With Daria Bukvic at the helm, the original Dutch rom-com “Meskina” has a gooey feel-good vibe. The joyful story paints the life of Leyla, a thirty-year-old deme from a Moroccan-Dutch family. Jobless and heartbroken, Leyla seeks to restart her life while her parents desperately try to tie her up with potential suitors.
After its 2021 release in Dutch theaters, the film received mixed to positive reactions, due to its dark humor and slice-of-life storytelling. Behind the veil of comedic appearance, the film deals with themes such as alienation, existential crisis and resilience. You might want to revisit the locations where the movie was shot. Also, are you looking to identify if the film is based on a true story? Well, either way, we’ve got your back.
Meskina Filming Locations
“Meskina” was filmed in and around the Netherlands, especially in Amsterdam. Filming began in mid-2020 and wrapped on October 1, 2020. Ezra Reverda, the cinematographer of “Hallo Bungalow” and “Heart Street,” served as the film’s cinematographer. At the same time, Hanneke Wind, the production designer of ‘De grote slijmfilm’, took care of the same chore within the project. Now let us take you to the specific locations where the film was shot.
Amsterdam, Netherlands
Most of the filming took place in and around Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands. The iconic European metropolis is known for its cultural heritage and the extensive network of canals, which cumulatively form a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Although it takes its name from the damming of the Amstel River, the city is also known as the “Venice of the North”. If you ever plan to visit the city, it would be imperative to take a tour of Museumplein (Museum Square) to get a glimpse of the Golden Age of the Netherlands.
Is Meskina based on a true story?
No, ‘Meskina’ is not based on a true story. There isn’t much truth in the film regarding objectivity, but those who relate to the protagonist can develop a personal kinship with the character. The film tries to achieve a universal ring by presenting its protagonist in natural light. Fadua El Akchaoui, Daria Bukvic and Ernst Gonlag wrote the film’s story and screenplay, while Daria Bukvic served as the director.
However, the idea for the film first came to Dutch-Moroccan comedian Soundos El Ahmadi, for whom it had been a passion project for eight years. El Ahmadi thought that the usual romantic comedies are often interchangeable – they include the same cliché humor and white actors and actresses. She wished the Dutch film industry had more representation of the Moroccan-Dutch community.
Ahmadi’s original idea was to make a damn funny movie with women of color. Contextually, the Moroccan-Dutch community forms 2.4% of the entire Dutch population. The two countries established ties of friendship gradually from the end of the 16th century. Due to a common enmity towards Spain, the Netherlands extended its friendly gesture to Islamic countries like the Ottoman Empire and Morocco.
The relationship between the two countries was further consolidated with an official friendship treaty in 1608. After the war, the Netherlands experienced several waves of migration. While Moroccans were largely absent in the first wave, they began to appear in the second and third waves (1965 – 1973; 1974 – 1986). In 2011, up to 16% of young people under the age of 25 in the country were Dutch-Moroccans.
Consequently, El Ahmadi and others involved in the project felt an urgent need for more visibility for the community in the national culture. However, she wanted the film to have its own traveling comedic vibe. Thus, the film offers excellent entertainment value as a comedy. At the same time, the creative team made the project stand out by infusing racial awareness into the story.
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