Maas already had a number of morbid short films to his name when he made his cinematic debut in 1983 with *De Lift*. With this horror thriller, the director won a Golden Calf as well as the Grand Prize at the Avoriaz Fantastic Film Festival. After that flying start, Maas built an oeuvre in which humor, suspense, and horror constantly alternated and complemented one another. Commercial aspirations never came at the expense of a highly recognizable signature of his own. A film by Dick Maas not only guaranteed pace, spectacle, and comical situations, but it is also a true Dutch film. Not the introverted kind, but the bold and extroverted one. Diluted with a generous dose of irony.
Dick Maas is, after Paul Verhoeven in 2002, the second Dutchman to receive the festival's lifetime achievement award. Unlike Verhoeven, who said goodbye to the fantasy genre after his American years, Maas keeps returning to it. In November of this year, his latest film premieres, *Sint*, in which the children's friend is unmasked as a bloodthirsty bishop.
Previous winners of the Career Achievement Award include Roger Corman (2006), Terry Gilliam (2007), and Tim Burton (2008).
Dick Maas will personally accept his lifetime achievement award on the opening night of the festival, this coming Wednesday, April 14.
IMAGINE LIFETIME AWARD FOR DICK MAAS
Award ceremony on the opening night of
Imagine: 26th Amsterdam Fantastic Film Festival
Wednesday, April 14, 2010 – Kriterion Film Theatre
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