State of Affairs

Why didn’t you stay for me?

Milou Gevers
Screening time  
07.04. / Thursday, 19:00 - 21:00 Theatre 4 Ticket

Rebekka, Stef, Hessel and Annabel, aged between 10 and 13, all lost their fathers to suicide. They don’t tend to talk about it and other people are usually afraid to bring it up. The children have a conversation with director Milou whose mother also committed suicide 10 years ago, and she is asking questions no one dared to ask them before. Both Milou and these children often thought they were the only one who lost a parent to suicide. The obstacles they face and need to overcome are shown through an animated landscape, created with stop-motion animation. This is a story about finding recognition and expressing your thoughts and feelings about a subject considered as taboo.

Milougevers

Milou Gevers

During elementary school, young Milou was a member of the film club at the local community center. Armed with a handycam and a lot of cheeky interview questions, she made her first videos. Her curious attitude and interest in other countries and cultures led her to study Cultural Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam. During her studies, she always stayed engaged with photography, theatre and film. After completing her bachelors, she therefore decided to apply for the Netherlands Film Academy. Milou has specialized in youth documentaries: a children’s perspective makes it possible for her to address difficult subjects in a light and playful way. She likes to use stop-motion animation in her work. Milou currently does an internship at the Dutch youth television programme Hoofdzaken, in which children between the ages of 8-13 tell what concerns them during a haircut.

General sponsor

Waarom bleef je niet voor mij?

Netherlands
2020, 25'

Directed by:
Milou Gevers

Screenplay by:
Milou Gevers

Cinematography:
Lola Mooij

Edited by:
Richelle van Loon

Music:
Nikolaï Clavier

Producers:
Annerose van Strijen, Quita Ruijgrok

Produced by:
The Netherlands Filmacademy

Festivals & Awards:

Student Academy Awards Winner (2021)
Zlìn FF: Zlin Dog Award (2021)
Cinekid: Best Dutch Short Documentary (2021)
Sapporo SFF: Best Student Film (2021)
DocuDonna: Best International Short Documentary (2021)
Doc Edge FF (2021)

Contact:

Hidde de Vries
hiddewdevries@gmail.com