12/04/2012 - A Rotterdam-set WWII tale from director Ate de Jong will begin filming next month

Dutch director Ate de Jong is going into the final phase of preproduction of his epic WWII romance Het bombardement (The Bombing), which will start shooting in May.

The film recounts the impossible love story of Eva, a young woman who has fled Nazi Germany and who has come to Rotterdam to marry a successful businessman. But once she has arrived in the Netherlands, she falls in love with the youthful boxing talent Vincent and the attraction is mutual.

Their romance is further undermined by the Rotterdam Blitz, which took place on May 14, 1940, when the Nazis bombarded the centre of the port city, a place of strategic importance as Hitler had his eyes set on an invasion of Great-Britain. More than 1,000 died in the aerial bombings and almost 25,000 became homeless. The fires caused by the exploding bombs turned into massive conflagrations due to strong winds.

The boxer Vincent will be played by popular Dutch singer Jan Smit (pictured), for whom this will be his first major role. He will be joined by Roos van Erkel, a theatre actress who will play Eva. She is a last-minute replacement for Noortje Herlaar, who had originally been cast in the role but who’s had to drop out because of scheduling conflicts.

The film will be a return to the director’s chair for Ate de Jong after an absence of ten years. The veteran filmmaker, whose résumé includes US features Drop Dead Fred and All Men Are Mortal, has been more active as a producer lately.

The film will be produced by San Fu Maltha, whose most recent incursion into WWII dramas was the successful Süskind [+see also:
trailer
film profile] from earlier this year as well as such Dutch hit titles Winter in Wartime [+see also:
film review
trailer
film profile] and Black Book [+see also:
trailer
film profile]. Maltha, who will produce through his company Fu Works, will be joined by producers René Huybrechtse and Paul Ruven from Talent United Film & TV. Rotterdam-based In-Soo Productions will co-produce.

Distributor Dutch Film Works already expects to release the film at the end of 2012.