We had a lovely night at the Dutch Academy Awards. Or more accurately, I had a terrible day, with lots of nail biting and feeling agitated. Until we sat down, the lights dimmed and the ceremony started. It would soon be over. We would nurse our wounds after the defeat, drink a pint and move on to the next film.
But… things went very differently. Of course I had hoped fervently and had thought it to be within reason that Maria Kraakman, the lead in In Blue, would carry off the Golden Calf for Best Actress, but the moment she actually was awarded the price, I felt very very proud of her.
When Jan Willem den Bok and I were awarded the Golden Calf for Best Screenplay, we somehow thought it necessary to educate our audience on the story of the adoration of that first Golden calf some 3500 years ago. With Moses rushing down the mountain, destroying the two tables, melting the shiny idol, grinding it, pouring the ashes into the water and forcing the people to drink it. Lots of gala dresses and tuxedos with bewildered faces. Maybe the setting was not right?
Anyhow. The triptych was completed by the Golden Calf for Best Direction for me. And I decided to let go of my scepsis for a few hours and celebrate the fact that all these confrères et consoeurs took our film to their heart. A lovely night.