Oscar Nominee Barkhad Abdi and Jim Deddes Lead Teddy Cherim’s ‘Maalstroom’ as production wraps
Filming has wrapped on 'Maalstroom' a Dutch & Belgian co-production written and directed by Teddy Cherim and produced by Marten van Warmerdam. Following a six-week shoot aboard an inland barge travelling through the Netherlands and Belgium, production has now been completed. The film stars Jim Deddes, Tenzing Woing and Somali-American actor Barkhad Abdi, known for his Oscar-nominated role in 'Captain Phillips'.
In 'Maalstroom', struggling barge skipper Jan takes on an urgent shipment of sand from Dunkirk to Rotterdam in a last attempt to save himself from financial ruin. Shortly after setting off, he discovers eleven refugees hidden in his cargo. As Jan races north along the canals, his unwanted passengers force him to confront a reality far removed from his own and to see life from a new perspective.
The film combines the urgency of its subject with moments of humor and absurdity, exploring Europe's migration debate through a group of people who are unexpectedly forced into close proximity aboard the same vessel.
The lead role of Jan is played by Jim Deddes, who previously worked with director Teddy Cherim on 'Joardy Season'. Tenzing Woing, previously seen in the lead role of the TV film 'Happy Palace', plays Jan's deckhand Edward. Somali-American actor Barkhad Abdi plays Bahdoon, a role Cherim wrote with Abdi in mind. Abdi received Academy Award and Golden Globe nominations and won a BAFTA for his breakthrough performance in 'Captain Philips', and has since appeared in films including 'Good Time', directed by Benny and Josh Safdie, and Denis Villeneuve's 'Blade Runner 2049'. The ensemble cast also includes Abdulaal Hussein, Hana Hussein, Anas Derow, Merhawi Kesete, Hiba Ali, Issa Musa, Sabine Berhe-Hagosse, Orwa Zaid, Hanna Mussie and Mohammed Terwis.
"The subject matter is heavy, but the film is at times also light-footed. The humor in 'Maalstroom' comes from the situation on board the ship, which is inherently surreal," says director Cherim. "The way Europe deals with migrants is fundamentally bizarre: the contradictions, the bureaucracy, the fear, the denial. The film holds up a mirror to that absurdity."
Cherim adds: "Working with this cast aboard the ship has been incredibly special. The group really lifted each other up throughout the shoot. Jim brings exactly the combination of acting talent and humor that Jan needs, and having Barkhad play a role I wrote with him in mind has been one of the highlights of making this film."
Director Teddy Cherim previously directed series including 'Joardy Seaon' and 'Vakkenvullers'. In 2019, he was nominated for a Golden Calf for the boundary-pushing VR documentary 'Meet the Soldier', in which viewers experience an encounter through the eyes of two tribes in Uganda — a project that also contributed to real-life reconciliation between the tribes involved. Cherim also wrote the screenplay for 'Maalstroom'.
"The longer we work on this film, the more relevant it becomes," says producer Marten van Warmerdam. "'Maalstroom' makes a story tangible and recognizable by giving a face to the fears on both sides, through characters who unwillingly make the same journey aboard the same ship. The story brings the migration issue back to a human scale and shows both the dilemmas and the compassion that arise when lives truly touch one another."
MAALSTROOM is produced by Graniet Film, in co-production with CZAR Film & TV (Be) and Dutch public broadcaster NTR. The film is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund, the Netherlands Film Production Incentive, the Flanders Audiovisual Fund (VAF), CoBO, the Belgian Tax Shelter, Eurimages and RTL Film LLC. Paradiso Filmed Entertainment expects to release the film in the Benelux in 2027.
Graniet Film was originally founded to produce the films of Alex van Warmerdam. With the arrival of producer Marten van Warmerdam, the company broadened its focus to include original, independent-minded filmmakers. Its credits include Alex van Warmerdam's 'Borgman', which competed for the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival, as well as 'NO. 10' and 'Schneider VS. Bax' Graniet Film also co-produced Sergei Loznitsa's 'Donbass', which won the Un Certain Regard Award for Best Director at Cannes.
CZAR Film & TV is the fiction department of Belgian production company CZAR.BE, founded in 1999 by directors Koen Mortier and Joe Vanhoutteghem. Under the leadership of managing producer Eurydice Gysel, CZAR Film & TV produces and co-produces feature films, short films, television series and documentaries. The company focuses on auteur-driven and visually distinctive work, with titles including 'Ex Drummer', 'Un Ange' and 'Skunk', as well as international BBC series including 'The Missing' and 'Les Misérables'.
