March 19: Jong Fruit
This day program is curated by student curators collective Jong Fruit. This group consists of six young people (14–26 years old) who are passionate about film.
Members include Roos van Gessel and Esma Ergul, whose film Call Me Sir previously won the non-fiction prize at the Netherlands Film Festival for Students. Emilija Babic and Phyllis Kwaning are still attending high school at the Berlage Lyceum and are enrolled in the Like Skills Foundation, following additional courses in life skills and citizenship. Jaimy Speentjes and Sarai Nijenbandring de Boer dream of becoming filmmakers themselves one day; they are currently enrolled in the Audio Visual course at the Media College Amsterdam.
Jong Fruit curated a program of films about identity. “We focused on innovative films, both in terms of themes and in form.”
Between the films, the collective will reflect on their choices and also show some of their own work. The language is Dutch, the films will have English subtitles.
Pavilion Shorts: Jong Fruit
Figure (Jonas Sars, Netherlands, 2022, 2 min)
A wooden mannequin gradually comes to life in a studio, and becomes increasingly aware of its body. A short, touching stop-motion film about identity and freedom, created with an eye for beauty and detail.
Makeover Movie (Sue Ding, United States, 2022, 19 min)
A confrontational but lighthearted essay looking at makeovers in Hollywood. Filmmaker Sue Ding and her childhood girlfriends analyze countless clips from the films they grew up with. Was the ugly duckling that became a swan as innocent as she seemed?
Love, your neighbour (Jethro Westraad, South Africa, Hungary, Portugal, Belgium, 2023, 8 min)
When Jethro Westraad returns to Durban, South Africa during the COVID pandemic, he realizes that his neighbors have been living in isolation all along. Through their intercom, he starts conversations about guard dogs, racial profiling, and security.
– break –
Nyanga (Medhin Tewolde Serrano, Mexico, 2023, 20 min)
How do you cope with the inhumanities of a life in slavery? This beautiful handmade animation translates the history of 12 million people into the story of Nyanga, a boy who has been kidnapped to America and wants to go home. An ode to resistance.
The Story of Ne Kuko (Festus Toll, Netherlands, 2023, 25 min)
Around 1878, a nkisi was stolen from Congolese chief Ne Kuko. Not only was the theft of this object with spiritual powers a great loss for Ne Kuko, it also disrupted the local community.
