How weird, Mike van Diem did not make any movie after his Oscar-winning film "Karakter". What happened to him? Did he suddenly lose interest in making films? That seems odd, right when he has made a break-through to the international public with this great film.
Can anyone inform me? Thanks.
"Get busy living, or get busy dying."
- Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption
He moved to the US of A and makes a living directing commercials. Probably tough to get a break.
shareThanks, milevskiy. What a pity that the Netherlands loses one of its cinematic geniuses in this way.
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He also did some of the writing for 'Spy Game', he is listed in the credits. I thought it was going to be his script entirely but why that didn't happen: I don't know.
shareIf he was in the states he didn't stay too long. He is doing commercial work just not here in the "Evil Empire". He's working for a group called 25FPS out of Amsterdam.
Karakter was good, I agree, but does one film make you a "...cinematic genius"?
None-the-less, What was lost now is found.
" No matter where you go, there you are."
WHen you are able to understand Dutch. This clip, a review program on the Netherlands Film Festival shows interviews in 2005 on the movei with Decleir, van Huet, producer Geels and quite long Mike van Diem, at his place in the USA.
http://www.cinema.nl/cinema/mediaplayer/index.jsp?media=24319027&refernr=6241023
From what I was able to understand from the interview Mike van Diem never states that he is currently living in L.A. ( or the U.S. ). At About 9'20" into the clip he's doing an interview and photo session somewhere in West Hollywood 1998. I don't claim to know enough dutch to speak it but if there was any info about him currently and/or permanently living in the US then I missed it. Please point out the section of the clip where I can find out otherwise.
Even if he is here in the US then the way I see it is: If you're a muslim, you eventually go to Mecca. If you're a film maker, you eventually go to Hollywood. If Mike van Diem is currently living in L.A. then it's by his own choice. Don't demonize America, and thus Americans, when someone chooses to come to our country to chase their dreams.
And besides Hollywood is so full of *beep* these days, they can't even produce an original script anymore. It's all comic books, remade asian movies and remakes from the '70s. No one in Hollywood is willing to put up 100 million dollars to produce a movie if they think that they won't at least double their money back. It's about business, it's no longer about art. The best movies these days are from our independent scenes here in America and Canada and from directors that are from outside of our shores. And that's where I hope Mike van Diem is, and I'm looking forward to his next film.