Operation Hellfire
With Operation Hellfire, director Eric de Vroedt produces a political thriller in which law, power and morality clash hard. What if an American president has to appear before the International Criminal Court? With Rick Paul van Mulligen, Gustav Borreman, Soumaya Ahouaoui and Yamill Jones, among others.
Run time tba
Genre Theatre
Language Dutch
Operation Hellfire
The response from Washington is quick. The American Service-Members' Protection Act is activated: a law that protects Americans by all means against prosecution by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Even if that means attacking the Netherlands. The Criminal Court refuses to back down. Tension mounts, the world watches, and pressure on The Hague increases. How far will the Netherlands go to defend peace and justice?
This can't be true
With Operation Hellfire, director Eric de Vroedt creates a political satire in which justice, power, and morality clash violently. A ‘what-if’ scenario that comes frighteningly close to reality. The cast includes Soumaya Ahouaoui, Gustav Borreman, Tamar van den Dop, Jouman Fattal, Hein van der Heijden, Yamill Jones, Yela de Koning, Rick Paul van Mulligen, Mika Peeters, and Emilio Pramatarov.
Director Eric de Vroedt: “Now that the international world order seems to be faltering, we must ask ourselves: how fair is international law really? And does it work equally well for everyone?”
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The Hague Invasion Act
In reality, the US does not recognize the jurisdiction of the ICC and therefore refuses to cooperate with investigations. When the ICC was established in 2002, the US responded with a striking piece of legislation: the American Service Members' Protection Act. This law gives the US president the right to use “all means necessary and appropriate” to free Americans or their allies who are on trial at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. The law was therefore popularly nicknamed “The Hague Invasion Act.”
People have been working on international law in The Hague for more than 100 years, and there are approximately 500 international organizations in the city. The Hague therefore calls itself “the international city of peace and justice.” In Operation Hellfire, writers Joeri Heegstra and Max Wind ask the question: how far is the Netherlands willing to go to realize those ideals?
“The witty text by young writers Joeri Heegstra and Max Wind (...) and the actors' delight in their satirical roles make for a powerful theater experience with lots of laughter from the audience.” – de Volkskrant ★★★★ about Exit Poll
Eric de Vroedt about Operation Hellfire:
'In 2024, Joeri Heegstra and Max Wind wrote Exit Poll for Het Nationale Theater, a lightning-fast, funny political thriller about the elections. Now they turn their gaze to international law. How fair is it really? Does law work equally well for everyone? Just when the international world order seems to be faltering, it's good to ask these questions.'
Credits
text Joeri Heegstra en Max Wind
director Eric de Vroedt
actors Soumaya Ahouaoui, Gustav Borreman, Tamar van den Dop, Jouman Fattal, Hein van der Heijden, Yamill Jones, Yela de Koning, Rick Paul van Mulligen, Mika Peeters, Emilio Pramatarov
music Florentijn Boddendijk en Remco de Jong
scenography Maze de Boer
costume design Lotte Goos
lightning design Bernie van Velzen
dramaturgy Remco van Rijn
assistant director Chyramain van Kempen
