SISTERS

Daphne Lucker (alumna Directing Fiction): ‘SISTERS tells the story of three sisters who grow up neglected. Saar, Vera and Julia are completely dependent upon one another and survive as long as they are together. They try to make the world larger, more beautiful and bearable through their imagination. But are the connection and the magic of their movements strong enough to overcome the reality of their existence?

SISTERS is a project in which we wanted to merge dance and film in a way that strengthens these two art forms. It is an interdisciplinary investigation in which we combine dance, film, movement, sound and music into one entity. Our investigation resulted in SISTERS, a dance film.

The creative process of SISTERS was very different in many respects to what we have learned at school in the past years. That is precisely why it was a very instructive and valuable experience to conclude my time at the Netherlands Film Academy. Film and dance are both very strong visual mediums in which movement is a key element. That is precisely why the combination of dance, film and a strong story has the potential to produce a final product that is affecting and universal.'

Watch SISTERS on the NPO website

From the jury report of the Graduation Prize: 'For SISTERS, Daphne Lucker fused film and modern dance into a moving and emotional story about three sisters in a dysfunctional family. It is a major achievement that she is able to take a somewhat abstract art form like modern dance as her starting point and use this to completely sweep away the audience. At the same time, she tells a fascinating and emotional story that seizes the viewer by the throat. The beautiful lighting and technical quality contribute to a film that is totally convincing on all fronts – technically, creatively, aesthetically and narratively – while also providing new impetus to the genre of dance film.'

From the jury report of the Topkapi Films Fiction Award: ‘This film is unique and mesmerizing, very autonomous and universal at the same time. While shaped uncompromisingly, the makers succeed in touching the hearts of the audience directly. The jury was unanimously surprised and enthusiastic. We would like to see this film conquer the world.’

Burny Bos, BOSBROS: ‘Beautifully filmed, beautifully danced/acted in a professional manner, well edited. (...) What a beautiful, special film. A scripted dance film that is completely successful. (...) The future is ripe for these types of films in the world.’

Mart Dominicus, lecturer in Directing fiction, Netherlands Film Academy: ‘SISTERS is not only an example of a unique collaboration between cinema and dance, but that cross-fertilisation has also resulted in a final product of extraordinary class. My word, so many things fall into place perfectly in SISTERS. (...) An extremely fine balance is found in SISTERS between storytelling and the poetry of movement, between drama and beauty. You are given just enough of a story to be able to place the dancing of the sisters into a context (of an alcoholic and inappropriately tactile father figure), but this story never gets in the way of the dancing. That is often given free rein, As a result of which not only the three girls, but also the storytelling and movement as it were, enter into a dance. It is a major achievement that director Daphne Lucker and her team manage to keep pace with that on a cinematic level. However powerful the storytelling and choreography may be, the cinematic element never lags behind.’