Photos were taken by Rene van Rjin
From Friday 15 to Sunday 17 January, Deaffest Co-ordinator Marcella and her assistant Louise flew to Amsterdam to attend a seminar at the Cinema Het Ketelhuis.
Hosted by Deaf in the Picture festival organiser Tony Bloem, Managing Director Alex de Ronde and Visual Communication Maker Bart Koolen, the seminar took place over the weekend period. International filmmakers and festival organisers from the Netherlands, Italy and France have participated in this proactive discussion regarding the EDC (European Deaf Cinema) where experiences and expertise were exchanged.
The participants were welcomed on Friday night with a summary of what was to happen the next day. With an early start on the Saturday morning, the discussion ran from 10am till 7pm including establishing the goals of the EDC. Future prospects were shared and discussed amongst the participants. The introduction of the EU (European Union) and EUD (European Union of Deaf) was presented by Executive Director of the EUD Mark Wheatley.
Saturday evening was packed with films produced by the participants including Fire Signs by David Bowie, Doof Opgelucht by Bosch school & Tony Bloem, Coming Home and Departure Lounge by Louis Neethling, Deaf in the Picture 2007 by Tim de Graaf, Amsterdam Visual News by Bart Koolen and Dead Money by Bim Ajadi, winner of the 2009 Ben Steiner Bursary.
With many thanks to the hosts and participants, the weekend was very valuable.
