiere in the Short Cuts competition of TIFF: Marlon Brando and Pilar. In addition, two Dutch minority co-productions will be presented: Another Round and Quo Vadis, Aida?

Marlon Brando*) is a live action short film directed by Vincent Tilanus and produced by Room for Film. The film is also selected for the special edition of Cannes Semaine de la Critique, which will take place in autumn 2020. In Marlon Brandohigh school students Cas and Naomi, both gay, prefer to spend their days together. But when their future plans seem to drive them apart, their relationship will be put at risk.

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).

Pilar*) is an animated short directed by Yngwie Boley, J.J. Epping and Diana van Houten. The film is an international co-production of il Luster Films (NL) with the Belgian S.O.I.L. A confrontation with a dangerous intruder gives Pilar the opportunity to discover the wild animal within herself and the opportunity to escape the post-apocalyptic village in which she lives.

The film is hand painted on a canvas background, an animation style and technique they developed for their debut film Spellbreaker (2013). Spellbreaker has been well received internationally. Furthermore, the directors worked on various productions such as the Amazon animation series Undone*), directed by Hisko Hulsing. il Luster Films produced internationally acclaimed short animations such as Barcode*) (Adriaan Lokman) and Junkyard*), directed by Hisko Hulsing. Together with S.O.I.L. they produced Oh Willy*), which won over 75 international awards. Currently they are working on short animation The Unknown Soldier*) and Nayola*); an animated feature film by José Miguel Ribeiro about the civil war in Angola.

The Toronto International Film Festival previously announced its feature film line-up. Dutch minority co-productions Another Round and Quo Vadis, Aida? are among the 50 titles selected for the festival.

Another Round*) (original title: Druk) by Danish director Thomas Vinterberg is co-produced by the Netherlands based Topkapi Films. The film, which has received the Cannes 2020 label, has also been selected for the San Sebastian International Film Festival's Official Selection where it will compete for the Golden Shell. TrustNordisk are handling sales.

Another Round 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.

Quo Vadis, Aida?*) by Jasmila Žbanić (Bosnia) is co-produced by N279 Entertainment (NL) and international sales are handled by Indie Sales. The film is set to world premiere in Venice's main competition Venezia 77.

Based on real events, the film is set in the Bosnian summer of 1995 during the Serbian occupation of Srebrenica. Aida works as a translator for the United Nations peacekeeping task force who operates a camp where her husband and two sons are being held along with thousands of other Bosnian citizens. Aida quickly gains access to crucial information she needs to translate. As the Serbian army's threat to overtake the camp escalates, the horizon for Aida's family and community gets out of hand.

Both Another Round and Quo Vadis, Aida? have been supported by the Netherlands Film Fund.

The 45th Toronto International Film Festival runs September 10-19, 2020: www.tiff.net

Source: See NL