News

Director Emma Branderhorst has won the Gold Young Director Award for her short film ‘Ma Mère et Moi’ at the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity. The film is written by Nena van Driel and produced by Maaike Neve, Joram Willink and Piet-Harm Sterk. 

On June 5 the construction of the new harbor experience center Portlantis in Rotterdam was started, a project by Piet-Harm Sterk. Piet-Harm has been preparing this project for 6 years and is the creative director. Portlantis will succeed FutureLand with a modern and interactive information center by the end of 2024 with a brand new building and interior.

An exhibit on food culture and food production recently opened at the Groote Museum in Artis. It plays with themes such as the menu of the future, protecting our food culture and the effects on the world around us. One of the films in this new installation is about food in the future, another about responsible ways of producing food.

We may develop our Telefilm plan FOUL, by Rosita Wolkers and Milou Rohde, in collaboration with the NTR.

We recently sold the rights of Mascotte to Sumerian, an independent entertainment company in the United States. Sumerian plans a limited theatrical release this year under the English title Fortunate Son.

Review Sumerian: “A dark, brutally authentic and beautifully shot independent film, centered around troubled youth in unorthodox households. It will undoubtedly strike a nerve with audiences who appreciate gritty arthouse drama, as it did with me.” -Ads Avildsen, CEO of Sumerian Films.

El Houb wins the Zilveren Krulstaart for the best screenplay for a feature film. Writers Shariff Nasr and Philip Delmaar accepted the prize.

The shooting for the new feature film ‘I Accidentally Wrote a Book’ in Hungary has started. At the end of last year we received a realization contribution from the Dutch Film Fund for this and we were also awarded a subsidy from Eurimages. The feature film is based on the well-known Dutch children’s book, ‘Hoe ik per ongeluk een boek schreef’, written by Annet Huizing. The feature film is directed by Nóra Lakos and produced by Claudia Sümeghy. BIND is the proud co-producer.

We recently placed a picture lock on our new four-part documentary series De Butlers, a BIND production in co-production with VPRO supported by the NPO Fund and Limburg Film Fund. Screenplay and direction by Marlies Smeenge, Creative producer BIND by Esther van Driesum and editing by Saskia Kievits.

We are over the moon! Our new short film Ma Mère et Moi (directed by Emma Branderhorst and written by Nena van Driel) will celebrate its world premiere 73rd Berlin International Film Festival 2023 – Generation 14plus.

The first feature film by Steven Wouterlood, based on the award-winning book by Anna Woltz, premiered at the Berlinale and also wins the Special Mention of the Generation Plus International Jury at Berlinale! The jury came up with a fantastic statement:

“The Special Mention goes to a unique tale that tactfully explores difficult discussions around mortality, loss and trying to find one’s place in the world within an uplifting coming of age story full of light and infectious joy. This film teaches us about the importance of connection. It is full of surprises, humor and is accessible for all generations.”

During the festival a number of reviews appeared, including Variety:

“Winner of the Special Mention from the Berlinale Generation KPlus adult jury, the family-friendly, light drama My Extraordinary Summer with Tess is straightforward youth cinema with surprising emotional depth.” 

After being selected for the official Dutch entry for the Academy Awards, our film Nothing to Declare has won the honourable National Hollywood Silver Screen Prize at the film festival of the same name in Los Angeles!

Our short fiction film Don’t go to sea, directed by Sander Burger and based on a story by Tommy Wieringa, has been selected for the competition of the International Short Film Festival of Busan.

The festival in South Korea is the most renowned festival in Asia. The Busan International Short Film Festival takes place at the end of April.

Good news! In collaboration with the Teledoc Campus, green light has been giving for the realisation of our new documentary Huidhonger (English title: ‘Skin Hunger’). Together with director Lieza Röben, we will be working hard on this ode to touch. 

The film portrays people who experience a lack of touch, sometimes resulting in a strong desire. The need for physical contact is anchored in people; a simple touch can evoke a range of emotions that are stored in the skin.

On Wednesday, 24th of October, we will begin shooting of our documentary Personae, directed by Maartje Bakers. A small crew will record the subway commute on metro lines 53 and 54.

Personae shows women during their morning ritual. The documentary is directed by Maartje Bakers (Dik, Dansmariekes) and is being produced as part of the Teledoc Campus. BIND has received permission from the GVB to shoot on the subway. The film will eventually be broadcasted by BNN/VARA and screened at various film festivals. The film will also be available online at the public broadcaster.

Our short fiction film Nothing to Declare, under the direction of Hetty de Kruijf, has been selected to be submitted on behalf of the Netherlands for the upcoming Academy Awards in the category Best Live Action Short Film. The film was selected by an independent jury of Dutch film professionals.

In Nothing to Declare we follow three young refugees in the cargo hold of a truck, on their way to a new future in Europe. During their bizarre journey they share their stories, hopes and dreams. Moments of friendship, warmth and intimacy come together with the horrible reality. In this twilight zone between a new and an old existence, the question is whether they will reach their final destination.

The story of Nothing to Declare is inspired by the life stories of Khales Warrak, Rama Taher and Yazan Al-Hakim, who also play the lead roles in the film. Bastiaan Kroeger wrote te screenplay for the film. Julia Rombout (July Film) and Tessa Beijer produced the film together with Joram Willink. Nothing to Declare will have its world premiere at the Dutch Film Festival in Utrecht in September.

The short children’s film, Koningsdag (King’s Day), has been selected to compete at the prestigious Toronto International Film Festival Kids. This sure brings back memories – this is where the victory tour of  Alles Mag once began. The same team of the director, writers, producers, cameraman, art department, editor, sound design etc. collaborated to make Koningsdag. In 2014, Alles Mag won the jury prize at this festival, an honour that was followed by many other awards, including the International Emmy Award. The film festival will be held in April 2016.

http://tiff.net/festivals/tiffkids16/thefilms/discovering-me/kings-day

Our latest feature film The Judgement won FOUR important Golden Calfs!

