Tulipani Premieres at tiff 2017
From Two-time Oscar-Winning Director, Mike Van Diem,
and
Academy Award®-Winning Producers Hans De Weers
and Don Carmody,
TULIPANI
Love, Honour and a Bicycle
Starring Ksenia Solo, Gijs Naber and Giancarlo Giannini to have
World Premiere at
2017 Toronto International Film Festival.
Toronto. August 21, 2017. David Miller, Co-President of A71 Entertainment and Michel J. Vandewalle, Managing Director of Atlas International Film are pleased to announce that the whimsical romantic comedy, Tulipani (Italian for tulips), directed by the Dutch filmmaker, Cannes Golden Rail and Academy Award® Best Foreign Film-winner, Mike Van Diem (Character, Alaska) starring Ksenia Solo (Black Swan, In Search of Fellini, Pet, Lost Girl), Gijs Naber (The Heineken Kidnapping, Loft, Black Book), Oscar-nominated Giancarlo Giannini (Casino Royale, Quantum of Solace), Donatella Finocchiaro (Terraferma, Marina, Angela), Lidia Vitale (The Best of Youth, The Double Hour), Giorgio Pasotti (The Great Beauty, After Midnight) and Anneke Sluiters, written by Dutch-Canadian writer Peter Van Wijk (Blazen tot Honderd, Ergens in (Mei) Mij), will have its world premiere at the Ryerson Theatre at the 2017 Toronto International Film Festival in the Contemporary World Cinema programme.
The film marks the second successful drama partnership between FATT and DCTV, as it follows the recent co-production of the international mini-series and feature film Tokyo Trial, a co-production with NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), which was filmed on location in Lithuania and Japan in 2015 and premieres at the end of this year. The Tulipani producers first met at the OMDC’s International Financing Forum held during the Toronto International Film Festival.
Tulipani is an official Dutch, Canada treaty co-production produced by FATT Productions (Netherlands) and Don Carmody Television (DCTV) (Canada) and is also a bi-lateral Dutch-Italian treaty co-production between FATT and Draka Productions (Italy) & Stemo Productions (Italy). Hans De Weers (Antonia’s Line, Alexander) and Elwin Looije (Tokyo Trial, Taped, Milo) produce for FATT. From DCTV, Don Carmody (Resident Evil, Polytechnique, Chicago) and David Cormican (The Tall Man, Lullaby for Pi) serve as Producers. Corrado Azzollini (Nomi e Cognomi, Dimmi Cosa Senti) and Claudio Bucci (Il Crimine Non Va In Pensione) produce for Draka and Stemo, respectively. Artbox’s (Lithuania) Kestutis Drazdauskas (The Heritage of Love, Santa) acts as co- producer.
Tulipani follows Gauke (Gijs Naber), a Dutch farmer who wears his heart on his sleeve, when he loses his farm in the Great Flood of 1953 and vows he will never have wet feet again. With a satchel full of tulips bulbs, he cycles south, where fate leads him to the sweltering heat of Italy, and he settles on the outskirts of a small village in Puglia. Against all odds, he plies his fairylike and miraculous tulip trade, lives his passionate love-life and confronts the dubious local business practices. In short, he becomes a living legend, only to suddenly disappear. Thirty years later, an Italian police inspector (Giancarlo Giannini) attempts to unravel his story but struggles to distinguish fact from fiction. With the help of the young Canadian woman, Anna (Ksenia Solo), he discovers what truly happened.
“It is with great pleasure that I return to the Toronto International Film Festival for the world premiere of Tulipani” declared Mike van Diem. “TIFF has been supportive of my work in the past. Our expansive cast from three different countries, Ksenia Solo, Gijs Naber, Donatella Finocchiaro, Lidia Vitale, Giorgio Pasotti Giancarlo Giannini and newcomer Anneke Sluiters, all play their unique characters beautifully. It was a delight working with them, even though my Italian needs a bit of work.”
“It’s great to be part of TIFF’s competition again, 20 years after winning the People’s Choice Award with Antonia’s Line. With Tulipani, we bring another heart-warming story that again will embrace the festival audience,” remarked Hans de Weers of FATT Productions. “Thanks to the OMDC’s Financing Forum, we have formed an enduring Netherland-Canada relationship with DCTV and have been able to make this fantastic, warm, whimsical, feel-good, fairytale-like film (Tulipani), as a genuine co-production between Netherlands, Italy, and Canada to now bring it to audiences worldwide.”
Elwin Looije and David Cormican point out Tulipani’s unique beginning, “With the world premiere (at TIFF), Gauke and Anna’s stories reflect a striking parallel: As Gauke left Holland for Italy, where his daughter (Anna) left for Canada, Tulipani originated in Holland, was shot in Italy and now comes full circle premiering in Toronto where the film’s financing was kickstarted as part of the OMDC’s IFF @ TIFF!”
