We thought it would be fun

March 16, 2020, many students started cheering when they heard that high schools were closing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. But when the pandemic lingered on, this drastically changed for most children. The ethnographic film 'We thought it would be fun' tells the story of teachers and students during the pandemic and their experience with the crisis approach. The entire high school life changed with enormous speed, leading in the beginning to funny situations. But the longer the pandemic lasted, the more unforeseen problems arose. Many students struggled with loneliness, internet addiction, and sometimes even depression. Students and teachers warn for long-term effects of the pandemic and show that people should not expect that everything goes smoothly back to 'normal' in the aftermath of the pandemic.

  • Lianne Cremers
    Director
  • Cato Janssen
    Co-director
  • Lianne Cremers
    Editor
  • Cato Janssen
    Editor
  • Lianne Cremers
    Camera operator
  • Astou Toure
    Camera operator
  • Christian Labib
    Sound designer
  • Daniel van Loenen
    Music composer
  • Marcel Janssen
    Animator
  • Ruben Hamelink
    Colour corrector
  • VU Amsterdam University
    Producer
  • Wieke Berghuis
    Key Cast
  • Jayda Sibelo
    Key Cast
  • Mick Kuijper
    Key Cast
  • Pratham Raghoenath
    Key Cast
  • Amy Hoen
    Key Cast
  • Maryse Knook
    Key Cast
  • Joana-Leah Munha Freire
    Key Cast
  • Stan Golstein
    Key Cast
  • Frank van Schaik
    Key Cast
  • Emmelie van den Wall Bake
    Key Cast
  • Sjoerd Bakker
    Key Cast
  • Lisa Scholten
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short
  • Runtime:
    28 minutes 57 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    October 25, 2022
  • Production Budget:
    20,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Netherlands
  • Country of Filming:
    Netherlands
  • Language:
    Dutch
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Lianne Cremers

Lianne (A.L.) Cremers is a visual and medical anthropologist, who works as an assistant professor at the Department of Organization Sciences, the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Her research focuses on human responses to infectious diseases, notably tuberculosis and Covid-19. In her work, she aims to assess participatory governance and sense-making processes around health crises and how these are deeply entangled with embodied experiences, societal resilience, and structural violence. With her use of visual methods, she has made several ethnographic films about her research: https://vimeo.com/user69279402

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

This ethnographic film is part of the EU-funded HERoS research project (Horizon2020 Research and Innovation Program nr 101003606), which aims to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the COVID-19 crisis response. This video reflects the views of the filmmakers only and the European Commission is not responsible for any information contained therein or how it is used.