– best lead  – Fedja van Huêt
– best supporting role – Yorick van Wageningen
– best screenplay – Bert Bouma & Sander Burger
– best feature – BIND, Joram Willink & Piet-Harm Sterk

The Judgement received 11 nominations in total, amongst:
– best director – Sander Burger
– best supporting role – Lies Visschedijk
– best supporting role – Mark Kraan
– best cinematography – Sal Kroonenberg
– best production design – Jorien Sont
– best costume design – Manon Blom
– best score – Jorrit Kleijnen, Alexander Reumers & Jacob Meijer

BIND is proud! Thanks to all cast, crew, financers and especially everyone whoe was personally involved in ‘the case’!

Ariane had already won a Golden Calf for her role in  Een goed leven (A good life), and can now also add the Gouden TV-beeld award for best actor in a starring role to her collection. From the jury report: ‘Ariane Schluter is able to pull off a maximum transformation with a minimum amount of resources. Using her professional skills, she can deliver an above-average acting performance by not only playing a role, but by using her personality in her approach to the role. In doing so, she can make the portrayal of what initially seems to be an unpleasant character very palpable. The viewer is mercilessly swept along in the drama experienced by the character.’

Together with the Rotterdam Port Authority, BIND was nominated for the Golden Giraffe in the category ‘Effective’ with the project Closing of the Maasvlakte 2 Seawall. BIND was responsible for the creative concept and the realisation of the event celebrating the closing of Maasvlakte 2 which was attended by Queen Beatrix and 600 guests. The NOS broadcast the event live on the Dutch television channel Nederland 2, and it also received worldwide attention in television news programmes, newspapers and other media.

Alles Mag (Anything Goes) has been nominated for a Golden Calf Award in the category Best Short Film. From the nomination report: ‘Everything seems to be just right in this cheerful yet also emotional film: the circular story, the convincing performances, and the cultural stratification. The unpretentious performances also evoked a huge dose of sympathy. All of these aspects together within the limited length of a short film is evidence of great craftsmanship.’

After four months of eagerly awaiting the news, on Friday, 20 February of this year, the announcement was made that our children’s film Alles Mag (Anything Goes) had won the award for the category Kids: TV Movie/Mini-series.  Steven Wouterlood and Joram Willink accepted the Emmy during the awards ceremony in New York, accompanied by screenwriters Maarten van Voornveld and Chiel van der Wolf, producer Piet-Harm Sterk, actors Lars Jennissen and Patrick Stoof, and editor Christine Houbiers. The Emmys are considered to be the most important international awards for television. This is the first time the Netherlands has won an Emmy Kids Award.

On 24 April of this year, King Willem-Alexander officially opened the facility at APM Terminals at the Second Maasvlakte. The facility was officially opened when the King gave the signal to the terminal operator to start up the operation of the terminal.  This was followed by a visual and technical spectacle, showing the various terminal cranes and AGVs (Automated Guided Vehicles) in operation, and 16 containers fitted with LED screens projecting text and images.

We are incredibly proud of actors George Tobal and Majd Mardo who SHARED the Golden Calf award in the Best Actor in a Television Drama category for their respective roles in our film Jungle.  The jury’s report on these two fantastic actors reads as follows: ‘The jury is impressed by these two actors who have produced matchless performances to bring the main characters of the television drama Jungle to life. It’s impossible to choose which of these two men is the better actor, as it is precisely the interplay between their two very different characters that is so surprising and overwhelming. This is the reason for this shared nomination. Without any adornment or pretension, these young actors know how to captivate us from beginning to end and how to really touch our hearts. You can always feel the inevitability in their performance; despite the serious theme, the enjoyment they are getting from their roles pours out of them and they give each other the space to act. Their energy can be felt in every scene and they serve themselves from a broad palette of emotions, one where luckily humour is present in large measure too. They get right to the heart of the material, and ultimately can summon up a world of backstory with no more than a glance. This makes their acting both hypnotising and surprising. Actors that it is impossible not to love and who we hope to start seeing a lot more of.’

Shooting footage for a film for the NS about the evacuation of trains during disasters in tunnels, our film crew was the first that was allowed to film in the new Delft rail tunnel. After five years of major construction works, this tunnel will be put into use for the first time on 28 February.

Alles Mag has won the children’s jury prize at the International Kinder Filmfest in Tokyo for best short film. Director Steven Wouterlood was at the festival for Q&A and signing sessions, and to accept the award in person.

DThis year too, BIND had the creative responsibility for the opening ceremony and the Saturday evening show for the anniversary edition of the World Port Days event.  The World Port Days event is an annual event during which everybody can get to know all the different working parts and innovations of the Port of Rotterdam. During the Saturday evening show, such illustrious showbiz names as Level 42, Nielson and Sabrina Starke wowed the crowd from the gigantic ship BigRoll. The show was broadcast live and was presented by Jan Versteegh and Geraldine Kemper.  The show was accompanied by, and ultimately spectacularly concluded with, a firework display.

Koningsdag (King’s Day), the new children’s film from director Steven Wouterlood, is one of the six films which will open the Cinekid Festival in Amsterdam this year.

From the Cinekid press release:

The 29th edition of the festival will open on Thursday, 15 October with the screening of six new films from  Nu of Nooit!, an incentive project from the Mediafonds and Zapp featuring culturally diverse children’s dramatic productions for the target group of 8 to 12-year-olds. These accessible, cinematic and originally told stories are 25 minutes long, and are rooted in our modern, multicultural society.

