International Competition

Neighbour Abdi

Douwe Dijkstra
Screening time  
28.03. / Tuesday, 21:00 - 23:00 Theatre 4  
29.03. / Wednesday, 22:00 - 00:00 Theatre 1  
02.04. / Sunday, 14:00 - 16:00 Theatre 3  
02.04. / Sunday, 16:00 - 18:00 Theatre 1  

Abdiwahab Ali spent his childhood in Somalia during the civil war. Now, living as a refugee in The Netherlands, he designs and makes furniture. With the help of his neighbour and filmmaker Douwe Dijkstra, he reenacts his life, marked by war and violence. Through playful reconstructions in a special effects studio, with scale models and green screen shots, Abdi and Douwe embark on a candid and investigative journey through a painful history, focusing on the creative process throughout. They film Abdi's childhood memories from his birthplace Mogadishu and his criminal past in The Netherlands. The film is both a biography and a stimulating deconstruction of an effort to grasp someone else's past.

Douwe_dijkstra

Douwe Dijkstra

Douwe Dijkstra (1984) is a filmmaker and visual artist from The Netherlands. He studied Illustration Design at the ArtEZ University of the Arts. His work is a mixture of video, animation and VFX, and can be described as both humorous and socially engaged. His projects range from short films and documentaries to video installations and theatre performances. His filmography includes Démontable (2014), Supporting Film (2015), Green Screen Gringo (2016), Eine Sekunde in Fränkli (2022).

General sponsor

Buurman Abdi

Netherlands
2022, 29'

Directed by:
Douwe Dijkstra

Screenplay by:
Abdiwahab Ali, Douwe Dijkstra

Cinematography:
Douwe Dijkstra

Edited by:
Douwe Dijkstra

Music:
Rob Peters

Producer:
Richard Valk

Produced by:
Valk Productions

Festivals & Awards:

Locarno FF: Pardino d’argento (2022), Telluride FF (2022), Netherlands FF: Best Film at the Forum van Regisseurs (2022), Bucharest IEFF (2022), Twin Cities Arab FF (2022), Vancouver IFF (2022), Black Canvas Contemporary FF (2022), Static Vision (2022), Film Fest Gent: Best International Short (2022), Jakarta Film Week (2022), Montclair FF: Best Documentary Short (2022), Uppsala Short FF: Audience Award (2022), Ji.hlava (2022), International Kurzfilmtage Winterthur: Grand Prix (2022), PÖFF Shorts: Grand Prix of the Shorts Live-Action Competition (2022), Rio de Janeiro ISFF (2022), London Short FF (2023), Clermont-Ferrand Short FF: Special Effects Award By Adobe (2022)