BUURTHUIS 2
16 min, video, HD, 2023
Buurthuis 2 is a fantasy film realized with the community center De Witte Boei in Amsterdam’s Wittenburg neighbourhood. Visitors and staff take on the roles of vampires, wizards, and zombies who are entangled in a real-estate development scheme to turn the residential neighborhood into a luxury spa resort. Anchored by a Dutch fairytale about the pitfalls of preposterous wealth, the plot and characters were developed in scriptwriting workshops together with the artist. In the process, Josefin Arnell explores the social fabric of a place that is highly specific and at the same time faces the same problems as many other communities.
The film draws from and reflects on the historic social ideals of community centers in the Netherlands, that used to serve as a tool to educate the lower classes. What does it mean to be a “good” citizen in the context of increasing wealth disparity, housing shortages, and welfare cuts?
Arnell sees storytelling as a form of resistance that can involve different groups of people. Buurthuis 2 brings the community center into the cinema and cinema into the museum by playfully appropriating tropes of horror and fantasy.
Installation view Stedelijk Museum for Prix de rome 2023, Amsterdam Netherlands
Executive producer - Josefin Arnell and Lukas Heistinger
Director - Josefin Arnell
Director assistant - Levi van Gelder
Produced by - Helena Julian
Director of Photography - Sasha Kulak
Second camera - Lukas Heistinger
Gaffer - Linus Kropp
Sound recording - Vitalij Kuzkin
Sound composer - Simone Borghi (aka Morning Seance)
Orchestra - Stichting Accu
Sound engineering- Kenny Kneefel
Edit - Josefin Arnell
Contributing editors - Lukas Hesitinger, Gijs Onvlee, Gregory Samson
Color grading - Anton Zimerman
Post Production - Lukas Heistinger
Script writing workshop - Mirjam Ok, Ingrid Bisschop, Sabine Beilfuss,
Ivanildo Lins, Lizzy Soenarjati, Angel Sastro, Jenny Tjin Liep Shie
Script advisor - Eli Leven
Manual special effects - Heleen Mineur
Acting coach - Sipan Sezgin Tekin
Costume designer - Leila El Alaoui
Costume designer assistant - Bianca Huisman
Makeup and SFX - Suzanne Breur
Makeup and SFX assistant - Joshua Grabbe, Ylaise Boukes
Additional make up Zombies - Clémence Lollia Hilaire, George McGoldrick, Molly Palmer
Animal handler - Erik Sabel
Runners - Jiyeon Izzy Lee, Romaine Gijsberti Hodenpijl
Creative supervision - Annie Goodner
Titel design - Edgar Walthert
Supported by
Mondriaan Fonds
Produced for Prix de Rome 2023
Thank you to everyone in Wittenburg and Witte Boei who have taken part in conversations about this project. Your inputs have all contributed to making this film happen.
Special thanks to the team at Witte Boei
Angelique Wijnberg, Atef Abdalla, Petra Wisse, Sevda Aydin, Sonja De Leth
Cast
Vampire - Sabine Beilfuss
Wizard - Wensley Kleberg
City man - Leo Westra
Receptionist - Marlène van den Camp
Friend - Niki Koegler
Chef - Atef Abdalla
Egg man / Rapper - Mark Janssen
Biking boy 1- Damian Prenger
Biking boy 2 - Alex Oktay
Biking boy 3 - Martain Oktay
Man spying from balcony - Ivanildo Lins
Zombies
Alysa van Koulil
Anoek Harrewijn
Isabel Mercedes
Judith de Lange
Lizzy Soenarjati
Marijke Al
Melissa Huizer
Mischa Heijselaar
Muse Chang
Patricia van der Linden
Samira Khalife
Sanne Harrewijn
Steven Speek
Tamara Reuser
Taya Ahmed
Knitting
Christina van Zeelt
Dhanu Jogi
Inke Kuijper
Lizzy Soenarjati
Marijke Al
Tamara Reuser
Wil Kooijman
Willie Krop
Lunch
Harry Schooneveldt
Ingrid Schootman
Lea Abdulhak
Marijke Al
Sanne van den Eijnde
Tamara Reuser
Hand models - Victor Tilgenkamp, Toon Leemans