Sannette Naeyé, Cinekid director: ‘I am proud that we are opening this festival with six new short children’s films from different public broadcasting networks. The films are the newest addition to a long tradition of similar series that have all premiered at Cinekid each year. The films traditionally focus on unique stories from new filmmakers who are given opportunities by Mediafonds and Zapp. Cinekid aims to underscore and celebrate the importance of these films during this edition of the festival.’

The Cinekid Festival will be held this year during the half-term school holiday from 15 October through 1 November 2015. The complete programme will be announced in mid-September on www.cinekid.nl.

BIND won the Silver Dolphin award at the Cannes Corporate Media & TV Awards. We received this award for the category Internal Communication for the film, oNS  Verhaal (Our Story), which we made on a commission from the Dutch Railways (NS). oNS Verhaal tells the ‘real’ story behind the NS, and provides a glimpse into the day-to-day workings of this enormous organisation. The film provides a visual depiction of one of the most well-known companies in the Netherlands using spectacular helicopter footage, among other techniques. oNS Verhaal provides a clear picture of just how important the NS is for the Netherlands.

The opening of the APM Terminals container terminal at Maasvlakte 2 at the Port of Rotterdam won the European Best Event Award in the Launch Event category at the top festival for European event industry in Seville, Spain. The event also won one of the three Grand Awards, for which 140 events in total competed for the prize. As creator and producer of the spectacular opening event in Rotterdam, Piet-Harm was there to accept the award in person. The jury emphasised that all the elements of this event had come together perfectly. They also praised the unique partnership between APM Terminals and the creative team from BIND and Jurlights, as well as the very innovative technical efforts lying at the basis of the show. The jury said they were moved by the show which they said really made the container terminal come alive.

International sales agent Coccinelle has sold the multiple award-winning Gluckauf to HBO Europe.

The Netherlands was treated to live coverage of the closing of the seawall at the Maasvlakte 2, the name for the project involving the expansion of the port of Rotterdam. The closing of the seawall was celebrated with a large-scale event, devised and realised by BIND and held on the newly reclaimed land. The celebration culminated in the official honours done by Queen Beatrix, signalling permission to close the hole in the dyke. The event was a spectacular combination of physical activity (cranes, boats, bulldozers) and images and music. With this event, we hoped to emphasise that this expansion of our land represents the addition of yet another highlight to our hydraulic engineering history. We are incredibly proud to have had the opportunity to develop and realise the creative concept for this historic event which was broadcast live by the NOS and which received worldwide attention in television news programmes, newspapers and other media.

The 22nd of January marked Gluckauf’s world premiere at the International Film Festival Rotterdam (IFFR), and was thus the opening film of the Tiger Awards Competition, the festival’s main competition. The IFFR is one of the world’s largest international art house film festivals, and was an excellent forum for the premiere of this new feature-length film from Remy van Heugten (Valentino and the television series, Van God Los).

The premiere at the JT Kerkrade cinema was also a huge success. On Monday, 26 January, cinema-goers in Limburg were also able to see the film for the first time, and in a beautiful, large theatre.  The photos from these two great evenings may be viewed on our Facebook page.

The cat is out of the bag! The Alles Mag (Anything is Possible) team is getting to work on a new film entitled Koningsdag (King’s Day). The film will be realised within the scope of Nu of Nooit! (Now or Never!), an incentive project created by the Mediafonds and Z@pp for the development and realisation of a culturally diverse, 25-minute children’s drama for Z@pp’s oldest target group (8- to 12- year-olds).

Anyone who is particularly interested in seeing what preceded the expansion of the port of Rotterdam should see the documentary Op z’n Hollands (Typically Dutch), a film that Piet-Harm made about both the advocates and opponents of the Second Maasvlakte during the last throes of the decision-making process. One of these individuals is the former mayor of Rotterdam, Ivo Opstelten. Beautifully filmed by cameraman Jelle Odé, this documentary clearly shows how one man’s gain can be another man’s loss.

Jungle received no less than two nominations for Golden Calf awards at the Netherlands Film Festival, namely in the categories Best Television Drama and Best Actor in a Television Drama.

The Netherlands Film Festival jury’s report about our film reads as follows: ‘A wonderfully original tale about the refugee issue, filmed in impressive shades of grey. If the jury were only allowed to say one word to define this powerful television drama then it would be: love. The makers’ involvement in all aspects of both the tale being told and the characters being depicted is perceptible. Jungle starts small and interpersonal but is able to quickly start depicting a major global issue in a way that is both nuanced and moving and sometimes even humorous. No grandiose gestures – just everything depicted with a fine eye for detail and an in-depth knowledge of the issues. The jury has seen many attempts to identify the character of our era but Jungle stands head and shoulders above these. Hetty de Kruijf knows exactly which tale she wants to tell and treats her audience with complete respect. Full justice is also done to the magnificent, emotionally driven camerawork and the convincing art direction. It’s a crossover drama that succeeds on all levels, and one in which lightness always shines through the dark. The bottom line? It’s a perceptive little pearl of a film.’

Alles Mag (Anything Goes) has been nominated for an Emmy Award in the category Kids: TV Movie/Mini-series. ‘This is a huge compliment to everyone who worked on the film. I never dared to dream that the film would be nominated for an Emmy,’ director Steven Wouterlood says. ‘It’s amazing to realise that the film has been seen all over the world, from Toronto to Tokyo, and has touched so many children and adults.’ Alles Mag was the only Dutch film nominated this year. Last year, our short children’s film Mimoun was also nominated for an Emmy in the same category. At the awards ceremony in late February 2015, we will find out whether or not we can bring this prestigious prize home with us.

There are currently more than 100 people from a variety of disciplines working hard on the last preparations for the official opening of APM Terminals on 24 April. The floating theatre complex will be completely fitted with technical facilities and accommodations for the guests, and rehearsals are being held continuously on the terminal quay for the grand opening show.

