Claire Pijman

In FEAST, perpetrators, victims and their spectators become involved in a dramatic reconstruction of the Groningen HIV case. The film tells a story about power and surrender, the reversibility of truth and the desire to come home somewhere.

In the remote valleys of the Hindu Kush live the Kalash people, the smallest ethnic minority in Pakistan. With a distinct culture and polytheistic religion, they are said to be descendants of Alexander the Great’s troops. But modern life is reaching their valleys and their culture and way of live is under threat.

For her extraordinary film essay, Living the Light, Director and Director of Photography Claire Pijman had access to the thousands of Hi8 video diaries, pictures and Polaroids that Müller photographed while he was at work on one of the more than 70 features he shot throughout his career; often with long term collaborators such as Wim Wenders, Jim Jarmusch and Lars von Trier. The film intertwines these images with excerpts of his oeuvre, thus creating a fluid and cinematic continuum. In his score for Living the Light Jim Jarmusch gives this wide raging scale of life and art an additional musical voice.

For her extraordinary film essay, Living the Light, Director and Director of Photography Claire Pijman had access to the thousands of Hi8 video diaries, pictures and Polaroids that Müller photographed while he was at work on one of the more than 70 features he shot throughout his career; often with long term collaborators such as Wim Wenders, Jim Jarmusch and Lars von Trier. The film intertwines these images with excerpts of his oeuvre, thus creating a fluid and cinematic continuum. In his score for Living the Light Jim Jarmusch gives this wide raging scale of life and art an additional musical voice.

Pakistani director Sabiha Sumar and Indian actor Kalki Koechlin take an inspiring and stunning transnational journey through India and Pakistan, uncovering the common humanity beyond the divisive political rhetoric.

Good Morning, Karachi is the story of a young girl (Amna Ilyas) who wants to be a model while struggling towards her dream against the backdrop of the Benazir Bhutto assassination.

Mother of Claire Pijman moves to Amsterdam after her husband’s death to be closer to her daughters and grandchildren. Claire and her sister try to combine the care of their mother with their work. When her mother’s dementia becomes more and more apparent, nursing home seems inevitable. This end turns into a farewell story that goes back and forth between conscience, guilt, and powerlessness…

"Talking Guitars" is an intimate portrait of master guitar craftsman, Flip Scipio. The behind-the-scenes music-documentary illustrates the fascinating juxtaposition of the quiet artist and the world of musicians who seek his expertise. His clients include Jackson Browne, David Lindley, Ben Taylor, Paul Simon, David Tronzo, Leni Stern and Carly Simon. It is claimed that Flip "can make the worst piece of sh*t sing". For himself "Music is like Esperanto"; a universal language.

In the summer of 2005, Piet Oomes went to Sumatra with his mother Ank and his aunt Guus, to look for the Japanese concentration camps where the two had been interned with their mother in World War II. During the trip, it becomes clear that the filmmaker is mainly making a personal quest: for an explanation of the reserved relationship he has with his mother. The camera registers the collisions the two have been having for forty years. 'I keep my mouth shut', mother Ank spews in a rare outburst of emotions. Their digging in the past brings tears to the eyes of Piet's aunt, but his mother only makes rational analyses. Eventually, their visit to the site of the last camp, Aek Pamingke, which has now been replaced by rubber plantation, brings about a long-awaited breakthrough - though the tears are kept back even then.

The importance of the Atelier as a meeting and working-place for independent or beginning filmmakers is highlighted in Last days of Studio Frans van de Staak a necrology of his films by Kees Hin (2002), which focuses mainly on Van de Staak's non-naturalistic style of directing actors.

In this fascinating Oscar-nominated documentary, American guitarist Ry Cooder brings together a group of legendary Cuban folk musicians (some in their 90s) to record a Grammy-winning CD in their native city of Havana. The result is a spectacular compilation of concert footage from the group's gigs in Amsterdam and New York City's famed Carnegie Hall, with director Wim Wenders capturing not only the music -- but also the musicians' life stories.

Director Claire Pijman portrays her father Boy Pijman who was born in the Dutch East Indies. When his children ask, Boy Pijman tells his story that he had never spoken about before; his three years as a prisoner of war in Japanese Camp during the Second World War.