After mapping out the Chicagoan underworld in Widows, master British helmer Steve McQueen has teamed with his significant other in author / Dutch-born Bianca Stigter to find what is behind closed doors in WWII set Netherlands in The Occupied City (De Bezette Stad). Receiving some coin from the Netherlands Film Fund, Stigter (profiled by the Even Standard) who is credited as an associate producer on 12 Years a Slave and Widows will adapt from her own book. This is a co-production between Dutch prod co. Family Affair Films and UK’s Lammas Park. Grant coin totals €800,000.
Gist: Based on Bianca Stigter’s Atlas van een bezette stad (Atlas of an Occupied City), this looks behind the doors and street corners of Amsterdam during WWII.
Worth Noting: From Wiki, “70% of the country’s Jewish population were killed during the conflict, a much higher percentage than comparable countries, such as Belgium and France. In 2008, records were opened that revealed the Germans had paid a bounty to Dutch police and administration officials to locate and identify Jews, aiding in their capture. But, uniquely among all German occupied areas, the city of Amsterdam organized an industrial action to protest the persecution of its Jewish citizens.”
Do We Care?: After bursting onto the scene with seminal Hunger (2009) and landing awards accolades with 12 Years a Slave, if this becomes McQueen’s next film project then it’ll certainly involve Dutch acting talent.