In early August, more than 1500 dealers travelled from India to the Netherlands for the Dealer Event for India’s biggest automotive battery brand Exide.
On one of the days, for instance, the guests were treated to a spectacular programme of content at the World Forum in The Hague.  It was a real brand experience, with special interludes, product launches and an impressive high-tech stage setting. Naturally the brand’s Indian roots were catered for too, with an appearance by one of India’s most famous Bollywood stars. BIND was commissioned by the D&B event marketing agency and Jurlights to produce the creative content for this show.

We must admit it, we’re speechless. Last night at the Ketelhuis and live during the Dutch television program De Wereld Draait Door, the nominations for the 2015 Golden Calf Awards were announced in the presence of the cast and crew of Gluckauf (Son of Mine). Gluckauf was nominated for an amazing ten Golden Calf Awards: Best Film (Joram Willink and Piet-Harm Sterk, BIND), Best Direction (Remy van Heugten), Best Actor (Bart Slegers and Vincent van der Valk), Best Screenplay (Gustaaf Peek), Best Camerawork (Mark van Aller), Best Editing (Moek de Groot), Best Music (Jorrit Kleijnen and Alexander Reumers), and Best Sound Design (Alek Goosse and Francois Dumont). As if that were not enough, one of our ONE NIGHT STAND productions, Aaron Rookus’s Een goed leven (A good life), was also nominated for two awards: Best Television Drama and Best Actress in a Television Drama (Ariane Schluter).

The Golden Calf Awards will be presented on Friday, 2 October 2015 at the Beatrix Theater, the final evening of the Netherlands Film Festival.

Alles Mag (Anything Goes) is currently playing on the big screen, in some 17 cinemas. Entitled VPRO Kort & Klein, the three films Alles Mag, Munya in Mij and Johnny Bakru are touring cinemas together throughout the Netherlands. On Sunday, 8 February at 2:00 p.m., Kort & Klein will be showing at the Cinecitta art house cinema in Tilburg. The two actors playing the leading roles in Alles Mag will be there to answer questions from the audience. Click here for all showtimes and locations.

The short film Koningsdag (King’s Day) from director Steven Wouterlood won the Adult Jury Award for best short film at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Kids on Sunday, 24 April. The Adult Jury had the following to say about Koningsdag: ‘A film that’s inhabited by strong, three dimensional characters, including two amazing performances by the lead actors.’

This was the second time that this team made up of the director, producers and writers won this award. Director Steven Wouterlood: ‘It is so amazing when you realise that a film that comes straight from your heart can have such a universal appeal. In Koningsdag, several different themes are intertwined, topics that are very close to reality. I hope that both children and adults will be able to relate to this story, and that it will bring people a little bit closer together.’

Mimoun won the award for best short film of the year at the LUCAS international children’s film festival in Frankfurt. Screenwriter Cecilie Levy accepted the award on behalf of the Mimoun cast and crew.

With four Golden Calf awards, Gluckauf was the clear winner this year at the Dutch Film Gala. At the event held on 2 October in Utrecht, Remy van Heugten’s film took home the Golden Calf for Best Film (Joram Willink and Piet-Harm Sterk), Best Direction (Remy van Heugten), Best Screenplay (Gustaaf Peek), and Best Camerawork (Mark van Aller).

The twelfth edition of One Night Stand has started, and the  Jungle project from director Hetty de Kruijf and scriptwriter Ashar Medina has been selected for development as a screenplay, with BIND’s help. One Night Stand is one of the most important incentive projects for talented film and television makers in the Netherlands.

Micropia, the museum that opened in 2014 in the historic Members’ Rooms (Ledenlokalen) at Artis and which offers a glimpse into the world of micro-organisms, has unveiled a new exposition: Gladiators in the Greenhouse. This exhibit shows visitors how microscopically small insect hunters are used in organic crop protection. Each year, insect infestations cause many billions of Euros in damage and losses in the (greenhouse) horticulture sector due to lower yields and inferior quality of the crops. The use of natural enemies can reduce economic losses considerably. The use of natural enemies has become the standard method for pest control in the Dutch greenhouse vegetable cultivation sector. Jasper Kuipers created an animation for BIND that is used in the Gladiators in the Greenhouse exhibit.

Our Superstar VR film has been selected for entry to the Golden Calf competition at the Netherlands Film Festival. During the festival, the film will also be viewable in a special limousine that will be parked on the Neude – Utrecht’s central plaza – for the whole week. You can sit in the limousine and view the VR film, and for a whole 12 minutes you will feel that you are a huge global superstar.

Director Tallulah Schwab’s short children’s film Mimoun has been selected to compete at the Brooklyn Film Festival in New York.

De Leerling (script & direction by Rutger Veenstra), a film about a teacher who is terrorised by a student, has been selected for One Night Stand #10. The second film that we are going to produce for One Night Stand is Een Goed Leven met een Gelukkig Einde (A Good Life with a Happy Ending), the script for which was written by Aaron Rookus and Saskia Diesing (directed by Aaron Rookus). Both films will premiere at the 2015 Netherlands Film Festival, and will be broadcast on NPO 3 in late 2015. One Night Stand is one of the most important incentive projects for talented film and television makers in the Netherlands.

In one of Amsterdam’s largest film studios and as contracted by BIND, the Dutch Domino Team built a gigantic domino field non-stop for five days, using more than 60,000 dominoes. The field is meant to represent the safety management system of the NS, and is an important part of a film we made for an internal training programme about safety on and around the railway.

