Together with creative incubator Studio Meervaart and students from the Netherlands Film Academy, we'll be producing the independent short film "Bye" on August 23rd and 24th. The crew consists of a small, personal group of young people with big filmmaking ambitions who have been working together for several months to prepare the film. We're all unpaid, as the budget is very tight.

Synopsis:
Berend and Jolie are two children who have found each other. They do what children do; they get bored, make up silly games. What unites these two kids is their open-mindedness—and their silent connection that doesn't need to be spoken.

This atmosphere changes when Berend's older brother comes home from freshman camp. The realization hits him: the outside world is watching. His relationship with Jolie is being ridiculed. His brother's look is enough to raise doubts in Berend's mind: "Is this weird, what I'm doing?"

From that moment on, Berend's behavior shifts. He withdraws, avoids Jolie, and ultimately lets his shame take over in an impulsive act: while playing, he suddenly locks himself in an underground garbage can. Because he no longer knows how to handle himself and her under the judgment of others.

Bye! shows the pain of discovering you are "different," or being seen as such—and how that realization can destroy you if you take it seriously. Berend is cruel not because he hates Jolie, but because he no longer dares to show himself. Instead of staying true to the feeling they shared, he chooses flight—with silence, distance, and ultimately betrayal.

The film doesn't respond with a speech or a moral, but makes the pain of that loss palpable. Letting the opinions of others guide you doesn't make you a better person—it only makes you lonelier.

What do we offer?
Portfolio images in 4K resolution, analog set photos (by https://www.guidodebruin.com) and possible film festival premieres.

Type
studentenproductie

Location
Amsterdam / Den Haag

Description
Character Description (Brother of Main Character (IJsbrand)):
Loud, tough, and nonchalant. He says little, but his demeanor speaks volumes: he disdains Berend's sensitivity. He realizes Berend is already embarrassed before he can even say anything about it.

So you would play Icebrand who, as soon as he returns from freshman camp, pulls Berend out of the clouds by showing his nonchalant and cold judgment about the bond between Berend and Jolie.

Language requirements
Dutch

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