Lennert Hillege's new film, The Smell of Apples, celebrates its world premiere in the Platform section of TIFF. Directed by John Trengove, the film is set in Cape Town during the apartheid regime of the 1970s. The story follows eleven-year-old Manus, played by Dawian van der Westhuizen, who struggles with the deceit in the mature world around him. Hillege deliberately worked with a quiet, focused camera style that aligns with the child's perspective. Together with Trengove, he approached the script like music, searching for rhythm. Frank Hoeve of Baldr Film acted as the Dutch producer. Cercamon handles international sales.