The 30th Netherlands Film Festival will open with Rudolf van den Berg's
eagerly awaited drama TIRZA. The world premiere screening will take place 22
September in Utrecht's Stadsschouwburg. Principal actors Gijs Scholten van
Aschat, Sylvia Hoeks, Johanne ter Steege and Keitumetse Matlabo, as well
director Van den Berg, will be in attendance.

The 30th Netherlands Film Festival will run 22 September - 1 October 2010.

TIRZA, an adaptation of Arnon Grunberg's novel of the same name, tells the
tale of Jörgen Hofmeester (Gijs Scholten van Aschat), a divorced father of
two daughters, who seems to have his life under control. But in reality he
has lost control completely, even over his youngest, and favourite, daughter
Tirza (Sylvia Hoeks). After Tirza and her boyfriend Choukri leave for a
journey across Namibia Jorgen loses all contact. So he decides to travel to
the African desert country to locate his daughter. When he arrives he meets
Kaisa, who introduces him to her cruel and bloody world. Together with her
he discovers what happened to Tirza, a fate more horrible than he could ever
imagine, even in his worst nightmares.
TIRZA is director Rudolf van den Berg's fourth book-to-screen adaptation,
and follows LOOKING FOR EILEEN and BASTILLE, both adapted from books by Leon
de Winter, and DE AVONDEN by Gerard Reve. Van den Berg has received three
Netherlands Film Festival Golden Calves for best Director.

TIRZA is produced by Cadenza Films (Jeroen Koolbergen) and Fu Works (San Fu
Maltha), in co-production with the NPS and Belgian producer Prime Time (Nino
Lombardo). The film was made as a Telescoop project with support of the
Ministery of Culture, Education and Science, the Netherlands Film Fund and
CoBO. Furthermore the Flemish Audiovisual Fund and City of the Hague
participated in the project. The film was shot on location in Namibia, South
Africa and The Hague.

Along with the festival premiere in the Stadsschouwburg the film also
premieres for the public in various cinema's in Utrecht.