News

Wild Bunch TV’s “Arcadia,” a high-concept sci-fi thriller series, will return for a second season across 17 territories.

The series, produced by Banijay Entertainment’s Belgian banner Jonnydepony, is set in a near-future, in a society where citizens’ rights and entitlements are determined by their scores.

“Arcadia” follows a “family of hardworking people with a high score and a good life, that is, until the authoritarian regime discovers father, Pieter, tricked the algorithm and manipulated the score of one of his daughters. As a result, he is deported outside Arcadia and the scores of the family members are lowered, changing their lives for good,” the synopsis reads.

“Arcadia” was penned by Bas Adriaensen (“Blackout”), Zita Theunynck and Philippe De Schepper, who is also showrunner. Belgian director Joël Vanhoebrouck, whose credits include “Homegrown,” “Blackout” and “The Infiltrator,” will direct Season 2, taking over from Dutch director Tim Oliehoek who helmed season one.

Leading Dutch independent production company Lemming Film has restructured, promoting producers Erik Glijnis and Tom van Blommestein to the new positions of head of film and head of TV series respectively.

The restructure comes as Lemming manages a busy development and production slate (see below for more details).

Glijnis has worked at Lemming since 2016 and has producing credits including Sweet Dreams, which premiered in Locarno in 2023 and was the Dutch Oscar candidate, Do Not Hesitate, Milk and Dead And Beautiful.

Van Blommestein joined Lemming in 2020 having formerly worked at Nl Film and Endemol Shine. His credits include Zenith season 2, Floor Rules,...

Re>Connext is the annual film and TV showcase run by Flanders Image.

The first footage from Netflix drama Soil, directed by Bad Boys For Life duo Adil El Arbi and Bilall Fallah, is to be presented at Re>Connext, the annual film and TV showcase run by Flanders Image.

It is one of 26 upcoming television projects selected for the event, which serves as an export platform for film and TV drama made in Flanders and will run online from October 5-31. The physical showcase has been cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Scroll down for full list of projects

Soil,...

Exclusive: The psychological thriller is heading to Germany, Spain and Scandinavia.

Sales outfit Dutch Features has been enjoying a bumper market led by key sales on Silk Road starring Olivia Lonsdale.

Rights have gone in Germany (Tele München), Spain (AMC Network), and Scandinavia (Manymore Films).

The psychological thriller is inspired by the life of a small-town boy from Holland who becomes the world’s most wanted cybercriminal.

Meanwhile comedy Ron Goossens, Low Budget Stuntman from Steffen Haars and Flip Van der Kuill, has been snapped up for Germany and Italy (Koch Media), and China (Hy Media).

Marc Conen’s thriller Sunset Contract about a social media mogul who encounters the devil in the form of a woman, has closed with Hy media for China. TV series Riphagen has gone to Latin America (Centauro) and China (Melting Culture).

Finally, Tim Oliehoek’s TV crime drama The Body Collector has sold to Notorious Pictures in Italy and Centauro in Latin...

Former Oscar winner Mike van Diem’s The Surprise and BBC backed series The White Queen [pictured] are among the recipients in the first funding round from the new Screen Flanders economic fund.

A total amount of €4,995,000 ($6,678,685) is to be distributed in the fund’s inaugural call.

The next call for projects closes on 28 June. The final call for 2013 opens from Sept 1 and closes on Oct 25. Another €5 million will be divided among applicants in both remaining calls.

Sitting alongside the Belgian Tax Shelter, the new fund is bound to boost the region’s appeal for coproduction and inward investment yet further. The aim of the selective system is to support (co-) productions that are made, in part or entirely, in the Flanders region. One of the conditions is that the project spends a minimum of €250,000 ($334,205) in the region. The 20 supported titles together stand for well over €20 million ($26,7m)of audiovisual expenses in the Flanders region.

The Screen...

The Dutch public broadcasters Vara and Kro are organizing a theme-night about homosexuality on August 4. One of the guests that night will be Goede Tijden Slechte Tijden actor Ferry Doedens. He plays gay character Lucas Sanders on Gtst. This season his character found love with Edwin Bouwhuis (played by Raynor Arkenbout). After their first love scene there was a lot of commotion on social media like Twitter. According to the Coc, the largest Dutch gay rights organization (and one of the oldest in the world), Gtst is providing an important contribution to the equality of Dutch Lgbt's by respectfully and carefully treating the subject. Doedens will talk about this to hosts Claudia de Breij and Arie Boomsma.

Doedens will also talk about a gay woman who's being bullied out of her neighborhood in Amsterdam.

Other guests on Flikker Op! are: brain researcher Dick Swaab, geneticist Sven Bocklandt, director Tim Oliehoek,...

From Dutch director Tim Oliehoek, designer of other such genre spoofs as Too Fat Too Furious (Vet Hard) comes Spion Van Orange, a mad cap spy romp that looks to straddle the line between spoof and straight up action adventure. Here's a bad interflab translation:

If the Netherlands is threatened by the terrorist twin brother of the awkward dressmaker Francois of Vliet, Francois are some which can save us. Francois must the place of its brother, Bruno, take to stop him. Bruno devise plans to destroy the Netherlands and Francois must turn out to be themselves to rescuer of the national. He is assisted in this mission agents Mustafa and Lena. It is however still but the question if Francois themselves no longer cause damage than its brother.

Just by watching the trailer, you'll get the picture that Spion Van Orange is more like Get Smart or Austin Powers than Jason Bourne however,...