CM 2023

Netherlands Film Fund

Eyes Closed

Ogen Dicht

CineMart 2023 - Eyes Closed

Goals at CineMart The film is set in a universal European city, so we see great potential for shooting in cities such as Copenhagen, Berlin, Paris, and Brussels, or smaller cities such as Cologne or Lille. Therefore this project is perfect for co-producing, and we are looking for partners in Denmark, Germany, France, or Belgium. We hope to meet and find a co-producer at CineMart and we would like to explore the possibilities of the co-production structure together with the co-producer.&nbsp;Synopsis It makes sense that at the busy airport nobody notices that Anca (10), a little girl with an Eastern European appearance, is being 'handed over' to Sylvia (32). Amongst the crowd of people, it is almost unnoticeable that this transaction is businesslike and almost silent.But why doesn't Niels (17) intervene when he is watching the tense Anca next to a constantly distracted Sylvia in the subway? Anca is wearing remarkably little clothing for that time of the year. Niels does dare to approach Anca, but when his friends call him 'paedo', he is deeply offended and he leaves it at that.And why doesn&rsquo;t Jes (52), a police detective, intervene when she sees Sylvia bringing Anca into a luxury hotel in a rather firm grip? Shouldn&rsquo;t she be taking such signs&nbsp;&ndash; possibly indicating child trafficking &ndash; rather seriously? Is she afraid of making another misjudgement, as happened recently, resulting in her getting a serious warning?It is not at all convenient for Maryam (31), a maid in the same luxury hotel, when she finds Anca half naked in one of the rooms. She will have to finish all her rooms quickly because she finally has an audition at a professional studio which noticed her singing talent. Still, she briefly takes care of Anca. She helps her getting dressed and tries to reassure Anca. What else can she do?Chris (27) is actually the most courageous. He has just met Sylvian and finally wants to make something of his life. Chris starts a new job as a driver and accepts the assignment to take Anca to a children's party. There, all he finds is a man he does not trust. Following his intuition, he flees with Anca, away from this man, away from his boss, and also away from Sylvia. But what can he do for Anca? Distraught, Chris leaves her on a bus, where at least she is safe.&nbsp;There Anca now sits, alone, in a strange country, on an empty bus. All day, she has been hoping someone would notice her and do something. That boy on the metro, Maryam, who looked after her and did see that something was wrong, but let her go anyway. Even Chris, whom she had come to trust a little, left her here alone.The bus driver takes Anca to a police station, where Jes takes her in. Jes refuses to let Anca sleep on a bench in the station and takes her home. Meanwhile, Sylvia has already started another assignment, another girl being taken to a client. Video footage of a little girl at a hotel soon finds its way into the living rooms of paying clients.&nbsp;Director&rsquo;s Biography Jenneke Boeijink (1977, Netherlands) studied psychology followed by an education at the Netherlands Film Academy. The screenwriter and director created a number of productions for TV, such as Schemeren (2007, short), Proces&nbsp;(2010), and Room 330&nbsp;(2019, short). She wrote and directed the impressive family drama feature Porcelain (2019), which was nominated for best feature in the Netherlands.

BIND

Four people suspect they may be witnesses to, or unwittingly  involved in, a girl's abduction. Do they have the courage  not to look away, but to intervene?