The Dutch-language short film 'De Dode Spreekt' won the award for best experimental film at the Manchester Film Festival on Sunday evening.

The film by Argentine filmmaker Marcos Mereles is set in Amsterdam and is about a man who talks about what it is like to be dead. His voice is provided by Dutch writer and voice actor Sameer van Alfen, who also handled the translation of the script from English to Dutch.

'De Dode Spreekt' premiered at the Imagine Film Festival 2017 (EYE Filmmuseum Amsterdam) and was also screened at the Montevideo Fantastic Film Festival (Uruguay). The film is suitable for an international audience because it features English subtitles (name: 'The Dead Man Speaks'). Mereles's filming style is particularly appreciated by critics. He uses moving slide images (stills) in which no people are visible. And this in a busy city like Amsterdam.

Marcos Mereles, who himself spent a few months in Amsterdam and now lives in London, has several short films to his name: Nochebuena and Florinda & Floriana. He is currently working on The Timeless Library and Arka. Mereles: 'When I was in Amsterdam, I noticed that the houses were very old. Over the centuries, many people have lived in them who are no longer alive but may still be wandering around. With De Dode Spreekt, I wanted to put their possible thoughts into words.'

Sameer van Alfen is a journalist and writer. It was the first time he worked on a film as a voice actor. Van Alfen: 'The concept of Marcos' film really appealed to me. It was special to work with him, especially since he does not speak Dutch and therefore had to rely entirely on me for a good translation of the script.'

The Manchester Film Festival (http://www.maniff.com/) was held for the fourth time last week. The festival is gaining significantly in popularity. In 2017, it was nominated as Best Non-Musical Festival at the UK Festival Awards in London.

You can find more information about the film De Dode Spreekt and filmmaker Marcos Mereles at: https://www.mereles.co.uk/

Not for publication:

For further questions, please contact:
- Filmmaker Marcos Mereles in London:
+44 7565 090277, [email protected]

- Voice actor and script translator Sameer van Alfen in Amsterdam/Lelystad:
06 55 88 35 86, [email protected]



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