01/04/2010

Filming started on Monday for Majesteit (“Majesty”), the new film from Dutch director Peter de Baan. The title will look at the current Dutch monarch, Queen Beatrix, in much the same way as Stephen Frears’ Oscar-winning feature about Queen Elizabeth, The Queen [+see also:
film review
trailer
interview: Andy Harries
interview: Stephen Frears
film profile].

De Baan’s film, which was written by his regular collaborator Ger Beukenkamp, is described as a “behind-the-scenes look at the Dutch Royal family in a time when the members of the House of Orange are forced to show their human side. A fascinating, intriguing and revealing film about Queen Beatrix”.

The director and screenwriter previously collaborated on two TV projects about the Dutch Royals. De kroon (“The Crown”), from 2004, concentrated on the current Crown Prince’s relationship with the Argentinean Maxima Zorreguieta (now Princess Maxima), the daughter of one of the government ministers of Argentinean dictator Videla.

2007’s two-parter De Prins en het meisje (“The Prince and the Girl”) looked at the troubled relationship of the Crown Prince’s younger brother, Johan Friso, who fell in love with a girl rumoured to have been involved with an Amsterdam crime boss as well as the Bosnian UN ambassador during the fall of Srebrenica, which should have been protected by Dutch UN soldiers.

Actress Carine Crutzen (von Trotta’s Rosenstrasse [+see also:
trailer
film profile]) will play Beatrix, while Hadewych Minis will reprise her role as Princess Maxima. Gijs Naber has been cast as Crown Prince William Alexander and Marcel Hensema will play Prime Minister Balkenende.

The film, which will be shot in the Netherlands, Belgium and South Africa, is produced by San Fu Maltha of Fu Works and IDTV Film’s Frans van Gestel. Mollywood’s Wilfried van Baelen will act as Belgian co-producer. Dutch broadcaster VARA, the Netherlands Film Fund, the CoBO Fund and the Belgian tax shelter also back the project.

Distributor A-Film will release the film in September.