On 11 May 2017, The NeXt Phase Event was held in the Werkspoor Cathedral in Utrecht for a few thousand guests via a global livestream at which event the founder Boyan Slat presented all the latest developments regarding The Ocean Cleanup programme and announced that the first system would be installed in 2018.  BIND had joint creative responsibility with Jurlights for this event. Boyan’s presentation was supported by spectacular visual and physical elements, and boasted a finale in which the four 12-metre high anchors, mainstays of The Ocean Cleanup’s new system, were unveiled. After the show, a specially created exhibition was opened at which The Ocean Cleanup team were on hand to inform all the guests about the various aspects of the project. There was also a foodtruck section for the guests, where sustainable meals and beverages could be eaten and drunk.

The entire presentation can be seen HERE.

Led by the composers Jorrit Kleijnen and Alexander Reumers, an orchestra in Budapest was recorded playing the music written just for the opening of APM Terminals in the Port of Rotterdam. Since Kleijnen and Reumers’ composition contains a few difficult passages, the recording sessions were a major challenge for the orchestra, but this didn’t dampen the musicians’ enthusiasm one bit. Art director Piet-Harm Sterk and conductor Marlon Bos were present during the recording sessions.

On 8 December, Dutch singer-songwriter Douwe Bob, who wrote the theme song for Gluckauf (Son of Mine), performed a shorter version of the song entitled Mine Again on the popular television show De Wereld Draait Door. Fragments from the film were projected in the background. If you were not one of the 1.6 million people who watched the programme on 8 December, or if you can’t get enough of this song (neither can we!), watch and listen here!

In March, the new visitor centre SHIP (Sluis Haven (Lock Port) Information Point) next to the set of locks in IJmuiden was officially opened.  This new building houses a permanent yet changing exhibition on both the North Sea Canal region and the new large-scale sea lock. As commissioned by design agency Podium, BIND was able to create a wonderful film in which you travel on three ships through the North Sea Canal region. The initial responses from the visitors were extremely positive.

Entitled The Art of Impact, a new programme has been launched by the Dutch Minister of Culture Bussemaker that combines projects focusing on art, culture and society. She has earmarked seven million Euros for these projects for the next two years. Contracted by the six public culture funds associated with The Art of Impact, BIND has made a short inspirational film which features an explanation about The Art of Impact given by the minister, and provides a look at projects which embody the programmes’ basic premises in a variety of ways.

Our short film Gamechanger has been officially entered for the film competition at SXSW. South by South West (SXSW) in Austin, Texas is one of the USA’s largest and most prestigious festivals. Director Christian van Duuren is travelling to America in early March to attend the festival.

Gamechanger has also been entered for a film competition on Dutch soil, namely for the Go Short 2017 competition.

After all the international nominations and awards, Alles Mag has now also managed to win an award on its own turf: the Dutch Cinekid Kinderkast Jury Prize for fiction. The Kinderkast awards are presented every year during the Cinekid Festival in Amsterdam for the year’s best Dutch-language children’s television programmes in the categories fiction and non-fiction. The award was accepted in person by the actors playing the starring roles in the film, Lars Jennissen and Indy Aponno.

In early February, Amsterdam’s Micropia museum of microbes inaugurated a new display under the name ‘The future is mouldy’. BIND worked with animator Rens Wegerif to create another lovely animated film that shows you how you can use mould to make all kinds of different materials. This film can now be seen at the Micropia.

BIND has won the distinguished Prix Jeunesse European television award for Mimoun. The Prix Jeunesse is one of the most important television awards in the world for children’s programmes, and is also referred to as the Oscar of children’s television awards. Mimoun won the award in the category Short Fiction Children’s Film for children 12 and under.

BIND was contracted by the Port of Amsterdam to create several mini-portraits that provide a glimpse into the work environment of this dynamic company. Entitled ‘Wij werken bij Havenbedrijf Amsterdam (We Work at the Port of Amsterdam)’, seven employees share their experiences, full of enthusiasm about what motivates them and the opportunities they have to grow and develop at the Port of Amsterdam. View the films here.

View the trailer for Gluckauf, the new feature film from Remy van Heugten that will be playing in cinemas starting on 29 January. The film tells the story of the stifling love between a father and son, played by Bart Slegers and Vincent van der Valk. Gustaaf Peek (Godin, Held, Ik Was Amerika) wrote the screenplay.

Our own Joram Willink will be one of the members of the jury at the Emmy Kids Awards.

‘This was naturally an offer I couldn’t refuse.’

It is fairly rare for someone from the Netherlands to be asked to sit on the jury. Over the last few weeks, Joram has watched all the films that are competing for the award and cast his vote.

‘Of course it’s a huge honour for me, that after having won an Emmy, I have now been asked to be one of the judges,’ the producer says. ‘It was really interesting and inspiring to see television dramas for children from all over the world.’

Although this is normally a one-time honour, Joram now does have the opportunity to become a member of the Academy that awards the Emmys. If he does join the Academy, he may be asked to be a member of the jury more often. The Emmy Kids Award will be awarded in February 2016. The ceremony for the ‘adult’ Emmys is held earlier, in November.

Over the last week, Koningsdag won three awards at film festivals held at various locations all over the world. It all began in Qatar, at the Ajyal Youth Film Festival in Doha, where director Steven Wouterlood was presented with the jury award for the best short film. Last weekend, we also won the award for the best short film at the Smile International Film Festival For Children and Youth in Delhi, India. The film also won at the Olympia International Film Festival For Children and Young People in Greece, where Alles Mag (Anything Goes) also took home awards last year.

BIND has made a documentary about the background of what is known as the ‘culture of mediocrity’ in the Netherlands. In Waar een klein land groot in moet worden (The great things a small country should achieve), opinion leaders, child experts, scientists and teachers working in the field of education all share their experiences. They all offer their vision on the development of talent and excellence in education. The objective of the film is to encourage education professionals to enter into a dialogue with their colleagues, the school administration, parents and pupils so that every pupil has the opportunities and incentives they need to develop to their full potential.

