The documentary ‘A woman like Monique’ about actress Monique van der Ven (73) from the village of Zeeland was awarded the Crystal Film Award on Wednesday. Director Claire Pijman and the leading actors received the award because the documentary reached 10,000 visitors.
The film is about Monique’s life. She plays a fictional version of herself. Reality alternates with fiction and the past and present are intertwined. Monique plays an older actress who retreats to her beach house to prepare for a new role. When a man (actor Jos Brauers) ends up stranded at her house with a broken bicycle, they start talking. Monique reveals more and more about her personal life: the loves, the adventures, the highs and lows.
The Crystal Film Award is a prize from the Dutch Film Festival. This is certainly not the first award that Monique has received for her acting. In 1973 she played in Turkish Delight by Paul Verhoeven. This film attracted 3.3 million cinema visitors and it is still the most visited Dutch film of all time.
Monique also received a Golden Calf three times and in September last year she received the Career Achievement Award.
