Winter in Wartime (film)

Winter in Wartime
Directed by	Martin Koolhoven
Produced by	San Fu Maltha Els Vandevorst
Written by	Screenplay Mieke de Jong Martin Koolhoven Paul Jan Nelissen Novel Jan Terlouw
Starring	Martijn Lakemeier Yorick van Wageningen Jamie Campbell Bower
Music by	Pino Donaggio
Cinematography	Guido van Gennep
Editing by	Job ter Burg
Release date(s)	2008
Running time	103 minutes
Country	Netherlands
Language	Dutch, German and English

Winter in Wartime (Dutch: Oorlogswinter) is a 2008 Dutch war film directed by Martin Koolhoven. The screenplay was written by Mieke de Jong, Paul Jan Nelissen and Martin Koolhoven and was based on the novel of the same name by Jan Terlouw.

The film was hugely successful in the Netherlands out-grossing competing films like Twilight and The Dark Knight. It was the highest grossing film in the Netherlands during Christmas 2008 and the first weeks of 2009.

It was also chosen by the Dutch Critics as the best Dutch film of 2008, it won the PZC Audience Award (best movie based on a novel), three Rembrandt Awards and three Golden Calf awards. It was chosen Best Film by the Young Jury (14-18 years) at the Rome Film Festival and was shortlisted (with 8 other movies) at the Academy Awards, in the section Best Foreign Language Film.

The movie was sold to many countries in the world, including the United States, where Sony Pictures Classics will distribute the movie, beginning in March 2011.

Plot

The film is about a young Dutch boy named Michiel van Beusekom who tries to help the Dutch resistance during World War II by helping a British pilot stay out of German hands during the occupation of The Netherlands.

Michiel feels resentment towards his father, a mayor, seemingly only interested in maintaining the status quo between the town and the German Army. He worships his uncle Ben, an adventurer in contact with the local resistance. During the winter, Michiel's loyalties are tested.

Cast

• Martijn Lakemeier as Michiel van Beusekom
• Yorick van Wageningen as Oom Ben
• Jamie Campbell Bower as Jack
• Raymond Thiry as Vader van Beusekom
• Melody Klaver as Erica van Beusekom
• Anneke Blok as Moeder van Beusekom
• Mees Peijnenburg as Dirk Knopper
• Tygo Gernandt as Bertus
• Dan van Husen as Auer
• Ad van Kempen as Schafter
• Jesse van Driel as Theo

Reception

Around 900,000 people in the Netherlands and around 60,000 people in Belgium saw the film in cinemas.

See also

• List of Dutch submissions for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film
• Cinema of the Netherlands

External links

• Official website (English)
• Official website (Dutch)
• Winter in Wartime at AllRovi
• Winter in Wartime at Box Office Mojo
• Winter in Wartime at the Internet Movie Database
• Winter in Wartime at Rotten Tomatoes