Founder and Chair of Screen Talent Netherlands, Guido Franken has been busy setting up a network of film industry training and linking organisations across the country in order to bring a new generation of Dutch filmmakers to the forefront. We chatted to him to find out more about how his organisation is helping upcoming filmmakers to blossom, while championing underrepresented areas. 

Hi Guido, first things first, there are good films, but, in your personal opinion, what makes a great film and how do you separate the two?

A great film is able to lure you into the story/characters and atmosphere and wants you to never leave. A film can be technically shot and constructed in a perfect way, but lacking this captivating ability. It is hard to give it a real name, but usually it has to do with a feeling of ‘authenticity’, which even – and mostly – is reached when the filmmaker uses all the (audio- and visual) elements cinema has to offer to its utmost.

If you could only watch one film on a loop for the rest of time, what would it be? 

There are several productions which I can watch over and over again. For me a good film is like a breathtaking concert: you don’t want it to end, because it makes real life even better (even when the story can be quite dramatic or devastating). Some examples are: Soldier of Orange (Paul Verhoeven, 1977), The Thin Red Line (1998, Terrence Malick) Interstellar (Christopher Nolan, 2014). 

Why – in your opinion – are short films important?

From the perspective of a talent developer, short films are a stepping stone for lots of new talent, basically for all the filmmakers of the future. As an art form, short films give a lot of freedom for creativity and experiment.  Besides that, short films give you insights into other cultures, traditions, can let you travel the world and mind of unknown but universally connected characters, and give you the opportunity to discover yourself, your emotions and desires.

What about your role and organisation do you find most inspiring? 

Screen Talent NL is a network of talent hubs across the Netherlands. In the south of the Netherlands we started in 2011 with the first talent hub (CineSud) and now we have 7 partners throughout the country, most of them have just started recently. As a founder and chairman of Screen Talent NL, as well as the managing director of CineSud, I love to create more opportunities for talent (new and established) in underrepresented regions of the Netherlands, Europe and even the world. Film industries are traditionally clustered around one central location, but talents and stories that matter are everywhere. It is important that talent development and production opportunities are accessible everywhere in the Netherlands and that filmmakers can tell stories from within the place where they live and work. One of our main aims is to create more audiovisual ecosystems in the Netherlands where there is a vivid talent- and production-environment.

Does your organisation recognise a particular type of filmmaker or film? If so could you describe what / who you’re looking to work with?  

We work with all kinds of talents within the audiovisual industry, from fiction to nonfiction, animation to immersive, etc. All the partners within our network offer a great variety of training programs, which also cover the director-writer-producer as well as the workforce (cast and crew) during the production (including pre- and post-production).

The definition of talent is, of course, broad. What is most important for us is that someone feels an urge to work in the audiovisual field, wants to say something or add something and wants to get better all the time.

In which ways does your organisation help the filmmakers you work with? Do you happen to have any success stories to share? 

We and our partners offer all kinds of training- and network activities, from one-day masterclasses to a year-round trajectory. Some examples are the Shorts- and DocLab of CineSud, where new filmmakers make their first to third short with development-residencies, guidance from several coaches, and a production grant of €15.000. Or New Wave, a training trajectory for new directors from the North of the Netherlands by New Noardic Wave. Or Series- and ScriptLabs for writers, a Producers Lab for producers, a SkillsLab for DoP’s, editors and way more. 

In the last 5 years, a lot of filmmakers from different regions in the Netherlands entered the national and international film industry, with grants from the Netherlands Film Fund, collaborations with streamers such as Netflix and selections – and even awards at the world’s most recognised festivals such as the Berlinale (Nicole Jachmann, Funkele), Venice (Celine Daemen, Songs For A Passerby) and Clermont-Ferrand (Thomas Baerten, Wim Geudens, De Smet). We are also happy to see that more and more filmmakers from different regions of the Netherlands are making their feature film debut (Noël Loozen, Guido Coppis, Thom Lunshof).

