George Sluizer

George Sluizer (25 June 1932 – 20 September 2014) was a French-born Dutch filmmaker whose credits included features as well as documentary films.

Career
Born in Paris, France, to a Dutch-Jewish father and a Norwegian mother, he was best known for directing two versions of The Vanishing, a 1988 Dutch-language release, originally titled Spoorloos, and the 1993 American version. Other feature films directed by Sluizer included Utz (1992) for producer John Goldschmidt, Crimetime (1995), and Dark Blood, which was discontinued after the death of its lead actor River Phoenix, but later completed and premiered at the Netherlands Film Festival in 2012.

From 2012 until 2014 he was part of the film jury for ShortCutz Amsterdam.

Director Dennis Alink made a documentary called Sluizer Speaks during the final years of Sluizer's life. It premiered two months after his death at the IDFA in Amsterdam.

Accusations against Ariel Sharon
Sluizer was accused by Israeli officials of a 'modern blood libel' for his claims – which in 2010 finally achieved front page level publicity in Israel – that he had witnessed the then-Defense Minister Ariel Sharon personally shooting two Palestinian children from close range near the Sabra-Shatilla refugee camp in November 1982, after the Sabra and Shatila massacre.

Awards and nominations

 * 1988 - Golden Calf Best Film, Nederlands Film Festival, for Spoorloos
 * 1997 - Nomination Crystal Star, Brussels International Film Festival, for Mortinho por Chegar a Casa
 * 1998 - Nomination Golden Bear, Berlinale, for The Commissioner
 * 2002 - Nomination Golden Calf Best Film & Beste Director, Nederlands Film Festival, for La balsa de piedra
 * 2002 - Juryprize, Nederlands Film Festival, for La balsa de piedra
 * 2013 - ShortCutz Amsterdam Career Award