Julius Solaris of the popular blog EventManagerBlog.com and jury member of the European Event Awards 2015 in Seville has selected five events that he believes demonstrate that the European event industry is ‘alive and kicking’. Conceived and produced by BIND, the opening of the APM Terminals container terminal at Maasvlakte 2 at the Port of Rotterdam is, in his view, far and away one of the best of these five:

‘By far the most exciting and my personal favourite of the whole competition.  This is a container terminal launch; for heaven’s sake can you think about anything more boring? Yet the way they implemented the whole project was remarkable.
There were no traditional presentation screens and the terminal itself was the focus of action. The wise use of technology with the actual content of the event (the containers) used as vehicles of the message. The low tech pop-up book you could bring home. This is one of the best corporate launches I’ve seen in a while.’

Read more here: http://www.eventmanagerblog.com/5-events-proving-europe-alive-kicking/

On Monday, 26 January, right after the world premiere in Rotterdam, Gluckauf (Son of Mine) will make a festive premiere in Kerkrade. The new feature film from the Limburg director Remy van Heugten takes place in the province of Limburg just after the closing of the mines in the region. This premiere is linked to the M2015 event, the Year of the Mines. In 2015, the former mining district will be celebrating its past, present and future with a diverse programme of activities. M2015 will be organising a fringe-event programme in Heerlen to be held around the time of the premiere of Gluckauf in Limburg.

At this year’s Dutch Film Gala, Ariane Schluter won the Golden Calf for Best Actress in a Television Drama for her role in Aaron Rookus’s  Een goed leven (A good life), a made-for-television movie produced by BIND. Een goed leven will be broadcast on 4 October 2015 at 10:30 p.m. on NPO3.

2016 World Port Days

The World Port Days (Wereldhavendagen) is an annual event that gives visitors the opportunity to learn more about the many facets and innovations the Port of Rotterdam has to offer. On board the navy ship the HNLMS Rotterdam, together with Allard Castelein, director of the Port of Rotterdam Authority  and lieutenant-general of the Royal Netherlands Navy, Rob Verkerk, Mayor Aboutaleb gave the starting signal for the 2016 World Port Days. BIND developed the creative concept for the opening, in which two robots and video screens played a starring role.

We were also charged with the creative responsibility for one of the highlights of the World Port Days, the Saturday evening show! With Van Oord’s Aeolus as a stage, and amazing performances by Maan, Kypski, Nicole Jordan, Zuco 103 and the Royal Marines Band, it was a spectacular show, capped off with a fantastic fireworks display. BIND will also be responsible for the Saturday evening show at next year’s anniversary edition of the World Port Days in 2017.

Our new short film, Gamechanger, produced within the context of NTR KORT! (directed by Christian van Duuren, screenplay by Daan Gielis), will premiere soon at the Netherlands Film Festival. KORT! is the ultimate annual short film project. The Dutch Film Fund, Mediafonds and the NTR made a selection of ten short fiction films from the 95 entries submitted, each of which are five to ten minutes long. In Gamechanger, on his way to yet another tour of duty abroad, thirty-year-old Max gets caught up in a game with the young boys next door.  Max gradually loses sight of reality, and the boys lose their innocence.

Queen Máxima opened Micropia and BIND was there. Micropia is located in the historic members’ rooms (Ledenlokalen) at the new Artisplein (Artis Square). This is the world’s first museum that makes the invisible world of micro-organisms visible. Working with five different animators, BIND developed 13 animated films for Micropia, each with its own style and technique, which appear at various locations throughout the museum. Lydia Koopmans was responsible for the final editing and creative direction for this animation project that took a year and a half to complete.

Alles Mag (Anything Goes) won the award for best children’s film at the International Short Film Festival in Oberhausen, Germany. The director, writer and producer were all there to accept the award in person. What the jury had to say: ‘Our winner is about friendship, love and saying goodbye. And it shows that you need to be pigheaded to be able to do what’s fun. And it was great fun to watch! The colours are great and the music is cheerful. Tygo, the main protagonist, talks about carnival in the south of Holland. It is also very easy to sympathise with how he feels.’  Director Steven Wouterlood: ‘The festival in Oberhausen has a rich history, and is where many great directors I admire won their first film awards. To actually be here to accept an award is just amazing for me.’ Actor Patrick Stoof: ‘I really wanted to be in this film. I could really identify with the story about a boy from the province of Brabant who is different from other people. The reason it ended up being such a fantastic film is because it was made with a lot of love. I’m so incredibly proud that the film has now won another major international award.’

On 7 December, together with a team from BIND, we officially opened the new Breeddiep inland waterway. This crucial connection for inland navigation in Rotterdam was literally put in the spotlights, and we were responsible for the concept and production for this festive opening. By widening the passageway to the Breeddiep, it is now safer and more easily navigable for the 50,000 ships that sail through here each year. After a catchy introduction given by cabaret performer Tim Hartog, the first inland vessel officially sailed through the entrance during a spectacular light show. Some 90 guests were treated to this spectacle from another ship anchored in the Breeddiep.

On Friday night, Gluckauf (Son of Mine) won the award for best screenplay at the Brussels Film Festival. Director Remy van Heugten and scriptwriter Gustaaf Peek accepted the award in person.

Together with Jurlights, we won a wonderful prize during the Best Event Awards World. The Ocean Cleanup’s NeXt Phase Event was voted the best event in the non-profit events category by the jury. The team received the prize in Porto.

The filming for Dos Santos, a short fictional film by Kees-Jan Mulder and Maarten van Voornveld, is complete. We were lucky enough to be allowed to shoot scenes for Dos Santos in the Bijlmer prison complex in Amsterdam, something for which permission is rarely given. This helped make these days shooting an unforgettable experience for the entire cast and crew.

