Why My Mum Loves Russell Crowe

A documentary that sees a daughter exploring her own mother's past experiences of sexual abuse, the trauma that lies within, and the way it shapes their relationship and inherited fear.

  • Emma Abrina van den Berg
    Director
    'Doei, stomme trut'
  • Emma van den Berg
    Writer
  • Emma van den Berg
    Producer
  • Imoje Aikhoje
    Producer
    Red Flag
  • C. van den Berg
    Key Cast
  • Barbara Gozens
    Key Cast
  • Stephanie Gude
    Key Cast
  • Joel Whitaker
    Music
  • Joshua Bradbeer
    Colorist
  • Danceney Gijsbertha
    Styling
  • Emma Morgan-Bennet
    Subtitles
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Documentary, Short, Short Documentary, Student, Female
  • Runtime:
    25 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    September 24, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    1,000 GBP
  • Country of Origin:
    Netherlands
  • Country of Filming:
    Netherlands
  • Language:
    Dutch
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, HD
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Goldsmiths, University of London
  • Nederlands Film Festival
    Utrecht
    Netherlands
    September 22, 2022
    World & Dutch Premiere
  • DOK Leipzig
    Leipzig
    Germany
    October 19, 2022
    International Premiere
    International Competition Short Film 2022
Director Biography - Emma Abrina van den Berg


Emma van den Berg (1992) is a visual artist & documentary filmmaker, born and raised in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.
In the summer of 2018 she graduated from the Gerrit Rietveld Academie from the Audio-Visual Department (VAV) with a video installation and short documentary film 'Doei, stomme trut' (Bye, silly tart) which was screened at Nederlands Film Festival 2018, as part of the student competition and in the spring of 2019, it was broadcasted on Dutch television as part of the 2doc program Makers van Morgen, which focusses on upcoming talent in the documentary world.

Currently, she lives and works in London. Recently she finished her studies in Documentary Filmmaking at Goldsmiths, University of London.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Finding the right questions has always interested me more than stating conclusions.

I see myself continuing to research between the line of art and documentary film. Letting my voice be heard in today’s society as a filmmaker who happens to be queer and female. Asking questions about how we relate to each other as human beings rather than how we relate by the conventional ‘rules’ of society.