Morlang

Everything seems to be going right for Julius Morlang (Paul Freeman, best-known as the villainous Rene Belloq in Raiders of the Lost Ark). He lives with his beautiful young girlfriend, Ann (Susan Lynch of From Hell), in a lovely cliffside home on the Pacific coast of Ireland. His once-stagnant art career is undergoing a resurgence and his agent (Eric van der Donk) tells him, "You seem a little happier. It's in your work." But things begin to fall apart when someone breaks into his home and ransacks it, leaving a cryptic message. Through flashbacks the audience discovers the truth about the death of Ellen (Diana Kent), Julius' wife of 15 years. Julius soon finds his new life with Ann threatened by a malevolent figure from his past. The basic premise of Morlang, Tjebbo Penning's directorial debut feature, was inspired by a television news story. Penning's film won awards for Best Lead Actor (Freeman) and Best First Film at the 2001 Cairo International Film Festival. It was also shown in competition at the 2002 Tribeca Film Festival.