Private Project

A Stranger from the Past

When a mechanic opens the hood of a car, he accidentally awakens a dark force of nature.

  • Jan Verdijk
    Director
    Wild (2018), Valt een man uit de lucht (2017)
  • Jan Verdijk
    Writer
    Wild (2018), Valt een man uit de lucht (2017)
  • Thijmen Doornik
    Director of Photography
    Cronos (2020), Wild (2018), Valt een man uit de lucht (2017)
  • Jochum ten Haaf
    Key Cast
    Van God los (2017), Dunkirk (2017), Vechtershart (2017), Lucia de B. (2014)
  • Reinier Schimmel
    Key Cast
    "Oliemonster"
    Elke Dag (2012), Over (2010), Goede tijden, slechte tijden (2009)
  • Daniel Dow
    Producer
    Snor (2019), Kramp (2019), Jetski (2019), Maya (2018), Salvatore (2018) Weeën (2017), 7 Marokkanen en Jos (2017), Hellingproef (2016), Vliegen (2015), Arrêt Pipi (2015), Rotor (2014)
  • Jolien Snyers
    Production Supervisor
  • Joshua Menco
    Editor
  • Ruben Labree
    Colorist
  • Berend Holtkamp
    Gaffer
  • Koen van de Wardt
    Music
  • Lennart Kleinen
    Sound Design
  • Alan van Ramshorst
    Sound Design
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Genres:
    Thriller, Horror
  • Runtime:
    5 minutes 12 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 1, 2020
  • Production Budget:
    7,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Netherlands
  • Country of Filming:
    Netherlands
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • San Sebastian HFFF 2020
    San Sebastian
    Spain
    Award: Silver Méliès - Best European Short Film
  • Bucheon Fantastic Film Festival 2020
    Bucheon-si
    Korea, Republic of
    July 9, 2020
    International Premiere
  • Screamfest LA 2020
    Los Angeles
    United States
    October 6, 2020
    North American Premiere
  • Nederlands Film Festival 2020
    Utrecht
    December 30, 2020
  • Imagine Film Festival 2020
    Amsterdam
    Netherlands
    August 27, 2020
    European Premiere
  • PEFF 2020 Festival of Environmental Cinema
    Puerto Madryn
    Argentina
    October 1, 2020
    South American Premiere
  • SHIFT Film Festival 2020
    Roermond
    Netherlands
    September 11, 2020
Director Biography - Jan Verdijk

Jan Verdijk (1987) is a Dutch director and screenwriter. He rose to prominence after his short film WILD (2018) won the prestigious Méliès d’Or at Sitges Film Festival for best European Fantastic Short film.

After completing film studies at the Utrecht School of the Arts, Verdijk made his directorial debut with the short A MAN FALLS FROM THE SKY (together with Kurt Platvoet). The movie was critically acclaimed at over twenty screenings, gathering much praise for it’s direction and worldbuilding.

Currently Verdijk is developing a science fiction for Dutch streaming platform VIDEOLAND, alongside writing his first feature.

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Director Statement

A friend of mine recently let me drive his Tesla. Immediately I was overwhelmed with a sense of futurism. When I stepped back into my own car - a diesel - it felt prehistoric. Like a loud, shaky monster. Having experienced the future of automotive, it dawned on me how most of us with non-electric cars are living in nostalgic times. The idea for this film was born that day.

A STRANGER FROM THE PAST is a dark fantasy about fossil fuel, and the disgusting monster it actually is. Mirroring the mechanic in the film, I hope we as a society will stand up against it and be able to look at fossil fuels as a strange thing that belongs to a dark past.