Starting from September 1, 2023, Sebastian Korteweg will join the management team of Topkapi Films as a Producer. The team also includes producers Laurette Schillings, Frans van Gestel, and Arnold Heslenfeld. Korteweg will take on the business responsibilities and will eventually succeed Arnold Heslenfeld, who will retire in 2024.
Laurette Schillings, Partner/Producer, said, “Sebastian’s experience and knowledge align perfectly with Topkapi. His skills, including those from his time at Pathé, demonstrate that he shares the same passion, and we are extremely excited about his arrival. We are very grateful to Arnold Heslenfeld for his dedicated years at Topkapi and wish him all the joy and freedom in a well-deserved retirement.”
Sebastian Korteweg, speaking about his role as Producer at Topkapi, said, “My long-held dream is coming true to create groundbreaking drama series and films for a diverse and international audience alongside an extremely talented and experienced team of professionals.”
Sebastian Korteweg has held various positions in both business and creative roles within the film industry. He began his career at Eyeworks Film & TV Drama, was responsible for business planning and film co-production at RTL and Videoland, sold film rights at Penguin Random House in Barcelona, and has been the Content Acquisition Manager at Pathé in recent years, as well as a program maker at venues such as the Royal Theater Tuschinski. Additionally, Korteweg is a committee member at Cinekid and a guest lecturer at the Dutch Film Academy. His mission is to bridge the gap between creative teams that create strong narrative content and business teams that execute this in a financially successful way, with the goal of reaching the right audience.
Topkapi’s latest co-production, “Holly,” will have its world premiere next week in the competition at the Venice Film Festival. Meanwhile, at the upcoming Netherlands Film Festival in September, two series, “Santos” and “Bodem,” will premiere. On Friday, September 1, the global launch of the latest feature film, “Happy Ending,” will take place on Netflix.