Dealing with Death

Funeral director Anita is tasked with ensuring that the many cultures in the Bijlmer suburb of Amsterdam can all find their place at a proposed new funeral home, but the more she learns, the more she wonders whether the funeral home is just a naive dream.

Director's statement:
For me, this film combines two subjects which fascinate me, but which I don’t know much about: death, and the suburb Bijlmer. Death is inevitable in our lives and yet we prefer to pay as little attention to it as possible. I too have witnessed death up close with the unexpected loss of loved ones. And during that process, I found out that everyone grieves in their own way. This is clearly visible in the Bijlmer in Amsterdam. The many cultures have brought their own rituals and ceremonies from their countries of origin. When I heard that a big funeral company was going to build a new funeral home in the Bijlmer, I thought it would be interesting to follow the process. The subject of death sharpens everything, and in this way I could investigate whether good intentions and attempts at rapprochement actually lead to more understanding and cultural inclusiveness. This means that, for me, the film is ultimately about whether a multicultural society exists in the Netherlands, or is even possible.


Awards

WINNER IDFA Award 2020, Best Film in Competition for Dutch Documentary


Contact

director
Paul Sin Nam Rigter
film@pluggin.nl

producer
Witfilm
info@witfilm.nl
+31 20 6885049