Filming/Filmen MAUS in ‘t O-tje

Tânia A. Cardoso past events cinema, feest, film, garden, kunst, movie, series, tuin

Filming/Filmen MAUS in ‘t O-tje

There Will Be Film chose ‘t O-tje’s garden on a warm Summer night to film a scene from their forthcoming fiction series MAUS. Jiska Bazuin was very kind to casually answer some questions about this filming night and to share some of their photographer Jeroen Bronckers’ pictures with us. We cannot thank them enough.

Don’t forget to follow the project at www.therewillbefilm.com and on instagram @therewillbefilm.

O-tje: If you don’t mind I would love to ask a couple of questions, nothing big.

Jiska Bazuin: Many thanks for your kind e-mail! It’s nice to hear from you.

OT: Can you please tell us a bit about the film you are shooting?

JB: The fiction series is written and directed by Chris de Krijger and Sven Peetoom. In a total of six episodes, a 17-year-old named Maus (played by Walt Klink, known from the videoclip ‘Smoorverliefd’ by Snelle) falls asleep on the train, wakes up at the Central Station and finds out the first morning train leaves hours later. He then decides to follow a mysterious girl, like a moth drawn to the light, deeper and deeper into the night. From a cinema setting in the Tram depot in Hillegersberg to the surreal cellars of Cinerama, from a balcony rave at Het O’tje to the Natuurhistorisch Museum at night; every episode breathes the creativity and adaptability of the Rotterdam nocturnal animals. Maus finds out what the night has in store: love, temptation, friendships and art.

OT: Why did you decide to shoot a couple of scenes here at ‘t Otje? What was the experience like?

JB: Chris and Sven had already written the script and we were already making plans for the production and shooting period, but then corona happened, so we were forced to think of alternative ways for Maus to discover the city nightlife. Because you couldn’t (still can’t) go to a discotheque to party with your friends, people started throwing balcony parties or raves. We decided to combine the two and were looking for a location in Rotterdam where this would be possible. As Anne is a friend of Chris and we sort-of knew Het O’tje, we decided to ask her, to see if it would be possible to check it out and use it in the series. We simply loved the garden and the red balconies on both sides, so we decided to go for it! It was an amazing experience. During the day (when it was super hot) we built up the set and had a bbq with the crew. When it started to get dark, we started shooting and everything came together; the lights, the people, the atmosphere. It was magical!

OT: When will it premiere and where can we see it?

JB: The web/tv series will be broadcasted from November 15 to December 20 on OPEN Rotterdam. Furthermore, we also want to make it a mid length film, but I can’t tell you when and where that will premiere just yet.