Martin Koolhoven | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | Martinus Wouter Koolhoven (1969-04-25)25 April 1969 (age 56) The Hague, Netherlands |
| Occupation(s) | Film director,screenwriter |
| Years active | 1993–present |
Martinus Wouter "Martin"Koolhoven (born 25 April 1969) is a Dutchfilm director andscreenwriter. Internationally he is most known forSchnitzel Paradise (2005),Winter in Wartime (2008) andBrimstone (2016), which was his first film in English. It was released in 2017, after it premiered in the competition of theVenice Film Festival in 2016.
Koolhoven expanded his work, with a theater show about film[1], television programs such asDe Kijk van Koolhoven[2] and talent initiatives likeKoolhoven Presenteert (2024)[3], as well as cinema programs in Eye Film Institute and film theaters across the country.[4][5]
Martin Koolhoven was born on 25 April 1969 inThe Hague in theNetherlands. Koolhoven went to the Dutch Film Academy (inAmsterdam) and graduated in 1996 as a screenwriter and director.[6]
His first film was a 53-minute television film namedDuister Licht ("Dark Light").[7]
His second filmSuzy Q featured actressCarice van Houten, who Koolhoven worked with several times in the films to come. It was also the feature debut of actorMichiel Huisman.[8]
His first (Dutch) cinematic release wasAmnesiA (2001), which also got a small release inNew York City.[9]
In 2004, Koolhoven was one of theNew Faces In European Cinema as presented byPedro Almodovar at the AFI festival (Hollywood).[10]
In 2005 Koolhoven directedSchnitzel Paradise. The film was shown at many international film festivals, including theBerlin Film Festival and theKarlovy Vary Film Festival where it was part of theVariety Critic's choice. In the same year Koolhoven releasedBonkers, a children's movie.
In 2006 Koolhoven directedHappy Family.
In 2008 Koolhoven madeOorlogswinter(Winter in Wartime), a Dutch movie based on the novel by the same name, written byJan Terlouw. The movie was the Dutch entry for theAcademy Awards and was selected to be on the shortlist (of 9 films). The movie was distributed in the United States bySony Classics and was sold to about 25 other countries.[11][12][13]
In 2010, Koolhoven started his own production company, together with producerEls Vandevorst, called N279 Entertainment that produced several movies. His first production for N279 Entertainment as a director was thewestern namedBrimstone. It premiered at the73rd Venice International Film Festival in 2016 and became Koolhoven's fifth consecutive hit film inThe Netherlands.[14]
Since 2018, Koolhoven has his own TV show on Dutch television, calledDe Kijk van Koolhoven, in which he shares his views on filmmaking. Using film scenes that he dissects, he talks extensively about his favorite actors, directors, and films.
In 2020, he wrote a theater showKlassiekers met Koolhoven with which he performed in theaters for two seasons.
In 2020, Koolhoven received the Silver Rose, an award given annually to a recipient that is or has been of great significance to the Dutch film world.[15]
In 2022 Koolhoven was presented with the Rutger Hauer Award, which is given annually to a recipient that has made an important contribution to the development and promotion of young film talent in the Netherlands.[16]
In 2024, at theInternational Film Festival Rotterdam, his talent development programKoolhoven Presents premiered. This included six genre films by talented creators whom he had selected and mentored. Later that year, these films were broadcast byVPRO Television.
Besides all this Koolhoven has a monthly show inEye Film Institute Netherlands withRonald Simons, where he shows and talks about movies. For more than ten years it was calledCinema Egzotik, but in 2019 it transformed intoKoolhoven & Simons where they show only one movie, but have more time to talk and show more beforehand.[17]
Koolhoven was asked to do the something similar inForum Groningen, which lead toKoolhovens Keuze, a program in many Dutch film theatres across The Netherlands where Koolhoven talks about and shows movies. He picks a different one everywhere, so he can rewatch his favorite movies.
Koolhoven is working[when?] on a noir thrillerEmerald Butterfly, set inJakarta, 1946.[18] and on the adaptation ofAngel Maker byStefan Brijs[19]