The opening ceremony of APM Terminals at Maasvlakte 2 has been nominated for the 2016 Golden Giraffe Event Awards in the Brand Events category.

On Saturday, 15 October, Superstar VR premiered at the Cinekid festival. Directed by Steven Wouterlood, this new 360-degree narrative film is told entirely from the first-person point of view. What does it feel like to be an internationally renowned star? In this film, viewers experience a day in their life as a famous DJ.

Over 100 guests attended the screening of the film during the premiere. Visitors can watch the VR film during the entire week of the festival in a limousine parked at the centre of the Cinekid venue. The film will ultimately go on tour in the Netherlands, where it will also be included in the interactive exhibit Let’s YouTube at the Sound & Vision Institute in January and May 2017.

In preparation for the opening of APM Terminals and after a week of building the structure, the 40 x 90 metre pontoon supporting the frame of the theatre set sail from Moerdijk on a six-hour journey to the Second Maasvlakte. During the following week, the finishing touches will be put on the entire floating complex, including the decorations and accommodations for the 1000 national and international guests, including King Willem-Alexander.

There has been a lot of good news for the short film King’s Day  over the past few weeks when it comes to worldwide film festivals. We have officially been nominated for the Golden Calf Award at the Dutch Film Festival, and  the film has also achieved great success on an international level;  it has been  nominated for awards at the LUCAS International Film Festival (Frankfurt), Ajyal Youth Film Festival (Doha Institute), Kinodiseea International Film Festival (Romania) and last but not least, the International EMMY Kids Awards (shortlist).

Gluckauf (Son of Mine) has won the Technical Grand Prize at the World Premieres Festival in the Philippines.  Director Remy van Heugten accepted the award in person in Manila. The Technical Grand Prize is an award for the best technical achievements in camera, production design, performances, sound and film editing.

We can’t really reveal too much about it at this time, but when it comes to projects at BIND, we have been hard at work on the development and realisation of a new, large-scale event to be held at the Maasvlakte in 2015. We are incredibly excited about it, but it is so top-secret that we can’t do more than give you this tiny peek at this time. Follow us on Facebook and keep an eye on this website for the latest news about this Mystery Project!

Alles Mag (Anything Goes) has won the TIFF Kids Jury Award for Best Live-Action Short Film in Toronto. From the jury report: ‘We selected this film for its excellent acting, its compelling images, its creative structure, and for constantly surprising us.’ Director Steven Wouterlood and screenwriter Maarten van Voornveld were in Toronto for a few screenings and Q&A sessions, and to accept the award in person.

Mascotte (‘Mascot’), our new film from director Remy van Heugten and writer Gustaaf Peek, has been selected for the Co-Production Talent Market event at the Berlinale International Film Festival. Producer Joram Willink is attending this festival in order to present the project to potential co-production partners, sales agents and distributors.

The Gamechanger project from director Christian van Duuren and written by Daan Gielis has been selected for KORT! 2016, and will be going into production soon. KORT! is a collaborative project between the NTR, the Dutch Film Fund, and the Mediafonds, with support from the CoBO. The goal is to work together to stimulate Dutch short films. The films will make their cinema premiere at the 2016 Netherlands Film Festival, and will be broadcast by the NTR on NPO 3.

Mascotte, geregisseerd door Remy van Heugten, viel in de prijzen tijdens het New York Independent Film Festival. Cameraman Mark van Aller kreeg op het prestigieuze festival de prijs voor Beste Cinematography.

At the invitation of De Boer Structures, Piet-Harm gave several presentations at the Best of Events International events trade fair in Dortmund (Germany), the goal of which was to inspire visitors and share his knowledge with them. Piet-Harm provided examples based on the opening ceremony of the APM Terminals at Maasvlakte 2: ‘The entire range of technology used was an amazing way to support the story during the event, but technology is only an aid in creating the stories. These stories have to remain authentic, and really move people.’ As a result of the presentations, several articles appeared in the German media such as Memo Media, Studien Institut and Famab. De Boer also wrote a great report on the presentations.

Our latest feature film Mascot, directed by Remy van Heugten, celebrated its world premiere at Slamdance Film Festival in Salt Lake City. The week after Mascotte premiered internationally at International Film Festival Rotterdam.

Our feature film El Houb had its world premiere in San Francisco during the 46st Frameline Film Festival, the oldest and largest LHBTQ+ Film Festival of the world! We are extremely proud!

The PR campaign for Gluckauf (Son of Mine) has gotten off to a flying start. Mine Again, the theme song that singer-songwriter Douwe Bob wrote just for the film, made its radio debut in late November last year during 3FM DJ Giel Beelen’s morning show, followed by a live performance of the song on the popular Dutch television programme, De Wereld Draait Door. During a show that was viewed by no fewer than 1.6 million people, a fragment from the film was shown and presenter Matthijs van Nieuwkerk announced that Glucklauf would be premiering in late January at the Rotterdam Film Festival. DWDD then shared the Gluckauf trailer with its 225,000 followers on Facebook, and within 24 hours, it had been viewed over 40,000 times. And if that wasn’t enough, director Remy van Heugten was also given the opportunity to pitch Gluckauf during the show that aired on 7 January during the Filmpitch 2015 segment.

The film Ga niet naar zee (‘Don’t go to sea’) by director Sander Burger has been selected for KORT! 2018 and its production is now fully underway. The screenplay is based on the short story Ballon by Tommy Wieringa. The films will enjoy their cinema premiere at the Netherlands Film Festival 2018 and will be broadcast on the NPO 3 channel by the Dutch broadcaster NTR.

