“THINGS DON’T HAVE TO BE UNDERSTOOD TO BE BEAUTIFUL.”

THAT’S WHAT MY MOTHER TOLD ME WHEN I LEARNED TO LOOK AT THE WORLD. IT’S THE REASON WHY I LOVE PUTTING THE CAMERA ON THE THINGS WE DON’T FULLY UNDERSTAND, THE THINGS THAT FEEL BIGGER THAN US, MORE DIVINE. THIS RESULTS MANY TIMES IN AN INTUITIVE WAY OF WORKING WITH IMAGES.

MY FATHER, ON THE OTHER HAND, MADE ME CURIOUS WITH HIS KNOWLEDGE OF HISTORY, CULTURES, LITERATURE, AND ART. HE TAUGHT ME THAT TRYING TO UNDERSTAND THINGS CARRIES ANOTHER KIND OF BEAUTY. BECAUSE OF HIM, I’VE DEVELOPED A LOVE FOR STORIES, STRUCTURES, AND THE POWER OF CONTEXT.

FILM IS WHERE THESE TWO WORLDS MEET: INTUITIVE IMAGERY AND CONCEPTUAL STORYTELLING. AS A WRITER AND DIRECTOR, I AIM TO MERGE THESE APPROACHES, CREATING A BALANCE BETWEEN EMOTION AND MEANING, MYSTERY AND CLARITY.

A QUESTION I OFTEN CONTEMPLATE IN MY PROJECTS IS HOW THE INDIVIDUAL RELATES TO THE COMMUNITY. FEELINGS SUCH AS LONELINESS, ISOLATION, MISCONCEPTION, AND BELONGING ARE CONSISTENT THEMES RUNNING THROUGH MY WORK.

IN 2024, I STARTED A CREATIVE TEAM WITH PRODUCER LUCAS VALK, D.O.P. & GRAPHIC DESIGNER WRISTER MEIRESONNE AND MUSIC COMPOSER LUKAS AMER, UNDER THE NAME 'PAPAR'. MANY OF MY CURRENT PROJECTS ARE DONE IN COLLABORATION WITH THEM.