The Pool
by Chris W. Mitchell
The Netherlands 2014, 80 min
The pool is searching for a pure soul ... and it‘ll stop at nothing to get it
On their annual vacation, Lennaert and Rob take their families on a low-budget camping trip in the woods. Leaving the beaten track for a slice of adventure, they come upon a secluded haven on the margins of a pool. This decision will prove more adventurous than expected, however, for there is something living in the lake, and it‘s begging to get out.
Awards
Golden Calf for Best Sound (Wart Wamsteker) - Nederlands Film Festival 2014
Special Mention of the Méliès Jury - Imagine: Amsterdam Fantastic FF 2014
Festivals
World Premiere: Imagine: Amsterdam Fantastic FF 2014
International Premiere: Brussels International Fantastic FF 2014
Fribourg IFF 2017
Cast & Crew
Gijs Scholten van Aschat, Carine Crutzen, Bart Klever, Alex Hendrickx, Jamie Grant, Chris Peters, Katja Herbers
Production: House of Netherhorror, Nederlands Film Platform, Fu Works
Chris W. Mitchell
After completing his studies in philosophy in the UK Chris Mitchell (1963) moved in 1988 to the Netherlands. He soon made himself indispensable as a camera assistant for commercials, documentaries and feature films. In 1993, he made his directorial debut with the short film Book. A second short film, The Prodigal Son, premiered in 1996 at the International Film Festival Rotterdam before winning various prizes at genre festivals worldwide.
In 1998, Chris graduated Cum Laude at the Binger Film Lab for screenwriting. After Binger Chris continued to make shorts, Night Biter (2002) Jigsaw (2003) and Birthday Boy (2006), all three completed under the aegis of SHORT, a combined initiative from the NPS (Dutch Public Broadcaster) and the Dutch Film Fund.
In 2009 he assisted filmmaker Rudolf van den Berg as a writer and dialogue coach on Tirza, based on the bestselling novel by Arnon Grunberg. For Van den Berg's war drama Süskind (2012), he wrote the original screenplay, followed by the screenplay for director Richard Raaphorst’s horror film Frankenstein's Army (2013), that has become a global cult hit.
The Pool is his first feature film as director.
