Martin Koolhoven's Schnitzel Paradise () is a 2005 Dutch comedy film about Dutch-Moroccan Nordip Dounia who starts working in a restaurant kitchen and falls in love with Agnes Meerman, niece of the hotel's manager. Nordip has to overcome not only Agnes's family's prejudices but also his father's wishes as to his future.
The film was a huge success in The Netherlands, attracting nearly 342,000 visitors in 2005,"Telefilms Koolhoven afgelopen 15 jaar meest succesvol in de bios". Het Parool (in Dutch). 10 April 2015. https://www.parool.nl/kunst-media/telefilms-koolhoven-afgelopen-15-jaar-meest-succesvol-in-de-bios~b7e71d3b/. Retrieved 24 May 2026. and becoming the highest grossing Dutch film in 2005.
Plot
After obtaining his school diploma, Nordip looks for a vacation job and is hired as a dishwasher at hotel restaurant 'De Blauwe Gier'. In the kitchen, Nordip encounters people of various different cultures, including two bickering Moroccans, a well-meaning Turk, a hardrocker chef, and his sadistic sous-chef right hand man. Nordip also falls in love with Agnes, the hotel owner's niece. Cast Mounir Valentyn as Nordip Dounia Bracha van Doesburgh as Agnes Meerman Mimoun Oaïssa as Amimoen Yahya Gaier as Mo Tygo Gernandt as Goran Gürkan Küçüksentürk as Ali Micha Hulshof as Sander Frank Lammers as Willem Sabri Saad El-Hamus as Mr. Doenia Nezha Karim as Mrs. Doenia Mohammed Chaara as Nadir Dounia Linda van Dyck as Nina Meerman Sanne Vogel as Claudia
Awards Film Discovery Jury Award - U.S. Comedy Arts Festival - Won Best Performance in a Foreign Film won by Micha Hulshof Golden Film (100,000 visitors) - Won Skip City International D-Cinema Festival Award for Best Screenplay - Won Golden Calf for Best Director - Nominated Golden Calf for Best Editing - Nominated Golden Calf for Best Production Design - Nominated Golden Calf for Best Supporting Actor - Won
The Best Supporting Actor Golden Calf was shared by supporting actors Yahya Gaier, Tygo Gernandt, Micha Hulshof, Gürkan Küçüksentürk and Mimoun Oaïssa
See also List of Dutch films of 2005
References
External links
interview with Martin Koolhoven about Schnitzel Paradise on European-films.net review of Schnitzel Paradise on European-films.net Variety review of Schnitzel Paradise by Eddie Cockrell