Then it turned into a noisy evening after all: Het Najaarsoverleg. It could be the title of a new Dutch thriller, but it is the annual meeting at Amsterdam cinema Het Ketelhuis, where a room packed with incrowd from the film industry are presented with topical burning issues. Yet last night it took a while for the fire to really flare up.
Dutch Film Festival still relevant?
We were still promised that the Netherlands Film Festival would be put to the test about the relevance of this Utrecht event. Especially now that festivals like the IFFR and IDFA are also increasingly clearly promoting Dutch film, the invitation said.
On stage, however, Willemien van Aalst (outgoing NFF director) and IFFR director Bero Beyer turned out to be far too nice to each other (IDFA unfortunately had to be absent). They did not see each other as competitors, but each had their own profile and way of championing Dutch film culture. Beyer did suggest the great importance of attention to quality and sharp choices, but that did not make things exciting. There were even hints of intentions to cooperate more in the future.
Film year heading for low point
In the second half of the evening, the apparent unity crumbled with lightning speed. Now the Film Fund took centre stage, because of its plans to give more money to fewer films in the coming policy period. Thus, the fund wants to give Dutch cinema a qualityboost deliver.
At the debate table, Film Fund director Doreen Boonekamp saw herself flanked by Anton Scholten (Dutch Professional Association of Film and Television Makers), Marleen Slot (Film Producers Netherlands) and film producer San Fu Maltha. The latter presented himself at his most innocuous here. He did have a critical article written about the Fund that smouldered as a firebomb under the discussion here. As in a real thriller.
Dutch film has that boost urgently needed, according to some, It's been an ailing film year, despite the success of Tonio and the radical jack-in-the-box Layla M., that also appeals internationally. However, Dutch film's market share threatens to hit a disastrous low of 11 to 12 per cent this year.
Bickering film sector
This soon led to discussion with raised voices and recriminations back and forth. It was hardly about the problems and possible measures themselves anymore, but more about the way the sector just cannot manage to come to an agreement. Blames about misquoting, about the (according to some) unfortunate course of events surrounding a meeting with the OCW Committee of the Lower House, whether or not you should talk to politicians outside the Film Fund and who should invite whom. Boonekamp's comment that anyone was always welcome to come and talk was not enough to put out the flames. What exactly is wrong with the Fund also became barely clear in all the confusion.
Maltha suggested that they should now work together constructively in particular, but not after first being told adamantly from the floor that he was only representing himself, so did not belong here behind the table.
Well, suddenly I could understand why Slot had been deeply embarrassed during the consultation with the House committee, where all those differences of opinion had also come to light. Which had tempted Alexander Pechtold to ask whether people from the film industry had each other's business cards.
Rescuer in distress
So who will organise these much-needed talks? That is where the Netherlands Film Festival, which had opened the evening somewhat colourlessly, was able to present itself as a last-minute lifesaver. Willemien van Aalst, who is stepping down in April, saw a clear role for the NFF as a platform for constructive debates. Not just during the festival, but throughout the year. To be continued, then.
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