A post by Peter Jordens.

The new film Buladó [Flier] by director Eché Janga has won the most important film award of the Netherlands, the Golden Calf, in the category of Best Film of 2020. This occurred at the 40th Netherlands Film Festival which was held in hybrid, mostly virtual form this year. Buladó, which is Eché Janga’s second feature film, premiered at the Festival and was its opening film on September 25, 2020. It tells the story of a single father in Curaçao whose daughter desires to contact the spirit of her deceased mother with the help of her grandfather. Buladó, a magical-realistic family drama, was shot entirely in Curaçao, is bilingual (70% in Papiamentu and 30% in Dutch), and is inspired by the island’s oral history. Since October 1, 2020 it is being screened in regular film theaters in the Netherlands.

News sources (in Dutch): https://curacao.nu/film-bulado-wint-gouden-kalf, https://www.parool.nl/kunst-media/bulado-verrassende-winnaar-gouden-kalf-voor-beste-film~bd343204.

For a synopsis of the film in English, go to https://www.natlab.nl/en/programma/3491/Eche_Janga/Bulad_ENG_SUBS_ or https://www.imdb.com/title/tt12182440.

Here are a few reviews of Buladó by Dutch reviewers:

“A mystical account about family relations, death, and the desire for freedom […] Refreshing, delightful and quirky.” ― Eric le Duc, De Telegraaf, https://www.telegraaf.nl/entertainment/28438049/mooie-mystieke-zoektocht-in-gouden-kalf-kanshebber

“Buladó is especially the story of Kenza [Tiara Richards] who learns to cope with her grief and navigates between reason and magic. The magical realism and poetry that accompany this are rare in Dutch cinema and a welcome addition to our film world.” ― Film Totaal, https://www.filmtotaal.nl/recensie/14657

“Buladó forces the viewer to surrender to a dreamy atmosphere and eventually lets him leave the theater hypnotized.” ― Gudo Tienhoven, AD, https://www.ad.nl/show/bulado-hypnotiserend-drama-vol-doorleefde-ontroering~a9eafd69

“A film that is free from conventions and from the narrative compulsion to explain everything […] Magically captured shots allow the [Curaçaoan] landscape, in which the stories of the ancestors are embedded, to speak.” ― Dana Linssen, NRC, https://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2020/09/29/bulado-laat-curacaose-landschap-spreken-a4013951

“The young Tiara Richards, a natural talent, has mastered the art of conveying a world of emotions through a single glance.” ― Patricia Smagge, Cine magazine, https://cinemagazine.nl/bulado-2020-recensie

“Actress Tiara Richards is truly a discovery […] Janga once again confidently manages to inject mystery and spirituality into Dutch cinema, which is generally so phlegmatic. [Buladó] feels fresh, unconventional and enriching.” ― Floortje Smit, De Volkskrant, https://www.volkskrant.nl/cultuur-media/regisseur-janga-weet-opnieuw-een-shot-mysterie-en-spiritualiteit-in-de-doorgaans-zo-nuchtere-nederlandse-cinema-te-injecteren~b7a7ca6d

“The film is a breath of fresh air for Dutch cinema.” ― De Filmkrant, https://filmkrant.nl/recensies/bulado

All translations by Peter Jordens.