Biography

Maarten van der Duin MA (Netherlands, 1967) is a director and script­writer for film and television in the Nether­lands, Germany and Russia. After graduating from Leiden University in Slavic Languages and Soviet Studies he went to acting and direc­ting schools in Poland and Russia. Maarten has directed theatre produc­tions in Noginsk (Russia) and Yakutsk (Sakha Republic) and produced in 1998 a festival of Russian classics at the King's Head Theatre in London. Apart from that, he did internships at the English National Opera and De Nederlandse Opera (Amsterdam). Back in the Nether­lands he sub­sequently switched to television and participated as a script­writer, assistant producer and editor-in-chief in seven seasons of Westen­wind (West Wind), a drama series for television channel RTL 4. After writing scripts for Trauma 24/7, a hospital drama series for NET 5, he was involved in all 78 episodes of Rozengeur & Wodka Lime (Scent of Roses & Vodka Lime), a light drama series for RTL 4, as editor-in-chief or main writer, whereas the last season was produced by him for Talpa TV as a creative producer.

In April 2007 Maarten left the Drama Department of Endemol Nether­lands and has worked since then as a free­lance screen­writer on drama series, like Spoorloos Verdwenen (Missing without a Trace) for AVRO, Flikken Maastricht (Cops Maastricht) for TROS, Moordvrouw (Devil of a Woman) for RTL 4 and youth series, like Het Klokhuis (The Apple Core), De slavernij junior (Slavery Junior) for NTR (formerly NPS) and Sportlets for Nickelodeon, which was nominated in 2007 for a MIPJunior Licensing Challenge. His short film Salto Mortale was selected for Kort! 2008 (NPS & Netherlands Film Fund) and has been shown at many festivals. The docudrama youth series 13 in de oorlog (13 at War) that he wrote for NTR, has been honored at home and abroad with numerous awards and nominations, including an Inter­national Emmy, the Prix Jeu­nesse and a Beeld & Geluid Award. The accom­panying inter­net game that he developed and further realized in cooperation with IJsfontein Inter­active Media, received several awards as well.

For the last five years Maarten has been working mainly in German as a director, script­writer and script doctor on television series, like Small Hands in a Big War (for NTR, ARTE, BBC/MG Alba and others), 14 Diaries of World War One (for NTR, ARD, WDR, SWR, ORF, NDR, ARTE, BBC and others), that was broadcast in 28 countries and was nominated for Der Deutsche Fernsehpreis 2014, and documentaries, like Father, Mother, Hitler for SWR, Erich Mielke, Master of Fear and Generation of Change, both for ARTE and MDR. In Russian he wrote the storylines and treatments for all 24 episodes of The Possessed for Moscow based AVK Productions. At present he is writing the script for Scent of Ceylon, a 90-minute film for Kino Kult in Moscow.

In addition to writing scripts Maarten has worked since 2010 as a dramaturg for RTL 4 and has guided the writing process of De slavernij (Slavery) for NTR, Verleden van Utrecht (Past of Utrecht) for RTV Utrecht and the new series Small Hands in World War Two (for SWR and BBC/MG Alba). Besides, Maarten gives masterclasses on screenwriting and drama analysis in the Netherlands and Russia, and is often invited as an analyst and consultant for radio and television programs, like the Achtuur­journaal (Eight O'Clock News), Met het oog op morgen (With the Eye On Tomorrow), Radio 1 Journaal (Radio 1 News) for NOS, Andere Tijden (Other Times) for NTR and so on.