18/07/2013 - The film adaptation of a bestseller by Dutch author Franca Treur goes into production

The conservative and religious south-western province of Zeeland in the Netherlands is the setting for writer Franca Treur's novel Dorsvloer vol confetti (Threshing-Floor Covered in Confetti). Its adaptation for the cinema, directed by Tallulah Schwab, will be filming this July and August in the same province.

The novel tells the story of a 13-year-old girl, Kathelijne, who grows up on a farm in Zeeland with six brothers and two pious parents. She's hardly involved in the work on the farm and has the time to fantasize about the gossip she hears, the stories she reads and the Bible tales she's told. Slowly, her strict upbringing will become undone.

The project has a lot of firsts: It is the first feature for Norwegian-Dutch director Schwab, was Treur's first novel (which won the Selexyx Debut prize and sold over 100,000 copies) and stars newcomer Hendrikje Niewerf in the lead.

The cast is further completed by Suzan Boogaerdt, Tom van Kessel, Clemens Oomes, Daniël de Vries and Thomas de Vries. Chris Westendorp wrote the screenplay and Menno Westendorp will handle cinematography duties.

Entertainment One Benelux will distribute the adaptation of the film in 2014. It is produced by Gijs van de Westelaken for Column Film and received backing from Netherlands Film Fund for both script development (€22,500) and production (€300,000).

It also received a €547,127 grant from the Film Fund's Suppletieregeling Public broadcaster NTR, CoBO Fund, the Belgian Tax Shelter and the special Dutch investment fund that allows private people in the Netherlands to invest in the film and share in the profits.

Photo: Franca Treur