Great news: Greetings from Aleppo is nominated for the L’OR Gouden Kalf Competition in het category ‘Short Documentary’. De Gouden Kalveren (‘Golden Calves’) are one of the most prestigious film prizes in The Netherlands, and are awarded during the annually Netherlands Film Festival. Greetings from Aleppo is the second documentary by Issa Touma, Floor van der Meulen and Thomas Vroege. In 2015 they made the short film 9 Days – From My Window in Aleppo, which has been shown on more than 70 film festivals worldwide and won an European Film Award for Best Short Film in 2016.

The Netherlands Film Festival takes place from 20 – 29 September in Utrecht (NL). Every year in early autumn, the Dutch film industry and public gather at the Netherlands Film Festival (NFF) to see, assess, discuss and celebrate the best and newest cinematic offerings from the Netherlands. Some of the selected films compete for the much-coveted Golden Calf Awards, the most prestigious prizes in Dutch cinema that will be awarded during the final day of the festival.

Nominees
Among the other nominees in the same category are:

• BOUDEWIJN BÜCH, VERDWAALD TUSSEN FEIT & FICTIE – Leo de Boer (Pieter van Huystee Film & TV)
• THE BRICK HOUSE – Eliane Esther Bots (Eliane Bots)
• A DAY IN A LIFE – Pieter-Rim de Kroon (Dutch Light Films)
• ETGAR KERET: EEN WAARGEBEURD VERHAAL – Stephane Kaas (BALDR Film)
• GREEN SCREEN GRINGO – Douwe Dijkstra (Douwe Dijkstra)
• GREETINGS FROM ALEPPO – Thomas Vroege, Floor van der Meulen, Issa Touma (Deep Focus Web Docs, Paradox)
• GRIEKSE WINTER – Ingeborg Jansen (Een van de jongens)
• IK ALLEEN IN DE KLAS – Karin Junger (De Familie Film & TV)
• IN PROCEDURE – Jiska Rickels (Cerutti Film)
• DE JACHT OP MIJN VADER – Gülsah Dogan (Pieter van Huystee Film & TV)
• KIDS & DOCS – ROCKNROLLERTJES – Daan Bol (BALDR Film)
• MY FUCKING PROBLEM – Anne van Campenhout (De Familie Film & TV)
• SNELWEGKERK – Elsbeth Fraanje (Tangerine Tree)
• TELEDOC CAMPUS – A•SY•LUM – Jaap van Heusden, Jefta Varwijk (BALDR Film)
• WIT IS OOK EEN KLEUR – Sunny Bergman (De Familie Film & TV)

Second documentary at the NFF
Greetings from Aleppo isn’t the first documentary by Touma, Van der Meulen and Vroege that is shown at the Netherlands Film Festival. In 2016, 9 Days – From My Window in Aleppo was screened three times at the festival, accompanied by a Q&A with the film makers.

More information about the other categories and the film festival.
Photo: Ruud Jonkers