Hemelsleutel

Digna Sinke returns to IFFR with a gentle and deeply personal reflection on loss, aging and our relationship to those around us. With help from her fictional protagonist Lea, Sinke dives into her own memories, in turn inviting us to reflect on our own experiences.

In Hemelsleutel, Digna Sinke introduces us to Lea, the protagonist of a potential feature film she is making. Lea is asked to document the energy transition in the port area of Amsterdam, dissecting local politics and interests. What starts out as a professional venture, soon turns into something much more personal, as a flood of memories and associations bubble up within Lea. Slowly though, Digna’s own memories and Lea’s story start to merge, and as the boundaries between them become increasingly unclear, the film unfurls from a place of fiction into a more reflective and reflexive documentary.

The newest work of IFFR veteran Digna Sinke is not merely about the filmmaking process, but offers a rich reflection on our choices, doubts and the mistakes we make, as well as on growing old and the acceptance of loss. Hemelsleutel invites us to reflect on how we relate to others, and how our experiences have made us into the people we are today. With its gentle, sincere tone, Sinke manages to create a deeply personal film that resonates far beyond her own experiences.

– Koen de Rooij

Trailer

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