Don Carmody concluded, “This project immediately captured our hearts and imaginations and we knew it simply had to be made. It has been great to work with Hans and Elwin again (from FATT Productions), who brought us this magical fairytale by screenwriter Peter van Wijk. It is a lyrical story which only Mike van Diem could bring to the screen.”
Tulipani was shot on location in Puglia, Italy and Hamilton, Canada and is presented in Italian, English and Dutch with English subtitles. Cinematography by Luc Brefeld (The Surprise) and Lennert Hillege (Beyond Words, Cadaver), editing by Jessica de Koning (The Surprise, Character, Alaska), production design by Harry Ammerlaan (Antonia’s Line, Love Is All), costume design by Ornella Campanale, Marina Campanale (Un Paese Quasi Perfetto, Father and Son), sound design by Stephen Traub (The Kennedys, Orphan Black), Lucas Roveda (Shimmer Lake, Sunnyside) with music composed by Ari Posner (Flashpoint, Get Ed) and Jim McGrath (Empire of the Word, Treed Murray).
A71 Entertainment will be distributing the film in Canada and September Film is handling Benelux. Sales for US and international are being handled by Atlas International Film.
Tulipani – Love, Honour and a Bicycle was made in association with the Netherlands Film Fund, the Netherlands Film Production Incentive, Eurogroei, Eurimages, Mibact, Apulia Film Commission, Roma Lazio Film Commission, Telefilm Canada, Ontario Media Development Corporation, The Lithuanian Film Centre, September Film, Atlas International Film and A71 Entertainment.
-30-
About FATT Productions (FATT)
FATT Productions is an international Film, Arts, Television and Theatre producer based in Amsterdam.
The core business is producing feature films and TV-drama. Made with high quality and aiming for a worldwide audience. Like a popular Dutch saying, we aim for an audience “from here to Tokyo.” Or as we like to say it: “From Amsterdam To Tokyo.”
Producers Hans de Weers and Elwin Looije joined forces since FATT’s start in 2013. De Weers produced numerous international co-productions, including Mindhunters (Renny Harlin), Mrs. Dalloway (Marleen Gorris), Jacky (Antoinette Beumer), Stricken (Reinout Oerlemans), with many among them becoming award-winning features, including Academy Award® Best Foreign Language Film Antonia’s Line and Bluebird, a Crystal Bear winner in Berlin. Over the years, De Weers produced multiple drama series, with the most recent being the Netflix mini-series Tokyo Trial.
Looije has worked as a line producer all over the world prior to his position at FATT developing, financing and producing. Looije’s extensive international experience accompanies FATT’s ambition to put international co-productions front and centre.
About Don Carmody Television (DCTV)
Don Carmody Television (DCTV), established in 2013, is a partnership between intrepid entrepreneurs Don Carmody and David Cormican. Carmody, one of North America’s most successful producers of premium content since 1980, has produced 100+ projects for cinema including Best Picture Academy Award-winner® Chicago, Polytechnique, and Goon, to the Resident Evil, Boondock Saints and Silent Hill film franchises, and include wins at the Golden Globes, Academy Awards® and Emmys®. Carmody and Cormican’s combined creative forces allow a unique and unparalleled offering in the industry; pairing an industry titan with a next-generation luminary.
With a keen eye for story, coupled with an ability to attract talent and navigate international co-productions with ease, DCTV productions include the Emmy® nominated historical mini-series Tokyo Trial for Netflix and NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation), Between, an original series for Netflix and City, and ShadowHunters for Freeform and Netflix, along with the multi-Emmy® nominated mini-series The Secret Life of Marilyn Monroe for Lifetime. DCTV’s first feature film, Tulipani, Love, Honour & A Bicycle directed by two-time Academy Award® winner Mike van Diem, bowed at the 2017 edition of the Toronto International Film Festival.
Aboue Draka Production (Italy)
Draka Production is an independent production company and a discography label based in Southern Italy (Apulia), with national and international projects. Managed by Corrado Azzolini, Draka produces films, documentaries, commercials, music videos, and soundtracks. With its network of professionals, Draka is able to manage accurately its project in all steps: pre-production, shooting, post-production, and distribution.
About Stemo Production S.R.L. (Italy)
Stemo Production is an independent production and distribution run by the producer Claudio Bucci. Since 2006, STEMO has produced several films, many of them co-produced and distributed internationally. The editorial line of Stemo is based mainly on social thematic, developed into genre films such as comedies and dramas. The ability to finance and distribute its own films makes Stemo a very dynamic and productive company. In the past few years, Stemo has developed strong international contacts, opening more and more to foreign markets, expanding its artistic and distribution activities.
MEDIA CONTACT
Publicist
Cynthia Amsden
Telephone: +1 416 910 7740
cynthia@roundstonepr.com
Sales Agent
Altas International Film
Michel J. Vandewalle
sales@atlasfilm.com