George Sluizer
Dutch filmmaker
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George Sluizer (25 June 1932 – 20 September 2014)[1] was a French-born Dutch[2] filmmaker whose credits included features as well as documentary films.
George Sluizer | |
|---|---|
 Sluizer in 2012 | |
| Born | 25 June 1932 Paris, France |
| Died | 20 September 2014 (aged 82) Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Occupations | |
| Years active | 1961–2014 |
| Notable work | The Vanishing Utz Dark Blood |
Career
Sluizer was born on 25 June 1932 in Paris, France.[1] He was best known for directing two versions of The Vanishing, a 1988 Dutch-language release, originally titled Spoorloos, and the 1993 American version. Other feature films directed by Sluizer included Utz (1992) for producer John Goldschmidt, Crimetime (1995), and Dark Blood, which was discontinued after the death of its lead actor River Phoenix, but later completed and premiered at the Netherlands Film Festival in 2012.[3]
From 2012 until 2014 he was part of the film jury for ShortCutz Amsterdam.[4][5]
Director Dennis Alink made a documentary called Sluizer Speaks during the final years of Sluizer's life. It premiered two months after his death at the IDFA in Amsterdam.[6][7]
Accusations against Ariel Sharon
Sluizer claimed that he had witnessed then-Israeli Defense Minister, Ariel Sharon, personally shooting two Palestinian children from close range near the Sabra-Shatilla refugee camp in November 1982, after the Sabra and Shatila massacre. Sluizer was accused by Israeli officials of a 'modern blood libel' for his claims – which in 2010 achieved front page level publicity in Israel. [8][2]
Death
Sluizer suffered from arterial disease in his later life, and in 2007 experienced a near-fatal aortic dissection.[1] Sluizer died in Amsterdam on 20 September 2014, aged 82, after suffering a "long illness."[9]
Filmography
As director
| Year | Title | English title | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1961 | De Lage Landen | Hold Back the Sea | |
| 1967 | Yankee Sails Across Europe | National Geographic Special | |
| 1968 | The lonely Dorymen | National Geographic Special. Documentary about Portuguese fishermen | |
| 1969 | Siberia: The Lost Horizon | National Geographic Special | |
| 1971 | Stamping Ground | Directed with Hansjürgen Pohland | |
| 1972 | João en het mes | João and the knife | Entered into the 22nd Berlin International Film Festival |
| 1979 | Twee Vrouwen | Twice a Woman | |
| 1982 | Tepito Si | Short film | |
| 1983 | Adios Beirut | ||
| 1985 | Red Desert Penitentiary | Red Desert Penitentiary | |
| 1988 | Spoorloos | The Vanishing | |
| 1992 | Utz | Utz | Entered into the 42nd Berlin International Film Festival[10] |
| 1993 | The Vanishing | Remake of Spoorloos | |
| 1996 | Crimetime | Crimetime | |
| 1996 | Mortinho por Chegar a Casa | Dying to Go Home | Directed with Carlos da Silva |
| 1998 | The Commissioner | The Commissioner | Entered into the 48th Berlin International Film Festival[11] |
| 2002 | La Balsa de piedra | The Stone Raft | |
| 2009 | The Chosen One | The Chosen One | |
| 2010 | Homeland | Homeland | |
| 2012 | Dark Blood | Dark Blood | Originally filmed in 1993 and technically unfinished. Entered into the 32nd Netherlands Film Festival |
Awards and nominations
- 1988 - Golden Calf Best Film, Nederlands Film Festival, for Spoorloos
- 1997 - Nomination Crystal Star, Brussels International Film Festival, for Mortinho por Chegar a Casa
- 1998 - Nomination Golden Bear, Berlinale, for The Commissioner
- 2002 - Nomination Golden Calf Best Film & Beste Director, Nederlands Film Festival, for La balsa de piedra
- 2002 - Juryprize, Nederlands Film Festival, for La balsa de piedra
- 2013 - ShortCutz Amsterdam Career Award