The Dutch Film Fund committed more than €600,000 in 2023 to Lucca Mortis, a feature film by British director Peter Greenaway starring Dustin Hoffman and Helen Hunt. The subsidy was intended to support Dutch participation in the production, although the required guarantee that the film would be shown in the Netherlands was missing. The fund also did not verify that the main producer, Facing East, had secured half of the project’s financing or conduct background checks on its owners, who were involved in court proceedings over defaults in three countries. A Dutch co-producer, Witfilm, had said Netflix was preparing a €2.5 million contract; Netflix said it had never heard of the project.

The production experienced repeated stoppages over unpaid fees, and at least 10 people were reportedly still awaiting payment. A final version required for the release of the second part of the grant had not been completed, although the fund paid it based on reported costs and statements that production was well advanced. The Film Fund now says it wants to view the film before the end of the year and is considering further steps, including partly or fully reclaiming the grant if there is no clarity. Witfilm said its role was limited to a 6 percent stake, while Greenaway said through his lawyer that he hoped the film would eventually reach audiences.