Viaplay Group commissions first Dutch movie
February 16, 2023
Viaplay will premiere its first Dutch film, a comedy set around a Christmas dinner where nothing goes as planned, in late 2023. Jacqueline Blom (‘Black Widow’), René van Zinnicq Bergman (‘Smeris’), Georgina Verbaan (‘Klem‘), Barbara Sloesen (‘Something About Love’), Kiefer Zwart (‘Good Times, Bad Times’) and Stefanie van Leersum (‘Woensel West’) in the leading roles, supported by an ensemble of established and new talents. Directed by Michael Middelkoop (the critically acclaimed short ‘Snor’) as his debut feature and produced by HALAL. The shooting of the film is underway in Amsterdam and the title is to be announced at a later stage.
In Viaplay’s next comedy, it’s Christmas time and viewers get to follow a dysfunctional family in the two weeks leading up to their annual festive dinner. Brechtje is a 60-year-old woman who gets cancelled by the entire nation and has no idea why. Martijn is hopelessly in love with his much younger colleague, Bob is stuck with a useless husband, and Justus is on a hyper-masculine quest. Finally, Jos is an unstoppable advocate for the most open-minded world possible… until her girlfriend wants a threesome.
Filippa Wallestam, Viaplay Group Chief Content Officer, commented: “Our first Viaplay Film in the Netherlands is a relatable story of the joys of family celebrations, and the disappointment when nothing goes as planned. We already have 1.2 million Dutch subscribers, and this year will be key in establishing Viaplay’s position as the home of premium storytelling in the Netherlands. This sharp comedy with its top-quality cast will be a memorable addition to our Dutch scripted slate.”
The Viaplay streaming service launched in the Netherlands on 1 March 2022 and offers a broad portfolio of Viaplay Films and Series, local and international content as well as premium sports. Viaplay has previously announced ‘Roombeek’, ‘The Hunt for Jasper S.’, ‘Something Stupid’ and ‘The Guilty’ as its first scripted Dutch Viaplay Series.
The writers are Lotte Tabbers and Isis Mihrimah Cabolet, and the producer is Gijs Kerbosch at HALAL with Kennard Bos as executive producer for Viaplay Group. The film is sold internationally by Viaplay Content Distribution.