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almost spring (original title Bijna Lente )

Almost Spring is set during the first corona wave in 2020. Two elderly lovers meet again during a secret rendezvous in the woods. Jan (Koolschijn) is recovering from surgery and is actually not allowed to leave the rehabilitation center where he has been since the outbreak of the corona crisis. Marijke (Te Selle) lives alone at home. They would like to touch each other, but as they observe the rules of distance, the question arises as to what is stronger: the fear of getting sick or their love for each other?

  • Oene Kummer
    Director
  • Oene Kummer Kummer
    Writer
  • Sven Sauër
    Producer
    producer stichting Docu Shot
  • Truus te Selle
    Key Cast
    "Marijke"
  • Hugo Koolschijn
    Key Cast
    "Jan"
  • Claire Pijman
    Cinematography
  • Project Type:
    Short
  • Runtime:
    11 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    February 12, 2021
  • Production Budget:
    25,000 EUR
  • Country of Origin:
    Netherlands
  • Country of Filming:
    Netherlands
  • Language:
    Dutch
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital Arri Mini
  • Aspect Ratio:
    Scope
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Cinetree online
    Amsterdam
    Netherlands
    February 12, 2021
    Dutch premiere
Distribution Information
  • Cinetree
    Distributor
    Country: Netherlands
    Rights: Internet, Video on Demand
Director Biography - Oene Kummer

Oene Kummer (1966) wrote as a journalist for OOR, De Filmkrant and Spits, among others. In the mid '00s he wrote the short films Liefs uit de Linnaeusstraat (2005) and Onzichtbaar (2007), after which he returned to writing about films and music with great pleasure.
Since 2015, Oene has been editor-in-chief of Plot Magazine, online magazine for screenwriters. In 2019, his script for the short film A New Beginning (also available on Cinetree) was filmed by Janice Pierre.
Almost Spring is his directorial debut, followed later this year by the short film Flexi, which he also shot with his regular Director of Photography Claire Pijman.
For the future, the duo has several short and long projects in the pipeline.

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Director Statement

From the moment the Corona crisis broke, Director of Photography Claire Pijman and I knew we had to do something with this. The idea about two people in the dunes ended up becoming the forest, but the core question we wanted to investigate remained the same: can you keep two people separated who desperately want to see each other? Claire and I are not wappies. We are well aware that there is a deadly virus going around, and we adhere to all the Corona measures as best we can. But some rules just go against basic human needs like touching someone you miss and haven't seen for a long time. After Cinetree was the first to commit to the project (kudos!) and the Cultuurmakersfonds of the Prins Bernhard Cultuurfonds accepted our application, we knew for sure that we could make the film. The shooting period in the summer was a party, thanks to the great actors and crew. It would have been even better if the Corona crisis had been behind us by now, but it looks like we'll have to keep biting back. Almost Spring is not a retrospective of something that is behind us, but a snapshot of something that is still going on. We know more about the virus now than we did a year ago, and the first groups of people have been vaccinated, but the question that Almost Spring poses is still the same for many people: if we want to touch each other so much, why can't we?'