A trip to the seaside leads to a romantic adventure for a lonesome young man in Going Dutch. We talk with filmmaker Jack Copland about the making of his award-winning short comedy.
Going Dutch follows a down-on-his-romantic-luck young man (played by Jack Copland) who takes a trip to the coast of Holland to clear his mind following a recent break-up with his girlfriend.
When his journey leads to a chance encounter with a charming local photographer (Yasmin Behar), however, the pair set out on a whirlwind tour of Amsterdam with the prospect of love in the air.
Along the way, the film combines humor and heart to tell the enjoyable tale of a blossoming romance with comedic consequences.
As Copland—who also wrote, directed and produced the project—explains, the idea came from the many childhood visits he and his family made to his mother’s hometown of Heemskerk in the Netherlands.
“Heemskerk has always been special to me, and I wanted to capture its beauty on screen. I knew I wanted a scene with my Oma and Opa—their acting debut—at their breakfast table, followed by moments in the dunes by the North Sea and then in Amsterdam. With those pieces in place, the story started to take shape,” he says.
The Toronto-based Copland describes “the wild process” of working on the film as an enormous learning opportunity, emphasizing he is grateful to the colleagues and mentors who helped make it happen.
“As a new filmmaker, my main goal was simply to make a film that made sense! Beyond that, I wanted the Dutch landscape to speak for itself, to create an enjoyable experience for our team and my family, to keep things simple, and to make people laugh,” he says.
“On the flight to Holland, I realized I hadn’t even looked at my lines as an actor yet.”
After a last-minute scheduling conflict left Copland without a production company to shoot the project, he scrambled to recruit a crew in the Netherlands willing to take on a guerrilla-style shoot in the middle of winter.
“On the flight to Holland, I realized I hadn’t even looked at my lines as an actor yet, so I crammed for a few hours. The actual shoot went ridiculously smoothly, thanks to great scheduling advice from a filmmaker friend—and the fact that it didn’t rain, which was nothing short of a miracle,” he says.
Going Dutch also gave Copland a chance to share the screen with his real-life grandparents (Jan and Bep Broekkamp), who play his character’s grandparents in the film. He describes the moment as “an experience I’ll never forget.”
“My favorite moment is when my Oma and Opa started improvising lines,” he says. “They were completely dropped into their characters and circumstances, riffing naturally. As an actor, I know how difficult that is to do authentically.”
“If you have a strong enough why, you can figure out almost any how.”
Looking back, Copland admits that while the project may have left him with a few more grey hairs, he believes it was worth the effort and is proud of what his team was able to accomplish.
“Making this film gave me a much greater appreciation for every director, writer, producer, and crew member I’ve worked with as an actor. The attention to detail in every aspect of filmmaking is staggering. It also reinforced for me that if you have a strong enough why, you can figure out almost any how,” he says.
After picking up numerous awards and selections on the festival circuit in 2024, Going Dutch will be back in Toronto this weekend as part of the 2025 Pendance Film Festival. As Copland states, the chance to be a part of the event goes beyond screening the film.
“I’m excited to see Going Dutch on the big screen, but I’m just as excited to see everything else at the festival. Meeting filmmakers, audience members, programmers, and volunteers—just talking about movies with people who love them,” he says.
At the same time, he adds that he hopes those who do come to see the film will be entertained by the romance, humor and uniqueness Holland has to offer.
“I hope people are pleasantly surprised—I love that feeling. That even when things feel out of control, they can still work out. And I hope people will visit Heemskerk! Or at least be inspired to seek out hidden gems when planning their next trip,” Copland says.
Find out more about Going Dutch on the film’s website here or follow on Instagram here (@goingdutchfilm).
