Participants Vrijplaats Young Perspectives announced
The selection of the participants of FilmForward Vrijplaats Residency 2022 has been announced. Eight working professionals are selected to get started with their research question. The participants consist of a mix of screenwriters, video artists and program makers with a diversity of experiences and backgrounds.
During the FilmForward Vrijplaats Residency – Young Perspectives they all focus on their own subject with a focus on cinematic and audiovisual productions for children from 3 to 14 years old. They also discuss current themes that play a role in the children’s film landscape: how do youth productions find their way on the multitude of new platforms? How do you tell human stories in digital worlds and what does it mean for children to be yourself in a changing world with big questions about the environment, uncertainty and threat? The FilmForward Vrijplaats Residency will be concluded with a public presentation about the research process during Cinekid Festival 2022.
About the FilmForward Vrijplaats Residency
Cinekid and FilmForward are joining forces and this year they are organizing the FilmForward Vrijplaats Residency together with the theme ‘Young Perspectives’. The process started last week with two introduction days. This week the participants follow lectures and case studies in a seminar week. They then dive into joint inspiration sessions and are given the opportunity to conduct research that does not fit within existing development processes. The participants receive individual guidance from a mentor.
In addition to the many experts and guest speakers who visit the FilmForward Vrijplaats Residency, the participants also provide feedback on each other’s research. They can also fill in part of the program themselves with their own ideas for masterclasses and joint screenings with Q&A.
In the FilmForward Vrijplaats Residency, participants broaden their knowledge, innovate their creative process and collaborate with professionals from other disciplines to arrive at new insights. It is an open and creative space; a laboratory that contributes to the deepening and improvement of the participants in their makership and the film and audiovisual sector.
The participants of the FilmForward Vrijplaats Residency – Young Perspectives
Abhay Kumar | filmmaker and visual artist
Obtained a Masters Degree in Cinema in 2021 at the master’s program of the Film Academy. His films are shown worldwide via platforms such as Netflix and well-known film festivals such as IDFA, IFFR, Tribeca and HotDocs.
At the Vrijplaats he will explore the fluid morality and children’s perspectives in the work of Céline Sciamma and is working on a science fiction dance film.
Anne Piet Hofstede | visual artist, writer and educator
Attended the Gerrit Rietveld Academy and the Professional Artist training in the classroom. She works on analog animation films, writes children’s stories and gives poetry and stop-motion lessons to students who are learning the Dutch language.
At the Vrijplaats she wants to investigate the encounter between fantasy stories, feature film and analogue stop-motion. She wants to depict a imaginative emotional world by working according to traditional methods.
Anouk Stilkenboom | program maker
Makes programs for both the Public Broadcasting and commercial channels. During her work she focuses on socially relevant topics and resilient protagonists.
At the Vrijplaats she will study the possibilities of creating an audiovisual platform for children about loss in the broadest sense of the word.
Cheryl Asruf| actor, screenwriter, director and producer
Started screenwriting, directing and producing in 2021 after a long career as an actress. Works from her personal experience as the daughter of immigrants and brown woman in a ‘white man’s world’.
At the Vrijplaats she wants to investigate how the children’s persective from her short film Botje can be translated into a strong audiovisual concept.
Isis Cabolet | actress and filmmaker
She graduated from the Maastricht Theater Academy in 2011 and was nominated for the Debut Prize of the Netherlands Film Festival with her short film Kutleven.
At the Vrijplaats she will focus her research on the life stage of young people between childhood and puberty and the uncomfortable experiences of their changing bodies
Jeanine Cronie | screenwriter
Wrote screenplays for school programs, live-action and animated films and series. Her children’s series Evi & Co won first prize for Best Live Action TV at the Chicago International Children’s Film Festival.
At the Vrijplaats she will research historical stories and perspectives to pass on to young viewers.
Justin Bentvelsen | video artist, 3D generalist, composer and model designer
In its cinematographic language, it combines the old movie magic of scale models with the modernity of VFX, telling socially relevant topics.
At the Vrijplaats Justin will do research for an experimental children’s film.
Milou Rohde | screenwriter
After her studies at the HKU, she wrote the screenplay for the film Spotless, which won the prize for best Short Film on Cinekid and a Crystal Bear at the Berlinale.
At the Vrijplaats she wants to investigate how social media can be used by writing a separate storyline in addition to a classic narrative story to increase audience reach.
Photo: Almicheal Fraaij