A month after its launch, DFW International, Dutch FilmWorks’ new international sales division is in Cannes with a slate of premium entertainment from the Benelux region.
Specialising in TV drama, feature films, documentaries and kids programming, DFW is committed to creating “an international home for the finest programming from the Benelux”, said Dutch FilmWorks CEO Willem Pruijssers.
That mission has got off to a good start at MIPCOM, where DFW is prioritizing two crime dramas – Women Of The Night (10 x 45 mins) and Stanley (4 x 50 mins) – and an intriguing eight-part documentary about looted art objects. “The Art Dispute is not only topical, given the growing conversation around art restitution and cultural ownership, but it also looks at the issue of looted art from an emotional and personal perspective, rather than simply an historical viewpoint,” said Angela Pruijssers, DFW’s vice-president of international sales and distribution.
Stanley is based on the life of infamous Dutch criminal Stanley Hillis, charting his path from gentleman bank robber to drug overlord, while Women Of The Night is a provocative drama set in a high-class escort agency.
Dutch FilmWorks is one of the largest independent distributors of filmed entertainment in the Benelux. Over the last two years, it has ramped up its investment in local film and TV productions, acting as a co-producer or co-financier on a range of successful titles, including Undercover, the first Dutch-language series to be exclusively available on Netflix worldwide.
By MIPCOM