The avalanche of Dutch hit comedies started in 2004 with Shouf Shouf Habibi! and has since continued with titles such as Het Schnitzelparadijs (Schnitzel Paradise), 'n Beetje verliefd (Happy Family) and current boxoffice hit Dunya & Desie. They are clearly made not only to reflect the multicultural reality of Dutch society, but also to appeal to all demographics within that society. The films -- some of which have carried humorous, self-imposed ratings such as "100% halal" -- are always respectfully inclusive, with little or no material to offend the more conservative fringes of the immigrant and 2nd generation immigrant population (things never get quite as raunchy as in the closest other European equivalent of these films: Josef Fares' comedy Jalla! Jalla! from 2000).

"We have chosen to be actors, not mouthpieces of any political movement," says Hassouni when asked whether she thinks Dutch actors of foreign extraction have any influence on their audience. "It is certainly possible that we have no idea what we are talking about if we are asked our opinion on things such as the actions of Geert Wilders [the Dutch right-wing politician who recently made the polemical film Fitna], and I do not believe it is part of our responsibility to have a public opinion on things like that." 

Still, the actress is happy with the recent surge in films that depict a more multicultural side of Dutch society. Says Hassouni: "It is clear that a Dutch film with only blond, blue-eyed Dutchmen is not credible as a reflection of Dutch reality; the Netherlands are very multicultural. At the same time, it is dangerous to cast an actor of, say, Moroccan origins just because you want to have a Moroccan face. The casting for both should be based on acting talent, and a lot still needs to change. We are still waiting for screenwriters and directors from that background to tell these stories from the inside". 

It is also noteworthy that all the films of this new wave of multicultural comedies all have strong ties to the mass medium par excellence: television. Some of the features, such as 'n Beetje verliefd, were made-for-TV films that were also released successfully in theatres, while both Shouf Shouf Habibi! and Het Schnitzelparadijs have spawned successful TV series after their commercial releases in cinemas (both titles were the highest grossing local films in their respective years of release). Nechushtan's Dunya & Desie went the opposite route: it was a successful TV series that has now become a boxoffice success as well.

Director Dana Nechushtan and screenwriter Robert Alberdingk Thijm were responsible for both incarnations of the story centred on a  Dutch-Morrocan girl (Hassouni) from a conservative family and a blonde Dutch wild child (Eva van de Wijdeven) who is her best friend. Despite playing the same character in both, Hassouni finds working in the two media very different: "Film is more magical than TV, which is difficult to explain but I guess that it has to do with the amount of detail that goes into everything. In a film, it is not only about the visuals and the actors but also about the sound and the music, and in film you have time to really develop your character, whereas in TV more attention is paid to the story than to the characters".

As for returning to a character she first created several years back, Hassouni explains: "Coming back to Dunya for the film was difficult at first, because I had grown and lost her dreamy gaze, which I had to find again". Luckily she could count on Nechushtan, whom she affectionately refers to as her "film mother" (besides the Dunya & Desie series and film, Nechushtan also directed Hassouni in the TV film Offers, which earned her a Primetime Emmy Award for Best Actress).

"I was fifteen when I got my first acting job, and it was Dana who directed me at the time," says Hassouni. "I have worked with her many times since and hope there are still a lot of joint projects for us in the future. She is a great director because she knows what she wants but at the same time she is open for input from everyone around her. She decides but gives everyone the feeling they are deciding with her."

As for the strengths of her current release Dunya & Desie, the Dutch-born actress says: "It is a moving, credible and very sweet film about friendship. It looks beautiful and together with the music, it has something of a fairytale". The film currently stands at over €840,000 in boxoffice receipts after three weeks in the cinemas. During the first two weeks of release it was the most-visited film of the week before being topped by US import Iron Man this past weekend.