Death on Dutch screens
Two films by Dutch directors come out today: Alex van Warmerdam’s fiction feature The Last Days of Emma Blank [+see also:
interview: The Last Days of Emma Blank…
film profile] and Jiska Rickels’ second documentary, Babaji: An Indian Love Story.
The Last Days of Emma Blank is Van Warmerdam’s latest tragicomedy, this time situated in the austere seaside villa of the title character. The old lady of the house (Marlies Heuer), who is dying of cancer, turns into a small dictator for her servants, who one day decide to rebel.
The film was written by the director, who also co-stars, and produced by Marc van Warmerdam, the director’s brother, for Graniet Film. Belgian production outfit La Parti Production co-produced, like Van Warmerdam’s previous feature, Waiter [+see also:
trailer
film profile].
International sales are handled by Fortissimo. A-Film Distribution will launch the film on 22 screens in the Netherlands, with Belgium following a week later.
Interestingly, Richels’ documentary also tells the story of an aged person waiting for death. Babaji, a 107-year-old Indian Shaman, is the subject of this poetic documentary that premiered at the International Film Festival Rotterdam in January.
Rickels’ first feature length documentary, Four Elements, garnered over 10,000 admissions in the Netherlands in 2006. Her latest film was shot independently in India over just thirty days and will be released in seven cinemas, courtesy of the Dutch arm of Cinéart .
Other European titles released in the Netherlands today include Pupi Avati’s Giovanna’s Father (Cinemien) and last year’s Cannes Un certain regard winner Tulpan [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] (Filmmuseum). Both will be released on nine screens.
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