What advice would you give for upcoming filmmakers who want to get involved? Where do they start?  

In our case, we are happy to say that we have built a very accessible and lowkey infrastructure in the Netherlands. In every region there is a film education hub, where kids and teenagers can already get access to making and experiencing film in all its forms. For students, autodidacts or new filmmakers in a later stage of their life, all the talent hubs (such as CineSud, New Noardic wave, NEXT) are there to assist and help filmmakers with all their questions, challenges and projects. 

In some regions, we even already have established regional film funds (in the provinces of Limburg and Friesland). If you have a story to tell or you want to work in the audiovisual field, starting at your local partner is the right choice!

Any events or films coming up that you’d like to promote? Tell us about them here. 

Within our network, we organise several international activities which are open for filmmakers from all over Europe. Some of them are organised by our partner CineSud, such as the DOC- and Directors Village, where new directors for non-fiction and fiction are training in a 5-day residency-program. Directors Village takes place in March, DOCvillage in October. 

During the Berlinale and Festival de Cannes, we host several programs for international (new) filmmakers and industry experts, such as the Screen Talent Europe reception annually on the first Friday of the Berlinale and a speeddate FilMatch and Talent reception in the second week of Cannes (organised by CineSud). 

We are also proud to present the first films that came out of our first development- and production trajectory for short and low budget feature films ‘Het Beloofde Land’. The three shorts already finished their post-production, some of them even already premiered at international festivals: Baarch (Rutger Veenstra), Onderdak (Maarten Sleegers, Anna Sherstiuk) and Blin Fiducie (Luka Kluskens). 

Later this year (2025) the two feature films will be finished. One of them recently won the main award at the work-in-progress section of Les Arcs: The First Zone (Thom Lunshoff). A great achievement of this talented team that made their first feature film! 

Please keep an eye on our website to stay in touch!

Where do you see the world of Short Films in 10 years, what should/needs to change?

I think short films should not only be recognised as a stepping stone to make feature films, but also as a separate form of art and expression. Therefore it would be great if there are more funding opportunities for short films and more ways for filmmakers from different countries to co-produce and co-create on short films. There is a strong need for short form content and short films have the capacity and power to play an important role in lots of current urgent matters and themes.

What do you think is lacking in the process of distributing and promoting short films by upcoming filmmakers?

The industry is too small (moneywise), therefore lots of short films don’t reach the audience they deserve. More sales agents, distributors and organisations to help create impact with films that are being made would be great. Short films can play a much bigger role in educational systems and societal schemes than they do currently. There is a gap between what filmmakers can do themselves and where they need specialised partners (such as distributors and sales agents on different levels – not only aimed at festivals or sales to streamers, television, etc.).

What do feel young film talents lack the most today, after graduating from film school? Where are the gaps in the film industry?

Even filmmakers who graduate from film school often struggle with funding, finding the right producer, etc., even though they will have been connected with the existing networks in their respective countries. Filmmakers who didn’t graduate from a film school, but are autodidacts or self taught usually have an even harder entrance. The film ecosystem, in essence, is not built for the entrance of newcomers, it takes time to get there. I think it would be great if we can open that gate a bit further, have more trust in talent, the stories and creativity of the filmmakers instead of the regulations and control-mechanisms a lot of funds (and therefore producers) have to deal with.

If there would be one thing that I should highlight as a big gap, I would say it is the one from making a feature after a short. With our development and production-trajectory ‘Het Beloofde Land’ this is exactly what we tried to bridge: give local producers and local directors the credit of making a feature film, so that they are eligible for funds to apply for a feature film as well. Otherwise they wouldn’t have been and it would take them years of struggle trying to get there.

What’s the best piece of advice you have for filmmakers?

Keep sharing and creating, work together, trust your gut feeling and never give up. Filmmakers’ lives can be lonely, therefore search a community around you to do all of this. Help others and let others help you.

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