Norman Bates, a directorial duo consisting of Inti Calfat and Dirk Verheye, has join Los Angeles-based multidisciplinary production house Ruffian for U.S. representation. Calfat and Verheye recently helmed the popular Netflix series Into the Night, the first Belgian Netflix Original with a global launch. The six episode show, which centers on a group of airplane passengers trying to avoid a mysterious cosmic disaster, reached the Top Ten Most Watched list on Netflix in more than 60 countries.
Calfat and Verheye originally met in a scriptwriting course and soon after they decided to make films together. Their work possesses an organic, evocative, and genuine aesthetic whether it is advertising, episodic television, or film. Their global commercial campaigns for brands include Coca-Cola, Leffe, European Parliament, HTC, Mazda, Mercedes, Renault, Samsonite, Alibaba, Uniqlo, the Special Olympics, and many others. They have won accolades for their music videos and ads from worldwide festivals and shows including the New York Independent Film Festival, The European Film Festival, Eurobest, Spikes Asia, and the Music Industry Awards.
Norman Bates has also directed two seasons of Over Water, a Belgian crime drama about second chances, which reached the top of Belgium’s television charts and went on to be picked up by Netflix. Last year, they filmed the first episode of a French series called Opera for Orange. They are currently developing their first feature film, Rumors, which will be the first Belgian fiction film to deal with Belgian soldiers returning home after fighting in the Congo during its struggle for independence. The duo also has other narrative projects in development.
In a joint statement, Norman Bates cited Ruffian founder/EP Robert Herman as drawing them to the company with “the level of taste and knowledge” he brings to his roster of directors. “We know that we will be presented with great opportunities and be able to create outstanding work with this new representation in America.”
Herman in turn shared, “Inti and Dirk are incredibly courageous in their filmmaking, which is what drew me to them. Having worked with them previously [at Stink], I’ve seen that they are obsessive about their craft and possess an exceptional ability to reflect humanity’s collective glory through their filmmaking.”
Calfat and Verheye reside in Brussels. They are represented by Lovo in Belgium and Iconoclast in Germany. They were previously represented by Caviar in the U.S.
