Frans Bromet, Portrait of a Filmmaker

"It begins and ends with interest. If you don't have it, you'd better quit. I have the ability to listen to people. How many people can do that?" Documentary filmmaker Frans Bromet is characterised by his sing-song, nasal voice, sober photography and emphatic presence. The Dutch filmmaker David de Jongh Bromet's former intern ventured an analysis of Bromet's work and a search for the person behind the documentary director. For one year, he followed his former mentor and talked to many friends, family members and colleagues from the world of film and documentary. A world, by the way, in which Bromet doesn't feel at ease; he's not crazy about people who receive subsidies, something he subtly explains to his protégé. For his documentary, De Jongh uses Bromet's method: he films and interviews at the same time, but to Bromet's dismay, he doesn't shoot from the shoulder but from a tripod. Halfway through, the documentary changes tack, from Bromet's work to the man. While the interviews alternate with archive footage, De Jongh delves into the private individual behind Bromet and his family and eventually manages to penetrate quite deeply. Something Bromet is visibly uncomfortable with. "I'd rather see it the other way around."