Wolf is the story of Majid, a young man trying to set his life back on track after being released from prison. As we follow him we are drawn into the harsh reality of a suffocating, uncompromising world.

Shot in black and white by director Jim Taihattu, the events depicted in Wolf are rooted firmly in reality and offer an alternative, but above all human, perspective on the crime reports that fill our newspapers every day.

Synopsis

Majid (Marwan Kenzarl is a young kickboxer born and raised in a grim, anonymous suburb in The Netherlands. After a stretch in prison he needs to get his life back on track, but as a high school dropout cast out by his family, he hasn't got many options. So he decides to make the most of his greatest strength, his skills as a fighter.

Boxing gym owner Ben (Raymond Thiry) spots Majid's raw talent during a sparring session at his gym. Ben decides to start coaching the young fighter and prepare him for the ring, while trying to instil in him the discipline and respect a boxer needs.

But at the same time Majid falls back into petty crime with his friend Adil (Chemseddine Amar). They steal cars, pull off holdups and robberies and slowly but surely work their way up the ranks of the criminal underworld.

The only contact that Majid has with his family is with his terminally ill brother Hamza (Nasrdin Dchar), whose illness has dragged the family into financial trouble. This and the fact that his father doesn't trust him, gnaws away at Majid's self-esteem.

In his first professional fight Majid loses control of himself and beats his opponent into a pulp. Majid is disqualified, but his performance attracts the interest of criminal boss Hakan (Cahit Ölmez). He's just as interested as Ben in Majid's fists, but for completely different reasons.

Hakan invites Majid to come under his wing, leaving Majid to make a stark choice between the honest, responsible future that Ben offers, or putting his lot in with the charismatic criminal Hakan.

As he desperately looks for a way out, Majid decides to follow his instinct, which is when things really begin to get interesting...

About the Cast

After graduating from The Maastricht Theatre Academy Marwan KenzarI (1983) was invited to join the prestigious Toneelgreep Amsterdam (The Netherlands' largest repertory theatre company), where he performed on stages from Moscow to New York. On the silver screen he's dazzled in Loft, De Laaste Dagen van Emma Blank and Rabat. His TV roles include appearances in Dutch TV shows Penoza and Van God Los. In Wolf he plays the main character, Majid.

Nasrdin Dchar (1978) is a permanent member of the renowned Rotheater Theatre Group in Rotterdam. His recent solo show, Oumi, written by Dutch theatre legend Maria Goos, performed to sold out audiences across the country, including Amsterdam's famous Stadschouwburg. In film, he's had lead roles in Tirza and Suskind, while in 2011 he won a Golden Calf, The Netherlands' most prestigious film award, for Best Actor in Rabat. In Wolf, he plays Hamza, Majid's terminally ill brother.

Chems Eddine Amar (1987) made his his breakthrough came with his role in Dutch children's TV show Spangas. He has also appeared in TV series Flikken Maastricht and feature films Langer Licht and Spangas op Survival. In Wolf he plays Adil, Majid's best friend and partner in crime.

Raymond Thiry (1959) was a member of the infamous Dutch theatre group Alex d'Alectrique since 1987. He is best known for his role as Van Rossum in children's TV program Villa Achterwerk. His role in the movie Langer Licht won him a nomination for a Golden Calf award for Best Actor, that he would go on to win in 2009 for his role in Oorlogswinter. In Wolf he plays Ben, Majid's kickboxing coach, who tries to lead him towards an honest career as a fighter.

Cahit Ölmez (1963) has had lead roles in the popular Dutch TV series Van Speijk and Belgian TV phenomenon Flikken. He has appeared in many films, most notably 06/05 and Kauwboy. In Wolf he plays Hakan, a Turkish criminal who tries to entice Majid into his criminal network.

Bo Maerten (1992) made her acting debut in the Dutch soap opera Onderweg Naar Morgen. In 2007 she had the lead role in the film Timboektoe, based on the book by Carry Slee. In Wolf she plays Tessa, a girl with whom Majid has an on-off relationship.

About Habbekrats

Habbekrats is a creative film company flourishing at the intersection of cinema, advertising and contemporary culture. That means we live to make film, know how to sell it and love to see it becoming part of something greater. We are based in Amsterdam, but consider the world as our playground.

Founded in 2004 and firmly rooted in street culture, we will always be interested in things unseen, untold or unwanted. Our mission is to bring compelling stories of our time to a relevant audience.

At Habbekrats we specialize in developing, producing and marketing film projects. While some think the film industry is being threatened, we believe this is the most exciting time when it comes to being a production company. With industry paradigms changing everyday, keeping an open perspective is our strategy for growth. Our deep and sincere involvement stretches from developing a filmmaker's idea into a movie until creating the marketing campaign and release strategy together with a distributor.

About Writer/Director: Jim Taihuttu

Jim Taihuttu is a co-founder and owner of Habbekrats. As a director, he tells intimate, insightful stories in a raw and direct way.

With his first feature film Rabat and many successful music videos and short films behind him, he is part of a vanguard of young directors who look outside their national boundaries to attract new audiences to their work.

Production Partners

Wolf is a Habbekrats production in collaboration with NTR and The Netherlands Film Fund. It was selected as part of The Oversteek Project, a collaboration between three Dutch partners to give young directorial/film talent the chance to make a feature film based on contemporary Dutch reality, but filmed to appeal to an international audience.