''Katia's Sister'' ( Dutch: ''Het Zusje van Katia'') is a 2008 film directed by

Mijke de Jong Mijke de Jong (born 23 September 1959) is a Dutch film director, screenwriter and producer. She is known for creating films such as ''Bluebird'' (2004), '' Frailer'' (2014), ''Layla M.'' (2016) and ''God Only Knows'' (2019). ''Layla M.'' was sel ...

. It was adapted by Jan Eilander and Jolien Laarman from a 2001 novel written by

Andrés Barba Andrés Barba (Madrid, 1975) is a Spanish writer and translator graduated in Hispanic Philology from the Complutense University of Madrid, with a degree in Philosophy. He has taught at Bowdoin College, the Complutense University of Madrid and Pr ...

. The film premiered at the Netherlands Film Festival and won two Golden Calf awards.

Plot

Lucia is a young woman living in Amsterdam. She idolises her beautiful older sister Katia, who is drifting towards the sex industry. Their mother is from Russia and works as a sex worker in the

red-light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are particu ...

Cast

* Betty Qizmolli as Lucia, Katia's sister * Julia Seijkens as Katia * Olga Louzgina as the mother of Lucia and Katia * Ian Bok as John Turner

Production

The film was adapted by Jan Eilander and Jolien Laarman from the 2001 novel ''La hermana de Katia'' by

, moving the setting from Madrid to Amsterdam. It was the second in a trilogy of films directed by

about young women becoming adults. She commented that "all my films are about showing characters compassionately". It premiered on 25 September 2008 at the Stadsschouwburg in Utrecht during the Netherlands Film Festival. At the festival, the film was nominated for six awards, winning the

Golden Calf for Best Script The following is a list of winners of the Golden Calf for best script at the NFF. This category was awarded since 1999. * 2022 '' Do Not Hesitate'' - Jolein Laarman * 2021 '' The Judgement'' - Bert Bouma & Sander Burger * 2020 '' Romy's Salon'' - ...

and the

Golden Calf for Best Supporting Actress The Golden Calf for Best Supporting Actor is a category of the Golden Calf award, presented at the Netherlands Film Festival since 2005. From 2021 onwards the award became a gender-neutral award. Best Supporting Actor (2005-2020) Best Support ...

. It won the Silver Giraldillo, a prize worth 30,000 euros, at the

Seville European Film Festival The Seville European Film Festival (SEFF; es, Festival de Cine Europeo de Sevilla, links=no) is an annual film festival dedicated to European cinema held in November in Seville, Spain, since 2004. The festival is an initiative of the Instituto d ...

. The film was also nominated for a Golden Leopard and won the Special Mention Award from the Youth Jury at the

Locarno International Film Festival The Locarno Film Festival is an annual film festival, held every August in Locarno, Switzerland. Founded in 1946, the festival screens films in various competitive and non-competitive sections, including feature-length narrative, documentary, sh ...

. The worldwide takings for the film were $6,751.

Critical response

The response of Dutch films critics was mixed. NU.nl preferred the book to the film, whilst conceding that it is hard to film the world of the sex worker. ''

Volkskrant ''de Volkskrant'' (; ''The People's Paper'') is a Dutch daily morning newspaper. Founded in 1919, it has a nationwide circulation of about 250,000. Formerly a leading centre-left Catholic broadsheet, ''de Volkskrant'' today is a medium-sized c ...

'' praised how de Jong depicted the complicated relationships between the two sisters and their mother. ''De Filmkrant'' was impressed by the "sophisticated film-making" of de Jong and VPRO noted that what could have been a harrowing tale in the same way as '' Lilya 4-ever'' was instead a "sensitive and restrained" story. Internationally, ''

The Hollywood Reporter ''The Hollywood Reporter'' (''THR'') is an American digital and print magazine which focuses on the Cinema of the United States, Hollywood film industry, film, television, and entertainment industries. It was founded in 1930 as a daily trade pap ...

'' praised the direction of de Jong and the acting of Qizmolli, calling the film an "observant snapshot" of a young woman's life.

References

External links

* {{Authority control 2008 films Dutch drama films 2000s Dutch-language films Films set in Amsterdam Films directed by Mijke de Jong Golden Calf winners