BIND is taking the next step. Joram has been selected to participate in the most prominent training and development programmes for producers. EAVE is a one-year workshop for producers who are already working in the film industry and are interested in expanding their co-production knowledge and skills in Europe and would like to build a large, international professional network. Each year fifty participants are selected to take part in three intensive workshops held throughout Europe. The first workshop will start in the first week of March 2016 in Luxembourg. The second and third workshops will be held in Lithuania and Prague.

Wow! El Houb will a theatrical release in the United Stated, Canada, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Poland and Israël!

The mini-series The Sad Champion is selected for INPUT 2022 Television Conference. INPUT will be held in Barcelona from 9-13 May. 

★★★★ VPRO GIDS
‘AUTHENTIC, MOVING AND BEAUTIFULLY FILMED.’

★★★★ DE VOLKSKRANT
‘LOVE and PRIDE with GRITTY realism.’

★★★★ HET PAROOL
‘STYLE and ATMOSPHERE that are reminiscent of modern Belgian cinema.’

★★★★ NU.NL
‘CLEVERLY made and POWERFUL performances.’

METRO
‘A CAPTIVATING father-son drama that grabs you by the throat.’

 DE GROENE AMSTERDAMMER
‘Surprising, devastating and inspiring. Performances by actors with amazing control.’

★★★★ ALGEMEEN DAGBLAD
‘POIGNANT and GRIPPING.’

★★★★ DE LIMBURGER
‘Gluckauf is INTRIGUING and MOVING.’

★★★★ DE PERSDIENST
‘MOVING.’

DE TELEGRAAF
‘A STRIKING and DETAILED atmospheric piece
that is reminiscent of the films of Ken Loach and the Dardenne brothers.’

DE FILMKRANT
‘BEAUTIFUL dialogues and POWERFUL performances.’

In a series entitled ‘The road to Gluckauf (De Weg naar Gluckauf)”, the regional newspaper De Limburger published weekly interviews in the run-up to the premiere with members of the cast and crew about the realisation of Remy van Heugten’s new feature film.

The Film Fund supports the development of the feature film, Ogen Dicht (Eyes Closed) written by Liesbeth Wieggers. Jorien van Nes will be directing the film.

Gamechanger has won the first prize at the International Short Festival Berlin in the category Confrontations – Films against Violence and Intolerance. The jury report reads: ‘For having expressed a powerful social and human alarm by showing with disturbing and effective naturalness, the traumatized interiority of an adult who irrupts into the innocence of a childlike universe.’

Exciting! Our latest feature El Houb (the love) will be presented during Marché du Film in Cannes for the first time to buyers/distributors and festivals programmers. International sales by TRUE COLOURS.

Our podcast De Deventer Mediazaak won DE TEGEL. The best Dutch journalistic award in the category Audio/podcast!

More good news for our newest feature film The Judgement! The film is part of the Official Competition of Palm Springs International Film Festival. The festival will take place from January 6th till January 17th 2022.

Mimoun has received an international nomination from the Banff World Media Festival in Canada for the category Youth – Fiction Programs. We will be competing against Baron Münchhausen, Degrassi and Heartland for the prestigious Rockie Award.

After opening Locarno Critics Week we now ‘bring it home’! Thank you IDFA for giving this gem your much anticipated podium!

Happy coproducer and proud of producer Estelle Robin You, director Saeed Taji Farouky, coproducer Palmyre Badinier and associate producer May Odeh.

‘De Deventer Mediazaak’ became the winner of the Dutch Podcast Awards 2021. The podcast series won in the category Narrative and won the price for Best Podcast of the year.

‘De Deventer Mediazaak’ is a podcast by Annegriet Wietsma. Produced by Bind for research platform Argos. Commissioned by NPO Radio-1, supported by NPO Fund and Fonds BJP.

For the opening of APM Terminals, 16 ocean containers will be fully refitted and modified to accommodate enormous LED screens, powered by double generators. Displaying video content sent wirelessly, these containers will play the starring role in the grand opening show on 24 April 2015.

Our international minority coproduction A Thousand Fires opened LOCARNO – Semaine de la critique and won the Marco Zucchi Award! De documentary, directed by Saeed Taji Farouky is a tale of family, oil, and life cycles in Myanmar’s hand-drilled oil fields.

ACE Producers has selected Joram Willink with his project Stranded Assets to join the ACE Network after completing the 31st edition of its Annual Programme. Together with 17 other experienced independent producers, Joram will attend three workshops throughout 2021 and 2022. Good luck Joram!

The film Oom Henk (Uncle Hank) won a Grand Award at the Houston International Film Festival. After accepting the awards, scriptwriter Bert Bousma immediately sent the following text message: ‘Uncle Hank cleaned up in Houston.’ In addition to the REMI for best foreign film, this film from director Elbert van Strien and produced by BIND also won the Special Jury Award. The WorldFest in Houston, Texas is the oldest independent film festival in the world. Greats such as Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and David Lynch won their very first awards at this festival.

‘Niet zonder jou’ (‘Not without you’) has been selected for the 13^th edition of the One Night Stand event. After an enjoyable development process, with screenwriter Cecile Levy and director Mari Sanders, we are now ready to actually shoot the film. Logline: ‘Once upon a time, Nel and Gerard had agreed that when their life was over they would leave it together, as the ultimate sealing of their loving bond. However, when the time comes to take this step, Gerard is ready but Nel still has doubts, and this puts their relationship with each other under pressure: concealed conflicts and worn-out routines make it harder than they imagined to carry out their intention.’

One year after BIND first saw the light of day, we celebrated our first birthday in our garden and office complex on the Stadhouderskade until deep in the sultry late-summer night with hundreds of clients, makers, friends and family. We talked, laughed, ate, drank, networked and danced our hearts out. There was no better way to close BIND’s first year in business and start the ‘new’ year!