By Iekje Smit
Director and filmmaker Thomas Nauw runs CFX with his brother Maarten, a VFX artist. What began as YouTube videos grew into a film company that keeps experimenting with new techniques and trends. Their motto: ride the wave instead of going under it.
Their credits include the internationally awarded Grenzeloos Verraad, now on Netflix, and 23 Brieven van Vincent, currently in cinemas. The film tells the little-known story of Vincent van Gogh's time in Drenthe in 1883, based on the 23 surviving letters he wrote during that period. Filming took three years, and with a limited budget, AI made many of the visual effects possible in post-production.
In this Beeldcoalitie knowledge session at the Groninger Filmdagen, Thomas shares their journey from YouTube to the cinema. Using clips from 23 Brieven van Vincent, he shows how AI supported their post-production and what new techniques offer filmmakers today.
Ayisha Siddiqi is an emerging filmmaker from Groningen. Her film 1 April has been selected for the NFF Debut Competition, held this year during the Netherlands Film Festival from 24 September to 1 October.