Dutch Dystopian Debut First Zone Heads for Edinburgh Competition
Thom Lunshof’s First Zone In Competition at Edinburgh
Thom Lunshof’s dystopian feature debut First Zone will make its world premiere in the prestigious ‘In Competition’ strand at this year’s Edinburgh Film Festival, marking a striking arrival of a bold new Dutch voice in genre cinema.
Sharing the major roles in the film are Dutch leading lady Hadewych Minis (Borgman, Toni Erdmann) and Violet Braeckman (Heysel 85), one of this year’s European Shooting Stars, whose performances drive the tense, atmospheric world Lunshof has created.
LOGLINE
In a future-flooded Netherlands, a hardened woman living in a wind turbine is torn from her desolate home by a violent storm. As she fights her way back, she begins to question whether the place she once called home still holds any meaning at all.
THOM LUNSHOF ABOUT HIS FILM
In a time when the world faces immense challenges, it seems as though people care less and less about each other. What does connection mean in a world where everything feels lost? For me, this question lies at the core of my main character’s changing view of what ‘home’ still means when no one else is left.
ABOUT THE DIRECTOR
Thom Lunshof studied Philosophy at the University of Amsterdam alongside Directing Fiction at the Dutch Film Academy. His graduation short Harmonia (2020), a psychological thriller about academic burnout, earned multiple awards and positioned him as a filmmaker to watch. He has since built a strong portfolio of short films that have screened widely and won several awards at festivals. First Zone (2026) marks Thom’s debut into feature filmmaking.
ABOUT THE MAIN CAST
- Hadewych Minis is an award-winning Dutch actress whose international credits include Alex van Warmerdam’s Borgman, Maren Ade’s Toni Erdmann and the Netflix miniseries Tokyo Trial.
- Violet Braeckman is a film, television and stage actress whose screen credits include Heysel 85, The Twelve and F** You Very Very Much. She’s among this year’s European Shooting Stars by EFP.
OTHER KEY CREW
Screenplay: Thom Lunshof, Sam Dijkstra; DOP: Sami el Hassani; Editing: Tessel Flora de Vries; Production Design: Evelien Stikkelman; Costumes: Zoë Scheffer; Make-up & Hair: Sharon de Ruijsser; Original score: Nico Maas
EIFF PRESS & INDUSTRY SCREENING*
- Saturday 15 August, 11:00, Filmhouse Screen 1
EIFF SCREENINGS*
- Sunday 16 August, 20:00, Filmhouse Screen 1
- Monday 17 August, 20:00, Cineworld Screen 4
- Tuesday 18 August, 13:45, Cineworld Screen 3
- Tuesday 18 August, 19:30, The Cameo Screen 2
** Always check the official festival channels for any last‑minute programme changes
GENERAL INFO
First Zone is produced by Marrit Greidanus for Makaki Productions and received support from the Netherlands Film Fund (NFF).
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Christian De Schutter
