Netflix Sets First Dutch Original Feature With Shady El-Hamus Hip-Hop Pic

Netflix has commissioned its first Dutch original feature film, an untitled crime comedy focusing on aspiring rapper Richie Rich and his journey to become the greatest hip-hop artist in the Netherlands.

The project comes from writing duo Shady El-Hamus and Jeroen Scholten van Aschat, whose De Libi won the top prize at the Netherlands Film Festival in 2019; El-Hamus will also direct. Producers are Fiction Valley, the Amsterdam-based label owned by UK company Fremantle.

In the movie, when Richie Rich’s watch is stolen in a violent robbery and humiliating images of the encounter go viral, the rapper has to fix his reputation to save his career.

“It is a great honor as young filmmakers to have the opportunity to create the first Dutch Netflix film. The collaboration with Netflix gives us the opportunity to make a film for a bigger and global audience,” El-Hamus said.

Scholten van Aschat added: “The film examines the struggle between who you are and who you want to be in a world where your online identity is all-important. Everyone seems to be burdened by a chronic recognition disorder.”