Can you tell something about yourself?

"I am a British-Australian writer and documentary filmmaker who lives in Amsterdam. I used to work as a journalist for a long time and have spent a lot of my working life overseas (Australia, New Zealand, Singapore, Laos). My day job in the Netherlands is speechwriting for a public health official."

What aspect of your work as a filmmaker do you enjoy time and time again? And why?

"I like finding the story and researching it because you have to almost build and become the story world yourself; you have to dig around and embrace something that doesn’t exist yet. You are moving around the country talking to people and going into their lives to find out why they do what they do. I also love slowly watching the different pieces coming together and really enjoy working in post-production, particularly identifying what kind of soundscape your story will sit on. I usually start with sound and go from there."

Can you tell us something about what you are currently working on?

"I am currently working on a feature documentary called The Adopted, which is about the strong connection built between Margraten’s adopter community and American families. We have filmed for 3 years in Limburg and are closing in on the end of the production (in June). It is a beautiful story about kindness, reverence and gratitude."

What has been the motivation for this project?

"I visited the cemetery with my father-in-law a few years ago. I didn’t know very much about this stage of the war and when he walked to a soldier’s headstone and introduced us to Louis Smith from Pennsylvania, I was quietly blown away. He told me his family had adopted him and then proceeded to explain that lots of people in Limburg adopt the graves of their liberators. I was quite stunned by this. It was a very moving moment where I received a proper education. I think I was also grieving a loss at the time, so there was an emotional collision that projected the story forwards."  

Can you share a bit about your directors vision or how you envision the look and feel of your future film?

"We are filming an American family who returns to Limburg to stay with the adopters of their uncle. We want to walk alongside Margraten’s adopters to show the world what I see as a hidden, but very important, act of kindness. Because we are on a journey with the American family, and the backdrop of the film is World War II, I have described the vision as Little Miss Sunshine meets A Bridge Too Far, as it will almost certainly have a road trip feel to it."

Why is this story important and needs to be told?

"It feels like a very powerful story about people who do things and don’t talk. The adopters have been doing this dignified act for 80 years and they don’t expect anything in return. We don’t recognise little acts of kindness like this in the world – there is so much noise right now that no one sees the Limburg people (and others) who have basically dedicated their entire lives to remembering a soldier they never even knew."

Do you have other projects in development?

"I have been working on a documentary film project about my wife’s battle against the UWV for sick pay benefits, which she eventually won in the High Court in 2023. And I am looking at a story about ice skating as well."

Do you have any connection with CineSud?

"I joined CineSud a couple of years ago when I was working on a film idea and I was invited to a pitch competition, which was great and an amazing experience for a new filmmaker. It is good to have opportunities to force you out into the world to talk about your film project, so I am very grateful for this."

What would be your advice to new filmmakers?

"Build a team around you that you respect and love to work with. Tell stories that matter."