Sjors Swierstra

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What happens in your childhood defines your life, according to artist Armando. His childhood was defined by one crucial incident; a boy kills a German soldier in the woods during the Second World War. The story recurs in Armando’s work in many forms.: an ill-fated event, a victim that becomes a perpetrator, a guilty forest that witnessed everything but remains silent. Was Armando involved in the fateful event or did he invent a tragedy of mythological proportions? Filmmakers Sjors Swierstra and Roelof Jan Minneboo go in search of answers.

DOUDOU – The Magic of the Rhythm is a vibrant tribute to Doudou Ndiaye Rose, the legendary Senegalese composer and master drummer. Through mesmerizing performances, reflections from family members, and praise from icons like Peter Gabriel and Youssou Ndour, this short film celebrates Doudou’s profound influence on music and culture. Nine years after his passing, his family go on a spiritual pilgrimage from the bustling city of Dakar to the province town of Tivaouane. On the village square, they lead a powerful ceremony, bringing together Senegal’s great percussionist families to honor his legacy in a traditional sabar ritual of rhythm and dance.

Shelter is a virtual reality documentary directed by Sjors Swierstra (The Netherlands) and co-directed by Ivanna Khitsinska (Ukraine) that offers an intimate look at the war in Ukraine. The film immerses the viewer in everyday scenes: from a tender conversation between pregnant women in an underground maternity ward in Kyiv to the heart-wrenching funeral of a soldier in Lviv. From the tense preparation of soldiers in a frontline barracks to the breathtaking performance of a symphony orchestra in a basement in Kharkiv. In Shelter, the audience is invited to step into a virtual space with people from Ukraine, to witness moments of shared humanity and reflect on the cost of war.