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The Horseshoe's Happiness

THE HORSESHOE’S HAPPINESS is about Tijs Groen, a former Dutch athletics champion who gave up his running career to pursue a new and unknown musical adventure in southern Spain.

Tijs has always played the guitar as a hobby but he never really considered to become a musician. While on holiday in Spain he visited the small beachtown of La Herradura (Spanish for ‘horseshoe’) in Andalucia. Here he met interesting musicians, an inspiring guitar maker and he learned about flamenco and guitar music in general.

Back home he decides that he wants to live in this special and creative place to explore his musical skills and interests. He buys an old van, refurbishes it and moves to The Horseshoe. From this nomadic home he studies the guitar, meets new friends, like-minded people and arranges gigs in bars, restaurants and simply out on the streets.

THE HORSESHOE'S HAPPINESS follows Tijs during his first year in Spain. A very intense year in which he works hard to discover his musical style as well as his ideal lifestyle after giving up on his secure life in the Netherlands.

With ups-and-downs, Tijs lives through all the seasons in the coastal area, from the cold and abandoned winter to the crowded and touristy summer. During this cycle he is slowly confronted with the consequences of his choices. More and more he has to find answers to questions about where he comes from, and where he’s heading to.

  • Jeroen Stultiens
    Director
  • Tijs Groen, Kobus Groen, Tony Turner, Stephen Hill
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 3 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    August 27, 2015
  • Production Budget:
    12,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Netherlands
  • Country of Filming:
    Netherlands, Spain
  • Language:
    Dutch, English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Jeroen Stultiens

Jeroen Stultiens started working for Dutch television at the young age of 15 when he was chosen to be part of a special youth training program. A group of teenagers formed the crew of a monthly tv-show which they had to produce under the guidance of professionals. Here, Jeroen was educated as a cameraman and a director.

After finishing high school and working in television for a few years, he went to the University of Amsterdam to study Film and Television Studies. His Master of Arts diploma was a welcome theoretical addition to the practical experience.

During his study he made his first documentary: a film about an expedition organized by the Dutch Aviation Museum to recover a lost Fokker F8 airplane from the jungles in Venezuela. During this project he learned how to shoot lean and mean, with a small crew and a limited budget under challenging circumstances abroad. This approach would pave the way for his choice of subjects and style of filming.

He started a production company in Amsterdam and worked on many television projects, corporate films and documentaries for 12 years. These projects took place all over the world and Jeroen has been to over 60 countries with a camera.

In 2014 Jeroen moved to a small village in the south of Spain with his family. From this beautiful and inspiring location, he works for both Dutch and Spanish clients and he develops new audiovisual ideas and documentaries. The first production from his new hometown is THE HORSESHOE'S HAPPINESS.

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