Screenplay and Director Jelmar Hufen

Producer Christoph Koelemeijer, Jelmar Hufen

FOR A FEW MARBLES MORE tells a very simple story:

Four ten–year-olds are kicked out of their favorite playground by two aggressive drunkards. When they realize their parents are not going to help them, there’s only one solution. They have to find a way to get the toughest boy in the neighborhood to help them.

Compressed into 11 minutes, writer-director Jelmar Hufen does a masterful job of conveying a goodly amount of information in such a limited space.

Most notably, in a very Spielbergian style, Mr. Hufen quickly introduces us to the children’s neglectful parents by way of vignettes portraying parental absence, emotional frigidity, and marital discord.

With bright, vibrant photography by Aage Hollander, one is reminded of Albert Lamorisse’s masterpiece THE RED BALLOON. The children seem to pop off the screen as if animated in saturated color up against a dilapidated building, or when skimming marbles across the black-top.

The best part of the film involves the planning and recruiting of “the kid from that street over there”. Half-lit beneath a black hoodie, this dark knight in shining poly-cotton blend will serve as the savior to our four terrorized heroes. Just check out the whip-smart and funny dialogue leading up to the proposition:

Hey, forget your folks. We can get the playground back on our own.

How?

You're crazy.They'd kill all four of us.

We can ask the kid from that street over there. What's his name?

Maybe he can help.

-No, he's dangerous.

He slashed my neighbor's tires

because he has bad breath.

He has a tarantula.

-He drinks coffee.

No way.

Way. I saw him doing it at the block party last year.

-Black.

He never helps anyone.

Why would he do anything for us?

We have our marbles.

-No way, I won them fair and square.

The playground is more important than marbles.

You gotta love the fact that our anti-hero drinks coffee...black coffee. That’s pure brilliance.

Okay, so the kids find a General to lead the charge in their “super-soaker” armed militia to re-take their playground.

Ah, but there’s a twist. A twisted twist if you will. The surprise twist involves an unexpected secret weapon sure to free the playground of hooligans for a long time to come.

Suffice it to say, after the bad guys receive their soaking, they turn tail and run away yellow.

FOR A FEW MARBLES MORE is a bright and funny short film beautifully photographed, with extra keen dialogue loaded with insight and humanity.

Writer/Director Bio:

Jelmar Hufen worked in the Dutch film industry for a couple of years doing various jobs as an assistant. In the mean time he saved all his money for his own film project. With € 10.000,- of savings and the help of some generous movie companies the shooting of ‘For a few marbles more’ started. In October 2006 ‘marbles’ had his première on the Netherlands Film Festival. Currently the film is traveling the world, going from festival to festival. Hufen is currently, as a result of his successful debut, working as a commercial director in the Netherlands.