Abbey Hoes, Georgina Verbaan and Eelco Smits Starring in Feature Film Hidden In The Spotlight

Director Jelle Nesna will soon start principal photography of his feature film HIDDEN IN THE SPOTLIGHT with main cast Abbey Hoes, Georgina Verbaan and Eelco Smits. The script, written by Karen van Holst Pellekaan, is an adaptation of the novel MAAR BUITEN IS HET FEEST of best selling author Arthur Japin. The shooting takes place from mid-august until early October in the Netherlands.

About the film:

The successful singer Sonne takes in her niece after the unexpected death of her sister. When the biological father claims custody, Sonne is forced to lower the ‘mask’ she wears in public: her artist persona, in order to protect her niece. She must break the silence and reveal all the details of her personal family drama in court; a drama in which this man played a highly questionable role. With Kees returning in her life, Sonne is forced to relive the deeply hidden secrets about the abuse during her youth .

Abbey Hoes (PETTICOAT, NENA) will play the leading role as Sonne. Georgina Verbaan(KLEM, DE SURPRISE) plays her mother and Eelco Smits (BLOEDVERWANTEN) plays Kees.

Director Jelle Nesna: “What attracted me to Arthur Japin’s novel is that it’s about resilience and dealing with your destiny. About how you can change from being a victim to being an expert by talking. Together with this great cast, I hope to tell a universal story about one of the biggest taboos: sexual abuse of children in the family circle. How shame and silence make you even more lonely as a victim. I hope I can create positive role models to encourage people to talk about their experiences. Only when you share your secrets and shame, you are truly free. “

Jelle Nesna graduated from the Film Academy in 1985 as a cameraman and director. He received an incentive prize for Best Graduation Film for DICHTER BIJ MACHT. With Alegri Film he developed the film HEXAGON: six music films directed by six different directors. He then made the single play ARENDS, about the life of the poet Jan Arends, starring Jeroen Willems, leading to a nomination for a Golden Calf for the best TV drama. In 2009, he made his first feature film CARMEN VAN HET NOORDEN, awarded with a Golden Calf for Best Soundtrack. Since 2010, Jelle Nesna has been working as a Creative Producer with the production company Rinkel Film. Together with producer Reinier Selen of Rinkel Film, he initiated and produced the successful ACCUSED (Oscar Shortlist 2014) and RAFAËL (2018).

Arthur Japin wrote international success novels including DE ZWARTE MET HET WITTE HART, VARSLAV, KOLJA and EEN SCHITTEREND GEBREK. His novels have been translated into more than 20 languages and received many major prizes, including the ECI prize, the Libris Literature prize and the NS Audience Award. MAAR BUITEN IS HET FEEST was first published in 2012. This novel, about a young girl who finds the strength to conquer the past in herself, is inspired by the childhood of famous Dutch stage performer Karin Bloemen.

HIDDEN IN THE SPOTLIGHT is a production of Rinkel Film in co-production with the Belgian Ciné Cri de Coeur and the NTR and is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund, Netherlands Film Production Incentive, CoBO and the Belgian Tax Shelter.

Distributor September Film will release the film in Dutch cinemas in 2020.