Directors ADIL EL ARBI and BILALL FALLAH are Moroccan-born Belgian directors who are known for their gritty, electrifying, and distinctive style of filmmaking. El Arbi and Fallah are now releasing their new movie: BAD BOYS FOR LIFE starring Will Smith and Martin Lawrence (NL release date: January 23). The duo first gained the attention of Hollywood with their film BLACK, a Romeo & Juliet-type drama set in the world of organised crime in Belgium, which won the Discovery section of the 2015 Toronto Film Festival, where it premiered. As Moroccans based in Belgium, and as Muslim filmmakers, El Arbi and Fallah have used their platform to shed light on the negative image that immigrants in Belgium have and to give a voice to those who don’t have one. Some of their previous directing work includes the film GANGSTA (for which they are currently developing the sequel), the pilot and establishing episodes of the FX series SNOWFALL about the crack epidemic, and their first short film BROEDERS.

Successful Dutch director and writer, DIEDERIK VAN ROOIJEN, is currently pursuing his career in Hollywood. Along with his new SONY movie, THE POSSESSION OF HANNAH GRACE, Diederik has worked on many outstanding productions including hit television series PENOZA, short movie DUMMY, movie BOLLYWOOD INDIA, TAPED, DAGLICHT, and more. Diederik is currently writing and directing HEIRS OF THE NIGHT, a phenomenal international television series based on a series of books. Diederik directs commercials as well, having won a Bronzen Leeuw for his VOLKSWAGEN POLO GTI commercials.

MARK FOLIGNO has a strong track record in the commercial and creative side of the media business, working at Sony Broadcast, ending up as Head of Media UK & Ireland. In 2003, he bought Molinare, transforming it into one of the largest privately-owned post-production companies in the UK. During his tenure he co-produced and executive produced BAFTA-winning MOON, and OSCAR and BAFTA-winning THE KING’S SPEECH.
Since selling Molinare in 2008, Mark’s film and TV credits include a lot of films and TV including a few as follows, BEST LAID PLANS, THE RISE (aka WASTELAND), MONTANA, GOLDEN YEARS and THE RETREAT, which aired on BBC2 in a primetime slot. All of these projects have sold in multiple territories around the world. He is also just finishing a film called Legacy of Lies an action thriller starring Scott Atkins which is currently in post.

In 2016 ROMANA VREDE made the play WHO’S AFRAID OF CHARLIE STEVENS about her son who has autism. Romana played in series like OVERSPEL, NIEUWE BUREN and MOORDVROUW, but also in feature films like TBS, DE EETCLUB and UNCLE HANK. 
Since 2017 she’s part of the ensemble of Het Nationale Theater (HNT). With Eric de Vroedt she worked there on plays like THE NATION, for which she was nominated for a Colombina (Best Supporting Actress) and RACE, for which she received a Theo d’Or (Best Leading Actress). This season she performs at the HNT plays WE ZIJN HIER VOOR ROBBIE and ONZE STRAAT. She will also plays in the film KRAAIENEST and the series. MORTEN. In 2020, she can been seen in the leading role of the upcoming film I DON’T WANNA DANCE.

Screenwriter ROBERT ALBERDINGK THIJM has created several original drama series for children, like THE DALTONS and DUNYA AND DESIE, which has been nominated several times for an International Emmy Award. The movie that succeeded the DUNYA AND DESIE series, was selected for the Berlinale and was the Dutch entry for the Academy Awards. He also has written the series WALTZ and A’DAM-E.V.A.. The latest has won the French Prix de la Fiction at the La Rochelle Festival and almost every Dutch drama award. Last fall, the movie DE BELOFTE VAN PISA has had its theatrical release, based on Mano Bouzamour’s acclaimed novel. This year his new movie script SAINT TROPEZ will be shot, directed by Will Koopman. Currently Robert is working on a script for Paul Verhoeven and on a new drama series for the NPO. N.B.C./Universal is developing a U.S.remake of A’DAM-E.V.A.. Robert has written several plays for stage, the highly acclaimed DRIZZLE VARIATIONS (Motregenvariaties) and CALCUTTA CARNAVAL that has been published in Germany by Rowohlt Verlag (Kalkutta, Karneval).

MEES PEIJNENBURG entered the world of film with his critically acclaimed debut EVEN COWBOYS GET TO CRY. Since then he's been twice nominated for a Crystal Bear at Berlinale - for his graduating short and A HOLE IN MY HEART. Mees won a Golden Calf (aka a Dutch Oscar) with his movie WE WILL NEVER BE ROYALS and received the prestigious Dutch Directors' Guild Award, granted once for the most remarkable directing performance of the year. Mees was selected for the 2017 Cinéfondation Résidence, by Cannes Film Festival, where he started writing his first feature film PARADISE DRIFTER. The same year he was named as one of the most promising film talents in the Netherlands by Volkskrant. Most recently, Nowness released his short film HEARTBREAK THUNDER. PARADISE DRIFTERS will have its premiere at IFFR and Berlinale coming February and will be distributed in cinema from 2 April 2020.

MELODY KLAVER played the leading role in the feature film ‘Deep’ when she was only 14 year-old. This role granted her the nomination for a Golden Calf (aka the Dutch Oscar) for Best Leading Actress, which made her the youngest person ever to be nominated for this prestigious award. Melody played (leading) roles in critically acclaimed art-house films such as ‘Northern Light’, ‘Deep’, ‘Dusk’ and in box-office hits such as ‘Keep off’ by Maria Peters and in the award-winning ‘Winter in Wartime’ by Martin Koolhoven, for which Melody won a ‘Rembrandt’-award for Best Actress. Last year she played the leading role in ‘Rafaël’, directed by Oscar-nominated director Ben Sombogaart. The role granted her (finally) the Golden Calf for Best Leading Actress. Currently, you can see her in Othello by the prestigious Het Nationale Theater.

At twenty, RENÉ MIOCH went to the Cannes Film Festival for the first time and on radio spoke to film stars like Jack Nicholson, Mel Gibson and Nastassja Kinski. René Mioch has been known as “Mr. Film” for more than thirty years and is considered “A star among stars.”

He was one of the founders in 2005 of FCCE, a company engaged in the production, distribution and exploitation of film-related content. FCCE also produces a daily newsfeed that goes to more than 49 countries. Thirty people work at the company headquarters in Amsterdam. The company has offices in Los Angeles and Beijing as well.

Mioch is also the initiator of the Rembrandt Award, the only online People’s Choice Film Award in the Netherlands.

He won an Emmy Award in 2013 with his business partner Justus Verkerk for The Entertainment Experience, a user-generated concept in collaboration with Paul Verhoeven.

Actor NIZAR EL MANOUZI (Khata, Catacombe) was called for DJ duties this evening.

Nizar started acting at Theater Rotterdam at a young age, but started and finished medical university after high school. In 2017 he got cast for the role of Brahim in the feature film ‘Catacombe’ by director Victor D. Ponten. This year, you can see him in series such as Gappies by director Joosje Duk and Mocro Maffia by Giancarlo Sanchez. He also played the leading role in the movie ‘Khata’ by Aiman Hassani.