Production company Stetz Film is adapting the book 'Kind van de onderwereld' (Child of the Underworld) by Claudia Schoemacher for the screen. In this autobiography, Schoemacher candidly describes her turbulent childhood with a father who moved in criminal circles in Amsterdam. When Claudia is fourteen and unsuspectingly at school, her father is arrested following a shooting and imprisoned in the Bijlmerbajes. The final episode of the television series she made about the children of inmates, *Je ouders in de lik* (Your Parents in Lay Forward), aired this week. The film *Kind van de onderwereld* will be a mature film, directed by Micha Kamp, known for *Het paard van Sinterklaas* (Sinterklaas's Horse) and *Tony 10*. Shooting for the film began in 2013.

Claudia Schoemacher: 'As a fourteen-year-old, I was confronted in a severe way with the consequences of my father's gambling and cocaine addiction, culminating in the shooting he was involved in, after which I was later dragged from my bed by an arrest team with two guns drawn. I am very proud that, following the book and the television program, there is now a film coming out about my life story. I think the true story is exciting enough for a feature film without having to embellish it.'

Child of the Underworld, the film tells the story of fourteen-year-old Claudia. When she first meets her charming, extravagant Italian father, she makes the difficult decision to leave her sisters and mother behind and move in with him. What begins as an adventure in the thrilling arena of the Amsterdam underworld in the 1980s nearly spirals out of control when Claudia is confronted with the criminal dealings of this generous, yet not-so-reliable, professional gambler. And so, she matures the hard way.

Claudia Schoemacher
The autobiographical book 'Kind van de onderwereld' (Child of the Underworld) was published in May 2010 and caused quite a stir. Claudia Schoemacher (1970) speaks candidly about how, as a fourteen-year-old, she was confronted by an arrest team and saw her father end up in prison. Grief, loss, and shame characterized her childhood. Claudia wrote this book not only to encourage the children of inmates, but also, and perhaps more importantly, to break the taboo surrounding detention. She also does this in the television program Je ouders in de lik (Your Parents in Prison). Claudia Schoemacher is married to cosmetic surgeon Robert Schoemacher.

Stetz Film
Stetz Film, producers Joram Willink (Shouf shouf habibi!, Bolletjes Blues), Piet-Harm Sterk, and Jan-Willem Wirtz, aims to tell striking, intriguing stories about real people navigating an ever-faster changing world. Accessible films that touch the viewer personally, open eyes, and stick with you. Films with social relevance, rooted in contemporary Dutch culture. They previously produced Oom Henk and Sekjoeritie, among others.

www.stetzfilm.nl



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