Heretic Acquires World Sales Rights to Ena Sendijarević’s Indonesia-Set, Colonial-Era Satire ‘Sweet Dreams’ (EXCLUSIVE)
variety.comChristopher Vourlias Heretic has acquired world sales rights to “Sweet Dreams,” the sophomore feature from award-winning Bosnian Dutch director Ena Sendijarević (“Take Me Somewhere Nice”).
Set on a remote Indonesian island during the waning days of the colonial era, the film centers on Dutch sugar plantation owner Jan and his wife, Agathe, who sit atop the local food chain — until the night when Jan, returning from a visit to his native concubine, Siti, suddenly drops dead in front of his wife.
Desperate to hold onto her privileged lifestyle, Agathe forces her estranged son, Cornelis, and his pregnant wife, Josefien, to travel from Europe and take over the family business.
Those plans are upended by a worker’s uprising, as Cornelis and his progressive ideals must confront the uncomfortable reality that his father’s will places Siti at the helm of the family estate, setting in motion a cat-and-mouse game that puts those ideals to the test. “Through this satirical period film about a Dutch-Indonesian family that is trying to deal with their heritage, I wanted to address Europe’s colonial history, to understand how the past influences Western Europe’s relationship with the rest of the world today,” said Sendijarević. “Sweet Dreams” is produced by Erik Glijnis and Leontine Petit of Lemming Film, in co-production with Erik Hemmendorff of Plattform Produktion, Kristina Börjeson of Film I Vast, Martien Vlietman of VPRO and Mandy Marahimin of Tala Media.
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