About

Known credits:
29
Birthday:
1969-04-25
Place of birth:
The Hague, Netherlands
Website:

Martin Koolhoven

Overview

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Martin Koolhoven (born April 25, 1969 in The Hague) is a Dutch film director and screenwriter.

Born as Martinus Wouter Koolhoven, Koolhoven graduated from Dutch film school in 1996 and almost immediately made an impact on the Dutch film industry with his 53 minute television film Duister Licht ("Dark Light") in which the slaughtering of a pig was shown. The film was nominated twice at the Dutch Film Festival.

It was his next (and first feature length) film however that established his name, also outside of the Netherlands. Suzy Q (also made for television) became the most awarded Dutch film of 1999 and established both Koolhoven's career and that of actress Carice van Houten, who Koolhoven worked with several times in the films to come.

His first film for the cinema, AmnesiA, got a small theatical release in New York.

Koolhoven started off with strongly stylized films that were all hailed by the critics, but never gained commercial success. In 2005 that changed when he went into the mainstream with Schnitzel Paradise, that not only got him rave reviews (both inside and outside the Netherlands), but was the highest grossing Dutch film of that year. The film was shown at many international film festivals (amongst them the Berlin Film Festival and the Karlovy Vary Film Festival where it was part of the Variety Critic's choice.) The film was sold to more than 20 countries, which is a remarkable amount for a Dutch film.

In the same year Koolhoven released Bonkers, which internationally became his most awarded film and performed well at the box office. He also was the first director to have two films in the Dutch box office top 20.

"n Beetje Verliefd (2006) (Happy Family) was his third hit film in two years time, earning him another Golden Film. It was followed in 2008 by Oorlogswinter (Winter in Wartime), a Dutch movie based on the hit novel by the same name, written by Jan Terlouw, which went platinum. The movie was praised by almost all critics (including Variety that wrote a raving review) and was an enormous succes at the box office, being the number one movie at Christmas 2008 in The Netherlands. Winter in Wartime grossed more money than all previous movies Koolhoven made together. The movie outgrossed competing movies like The Dark Night and Twilight and was the Dutch entry for the Academy Awards. It made the shortlist of 9 movies, but failed to get nominated. The movie is being distributed in the United States by Sony Classics.

Description above from the Wikipedia article Martin Koolhoven, licensed under CC-BY-SA, full list of contributors on Wikipedia.

Known for

Acting

2024 Koolhoven Presenteert Actor Presentator N/A
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2020 The Dick Maas Method Actor Self 59
Average
2019 Lion Panther She-Wolf Actor Vader N/A
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2013 Soof Actor Director 59
Average
2008 Making of Oorlogswinter Actor Self N/A
N/A
2007 Sextet Actor 59
Average
2006 Happy Family Actor 59
Average
2005 Bonkers Actor Ticket Vendor 59
Average

Directing

2016 Brimstone Directing Director 67
Fair
2008 Winter in Wartime Directing Director 61
Fair
2006 Happy Family Directing Director 59
Average
2005 Schnitzel Paradise Directing Director 58
Average
2005 Bonkers Directing Director 59
Average
2004 The South Directing Director 58
Average
2001 The Cave Directing Director 59
Average
2001 AmnesiA Directing Director 58
Average
1999 Suzy Q Directing Director 59
Average
1997 Dark Light Directing Director 59
Average
De Orde Der Dingen Directing Director N/A
N/A
Emerald Butterfly Directing Director N/A
N/A

Writing

2024 Venus Writing Creative Producer 59
Average
2016 Brimstone Writing Writer 67
Fair
2008 Winter in Wartime Writing Screenplay 61
Fair
2001 AmnesiA Writing Writer 58
Average
1999 Suzy Q Writing Writer 59
Average
1997 Dark Light Writing Writer 59
Average
De Orde Der Dingen Writing Writer N/A
N/A
Emerald Butterfly Writing Writer N/A
N/A

Production

2025 Mr. K Production Executive Producer 58
Average