_{Production designer Marieke van den Bosch}

Over the past few years, Dutch Marieke van den Bosch has designed the mise-en-scène on a series of major film projects from the Netherlands, not least Nirit Peled’s Mothers*, which was nominated for Best Dutch Film at IDFA 2022, and Dan Geesin’s highly disorientating sci-fi feature Sputum* which premiered at Imagine Film Festival 2022. She also designed the visuals on Bart Groenendaal's imaginative and multi-genre short The Young Man as a Movie Star*: Paranoia, Opulence, Perversion and Competition.

“After a bubbly road of schools, studies and life itself,” as she puts it, Van den Bosch’s career in film kicked off on Fiona Tan’s History’s Future* as assistant to production designer Patty Groot Bluemink. “Working on this film captured my interest. Before that I was drawn to theatre and literature. This film showed me a different level of making conceptual art with a team,” says Van den Bosch.

She further articulates her approach to her craft. “The main question with production design for me is: do we believe it? Are all the elements in sync? For me it’s about asking questions and finding answers and not solutions.”

“I need to understand the structure, to be able to map the storylines, to visualize the intercommunication and development,” she continues. “But also, to trust on intuition... This profession makes it possible to work in different locations. We get to discover worlds behind doors. We learn the stories behind the details in houses, gardens, workspaces etc. And very importantly, production designer is not a ‘solitaire’ profession.”

Van den Bosch underlines the “amazing job” that she and her colleagues did on Sputum, Mothers and The Young Man as a Movie Star. “It’s a puzzle to create a team that understands this wide range of different languages. And I am very thankful to have had the understanding and contribution of so many beautiful talents each in their own way of course. I think we managed to find a unique language that contributes to the bigger picture.”

On The Young Man as a Movie Star the budget was limited so Van den Bosch and her team had to be very creative. “We made rules for the design: in colours, tones, textures, shapes, and materials. You should ask the actors how they experienced it. Almost overnight they woke up in different realities. We managed to pull it off!”

When asked what are her hopes and expectations for the Berlinale Talents programme, she underlines how the spirit of collaboration underpins everything. “I am a member of the International Production Designers Collective. Last October we had our first gathering in Greece. The gathering’s intention was to strengthen bonds, exchange ideas, share stories. This was just the start of a fluid conversation. What motivated it is our sense of belief and joy. With this positive vibe I will travel to Berlin.”
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*Film is supported by the Netherlands Film Fund.