Amsterdam-based sales agency Film Harbour has secured the world rights – excluding the Netherlands and Belgium – to documentary “The Propagandist,” which world premieres in IDFA’s International Competition next month.
Film Harbour was launched earlier this year by seasoned documentary sales executive Liselot Verbrugge, former CEO of Deckert Distribution, as revealed exclusively by Variety.
“The Propagandist” is directed by Dutch filmmaker Luuk Bouwman, and is produced by Ilja Roomans for Netherland’s Docmakers.
Using previously unpublished interviews, family films and propaganda films, “The Propagandist” tells the story of the rise and fall of Dutch filmmaker Jan Teunissen (1898-1975). As head of the Department of Film of the Dutch Nazi Party and SS, he became the most powerful man in the Dutch film industry during World War II.
Teunissen, nicknamed the “Film King” and the “Dutch Leni Riefenstahl” was a well-known filmmaker before the war. The film asks: What drove him to become part of the Nazi regime? It also questions the boundaries between documentary and propaganda and the role of propagandists – how they spread images, narratives, misinformation and ideology.
“After finishing my previous film, ‘All Against All – an Archaeology of Fascism in the Netherlands,’ I discovered a nine-hour-long interview with Dutch National Socialist filmmaker Jan Teunissen,” Bouwman explained. “This interview, along with the simple ‘whydunit’ question, became the starting point for ‘The Propagandist.’ Part psychological exploration and part film archaeology, the film unearths the thoughts and work of a forgotten group of Dutch filmmakers who dreamed of a career in cinema but ended up promoting a brutal regime. It is also a dark mirror in which we can see universal human traits that both scare and intrigue.”
“We are excited to take part in the journey of Luuk Bouwman’s exploration of the rise and fall of Jan Teunissen,” Verbrugge commented. “’The Propagandist’ offers a gripping look into the manipulative power of film and the dangerous intersection of art and ideology. We believe the documentary will resonate deeply with international audiences, sparking crucial conversations about the role of filmmakers in shaping narratives and spreading misinformation. It’s a compelling and timely film that challenges us to confront uncomfortable truths about the past—and ourselves.”
“The Propagandist” marks the latest collaboration between Film Harbour and Docmakers since the sales outlet launched earlier this year under Verbrugge. Other acquisitions include “Where Dragons Live” and “Close to Vermeer,” both directed by Suzanne Raes and produced by Ilja Roomans. “Where Dragons Live’ was also selected for this year’s IDFA, where it will have its international premiere in the Signed strand.
“The Propagandist” is a Docmakers production in co-production with Human, supported by the Netherlands Film Fund, the Netherlands Film Production Incentive, NPO Fund, CoBO and Sound&Vision.
