01/07/2024 - The Dutch director takes her raw and personal documentary, which delves into her past, to Karlovy Vary to screen as part of EFP’s Future Frames

(© Michiel Devijver)

In the short film Baldilocks, Dutch director Marthe Peters delves into her past – one marked by her fight against cancer. Utilising footage taken from her father’s video camera, Peters examines how her ultimate survival from the disease left many scars – and not just physical ones – and tries to understand how her present is still affected by the events of all those years before. It’s a powerful and personal self-portrait that is often emotionally raw yet still offers hope for recovery and a better future.

Peters, who graduated from KASK in Gent in 2023, saw her film premiere in competition during this year’s Berlinale Shorts. Now, as the short screens at the Karlovy Vary IFF as part of EFP’s Future Frames (see the news), Cineuropa talks to the helmer about the background to making such a personal and emotive piece of work.

Cineuropa: How did you come across the archival footage of yourself, and what was the spark that made you want to make the film?
Marthe Peters: During a conversation with my parents, I found out that my father had filmed a lot during my childhood. At this point, I was already playing with the idea of making a film about different themes, like depression and vaginismus, which could be brought together really well by talking about my experience with cancer.

Can you tell us about your decision not to have any clear footage of yourself in contemporary times?
For me, it felt irrelevant to show myself nowadays. You hear my voice; that’s evidence enough that I’m here. I wouldn’t have felt comfortable showing myself on camera, and I also think that it added a bit of universality to my story.

As you contextualised the images of you as a child, how did your perceptions change – both of you and of those around you?
A film is always a construction. It felt really very healing to translate my experience into a narrative that I can now let go of. During one part of my process, I felt like I understood everything about myself, like I could explain every little thing in my life by pointing to my past with cancer. But like I say in the film, there are a lot of different factors that come into play. So, while it’s definitely helped me understand and contextualise a lot, I try to see the film for the story that it is, while my life is still evolving.

With the film now showing to audiences, has doing something so personal felt ultimately cathartic?
Yes. Like I said about putting my experience into a narrative, it has helped me a lot to show it to other people. It’s been lovely to have people talk about their own experiences. When I first started working with the images of myself as a child, I didn’t feel like it was me. But looking through other people’s eyes, I suddenly feel really proud that I can point to her and tell people that it’s me.

How has the reaction to the film been, both from audiences and from those close to you? Has there been anything surprising in these reactions?
The reaction has been really lovely. I think what surprises me the most is that people with a lot of different backgrounds and life experiences are able to relate to the movie in one way or another. It was probably scariest to show the film to my parents. We laughed and cried a bit, but it was mostly a beautiful experience.

Tell us about your hopes and expectations for Karlovy Vary.
I find film festivals quite overwhelming, so although I’m very excited, I’m also a bit anxious to go for the first time! I always have to remind myself that I’m mostly looking forward to meeting lovely people with a passion for cinema, as that is the most rewarding thing.

What projects do you have coming up?
I’m currently working on my next short. I’m reading and filming a lot of different stuff, so there’s no concrete pitch yet, but I’m excited to be able to take some of Baldilocks with me and also to explore different ways of making a film.