I am a documentary director and camerawoman.
At the Dutch Film Academy, I chose two directions: camera and direction. For me, the camera is an extension of my body; the eye with which I look and from which I offer the viewer perspective.
After graduating in 1991, I started my documentary career the VPRO. There I specialised in camera and directing for various programmes such as ONRUST and Lolapaloeza. Among others, I made reports on Zap Mama, Charlotte Margiono, the Cuban band La Vieja Trova and a documentary on Cuban jazz pianist Ramón Valle.
For the programmes Current Affairs, 7 Days and Tegenlicht, I travelled a lot to other parts of the world. Among others to Suriname, Sierra-Leone, Senegal, Morocco, Turkey, Uganda and Georgia. Through these trips, I got to know many different cultures up close and from the inside. Curiosity about the other is what drove and still drives me. Curious without judging, but searching for similarities, for the connection. Showing that to the viewer is an important motivation for me.
In 2007, I made the documentary ‘A Life in Images’ about art collectors couple Jo and Marlies Eyck and their life’s work the Hedge House at Wijlre Castle in Limburg. I also directed for VPRO the documentary Benigno, Farewell to a Revolution, about a Cuban exile who put his life at the service of the revolution.
For NCRV-Dokument, I directed and shot a number of documentaries on healthcare and psychiatry in the Netherlands. With Eigen Kracht, Machteloos, ADHD, Rust, Reinheid en Ritalin, Het leven begint bij 18, Terug naar Huis and De Brief van de Burgemeester.
In co-direction with Djoeke Veeninga, I made several travel series for VPRO and NTR. I also did the camera work for these. The Belgium of…, The Britain of…, Revolution in Indonesia, David Van Reybrouck in search of the last witnesses and Aletta’s Journey.
Adieu à G. about conceptual artist Ger van Elk we made with Jeroen Visser in 2014
The documentary Ademtocht, Maite Hontelé’s many struggles about salsa trumpeter Maite Hontelé was selected for the Golden Calf competition at the Dutch Film Festival and subsequently toured several countries in Latin America.
My penultimate film The Tuesday Night Feeling tells the dramatic story of The Amsterdam Mixed Choir and the consequences for the choir of the corona pandemic.
In my latest film Klaas de Jonge, the Price of Freedom, 83-year-old anti-apartheid fighter Klaas de Jonge looks back on his role in the armed resistance in South Africa and the consequences of his choice for his children, stepchildren, supporters and opponents. Soon to be seen in theatre and on TV.
With the documentaries I make, I want to discover unknown worlds or lives and share them with the viewer. The films I make have another common denominator: I always look for resilience. Without judging, but understanding and therefore connecting.
Besides my film work, I taught at the Dutch Film Academy, The Amsterdam Film School and the film school ISIS (l’Institut Supérieure de l’Image et du Son) in Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso. I initiated an exchange project between students from ISIS and the NFTA; Les Regards croisées/crossed gaze.
In 2023, I will teach a workshop ‘filming your own family story with your smartphone’ at the Vrije Academie in Amsterdam.
All series and documentaries can be seen on NPO start. www.npostart.nl
