Art-house film producer found dead
By: KONG RITHDEE Bangkok Post
Published: 7/04/2009 at 12:00 AM

The local and international film community was shocked to learn yesterday of the death of well-known movie producer Wouter Barendrecht, 43, who was found on Sunday night in his apartment in the Chong Nonsi area of Bangkok.

Barendrecht, a Dutchman, was a co-founder of Fortissimo Films, an influential sales agent based in Hong Kong and Amsterdam that has played a role in distributing and pushing Asian cinema, including many Thai films, to international markets for more than a decade.

A statement from his company said the cause of death was heart failure.

A statement from Michael J. Werner, Barendrecht's business partner at Fortissimo Films, said: "We are all too shocked for words by Wouter's untimely death. He was a force of nature, my business partner, and one of the closest friends anyone could ever have."

Barendrecht, who has many friends in Bangkok, arrived in Thailand on Friday. He was scheduled to view the rough cut of the film Nang Mai (Nymph), which he co-produced with Thai studio Five Star Entertainment, on Monday morning. But on Sunday he could not be reached on the phone. He also did not show up at appointments. A friend finally found his body.

Barendrecht founded Fortissimo in 1991. He loved Asian films, and his taste for art house and independent movies meant he was instrumental in pushing small Thai films such as Fah Talai Jone (Tears of the Black Tiger), Satree Lek (Iron Ladies) and Khan Pipak Sa Khong Mahasamutr (Invisible Waves) into major film festivals and established Thai cinema as a player in the international art house scene.

In a Bangkok Post interview with Barendrecht in 2005, he said: "Only films that are honest to their local cultures will go far internationally. You can't make a film that has international fame by ignoring your own culture."

Un homme a qui l'on doit beaucoup. Les larmes du Tigre Noir : mon premier film thai sur un grand ecran parisien. Ca changeait des vhs du videoclub bellevillois. :blush:

RIP :drop:

Il a aussi bosse pas mal avec WKW. On lui doit bcp de films asiatiques distribues a l"ouest.
RIP

tout juste , d'ailleurs , dans "the standard hk" , ils precisent "Barendrecht was well regarded in the indie film industry and boasted an array of famous friends, including Hong Kong's Wong Kar-wai. He was also an advocate for gay and lesbian films."